BUICK INVITATIONAL

February 15, 2004

Luke Donald

JOE CHEMYCZ: We welcome Luke Donald to the interview room. Not the way you wanted to finish today, runner up in a playoff. Just talk about your day, 3 under par 69. You birdied 18 too get to 10 under and into the house.

LUKE DONALD: I played solidly like I have all week, and I was proud of myself on 18, to give myself a chance. I hit a good putt on 18, the playoff hole, it just didn't break.

Q. The putt on 18 in regulation, how far was that?

LUKE DONALD: The pin was four paces on and I was just on the fringe, so I was probably 13 feet.

Q. Talk about your mindset approaching 18, thinking you needed birdie.

LUKE DONALD: I saw Chris Riley hole a similar putt from the front edge, I knew he got to 10 under. I was just thinking birdie. I knew that putt had to go in to have any chance.

Q. Take us to the playoff and what you did with clubs and shots and thinking.

LUKE DONALD: Drove it in the right rough off the tee, not a bad drive, but the wind caught it, laid up with a 5 iron, 117 to the pin, 113 over the water. Hit a nice shot to maybe six feet and just read the putt right left and it never broke. I hit a good putt, it just wasn't my day.

Q. What was it like out there with Daly? It's usually pretty wild.

LUKE DONALD: John adds another element to a tournament. He's a crowd favorite. He was getting a lot of chants. I'm very pleased for John. He's had his troubles, and to come back to win. I think his last win was '95. So nine years without winning on this Tour, you could never tell, him playing that last hole. Obviously John Daly esque, he went for it in two. He still had a tough bunker shot. Most people when they think of John Daly they think of length. I've played with him a couple of times. He has the best touch around the greens as any player. He proved it right there, made a great four.

Q. (Inaudible)?

LUKE DONALD: I wasn't really watching him. I wouldn't have. I don't know if I would have got to the water with a 3 wood.

Q. (Inaudible)?

LUKE DONALD: It's another step forward in my career. I've played well this year. After Friday, I think I've been in the Top 10 three times at four events. Coming into Sunday, I've had a chance to win at Sony, at Pebble last week, and this week. Today, I've played very well. For me it's a good step to go out and shoot 69 and give myself a chance, and to play well on Sunday. Nothing but good things come out today.

Q. (Inaudible)?

LUKE DONALD: No gimmes or anything like that. I don't know. You can always look back and think what if I holed that putt and this putt. But to be honest, I hit every shot like I wanted to. I don't see any putts or shots that I'm regreting now.

End of FastScripts.