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THE CELTIC MANOR WALES OPEN

June 6, 2010

Rhys Davies

NEWPORT, WALES

GORDON SIMPSON: Well, Rhys, a spectacular attempt to try to overhaul the leaders to become the first home winner of The Celtic Manor Wales Open, looks like you've come up short, we are just waiting to see what Graeme does, but I expect you are very proud of your 62 course record to go home with today.
RHYS DAVIES: Yeah, that's right. I knew going into today I was playing well enough to shoot a really good score. I probably didn't quite expect it all to go, finish quite so low, but I felt there was a good round in me and I went out with a positive attitude as a result.
GORDON SIMPSON: You made that eagle on 8; was that the moment where you thought you could really kick on and do something?
RHYS DAVIES: Yeah, I didn't -- it was strange. I had a slow-ish start, made a few ropey shots the first couple of holes, but made some decent pars and birdied 4 and 5 and got going what you think would be a good round. And made a long putt on 7, which is I think my third two of the week on 7, a long par 3, so I was laughing about that.
And then I holed an 8-iron. So everything is really, really flying. And yeah, I thought I could -- again, I didn't really know. I was still aware that obviously Marcel had started at 11-under and by now I think I was only about 8-under, so it didn't cross my mind, anything, winning the tournament. But I birdied 9, 10, 11, as well. So all of a sudden I look to the board on 12 and I was actually on top of the leaderboard, which is a little surprising, but obviously very pleasing.
GORDON SIMPSON: And a great 4 at 14 to keep the momentum followed by an eagle.
RHYS DAVIES: I pulled it a little bit off 14. If I'm honest I didn't think it would go through into the water, but it did, but didn't -- I reacted well. I made sure I got a good yardage from what would have been my third shot and hit a great wedge in there to about four feet and made a par.
So again, momentum was still on my side. I was feeling good. And just took dead aim on 15. To me it was a perfect 3-wood. I could hit it hard and try and keep it just right of the flag. The wind pushed it straight on to the pin, so even better, and I managed to roll in the putt, which might be slightly unexpected, but I was always going to give it a go. My speed had been good all day and I'm very good with speed putts, and yeah, it went right in the middle.

Q. How far?
RHYS DAVIES: Probably 25 -- well, 30 feet probably.
GORDON SIMPSON: And the last three are playing tough, anyway into the wind, I suppose 16 was a moment --
RHYS DAVIES: Possibly, I still thought I had I chance. 16 is playing hard, 500 yards straight into the wind, so one of the toughest par 4s you'll get. Hit a good par putt, didn't quite go in but hit a fantastic shot into 17. I hit a soft 5-wood in there to about 12 feet I think, or thereabouts.
Probably just misread it slightly, hit a good putt, it just went by. And 81 was playing into the wind, I really wanted to go for the green, but it just wasn't realistic. I was going to make a big number more often than I was going to make a three. I really wanted to go for it but I couldn't quite justify it.

Q. Considering how fantastic you'd played --
RHYS DAVIES: If at the start of the day, you're going to go shoot 62 and finish sort of second -- I don't know if it will be, but thereabouts; second, then I'd have said, well, yeah, definitely, that would have been great.
But having said that, if I'm honest, if I shot 62, I think I would have fancied winning the tournament. So full credit to McDowell. He's gone and done something very similar it looks like or will do something very similar. I always thought if you got to double digits today, and the leaders didn't quite go their way, then you'd have a chance, and I did that. But like I said, full credit to McDowell, he's played exceptionally well himself.

Q. How often have you had 23 putts in round?
RHYS DAVIES: Probably on the stats, funny enough I counted it and it was actually 21 because I had a few from off the green.
Now, yes, I probably used my putter 23 times, but if you do the official shots, I'm only 21 -- 21, I'm not sure, definitely I've had 22. I've had 23 quite a few times. I don't putt very often, typically.

Q. Was that the longest?
RHYS DAVIES: The biggest one was on 10. I hit it middle of the green with my tee shot and holed a very fast putt straight down the green and it went right smack in the middle, a bit quick. Could have been 40 feet that one, quite easily.

Q. What were the two holes where you used your putter off the green?
RHYS DAVIES: I used it on 6. I was actually off the green on 18, as well. Although, I don't know, I missed -- I don't know what happened on 18. I felt I hit quite a good shot but it came just off the green.

Q. Did you see Graeme's par putt on 16?
RHYS DAVIES: I watched him hole a putt on 16 and he hit a very good tee shot into 17, and that to me -- because 16 and 17 are very tough today and he made a great save on 16 and he hit a very good tee shot on 17. It's fully in his control now.

Q. What's next?
RHYS DAVIES: What's coming up for me now is Pebble Beach. I think there's a lot of focus on the U.S. Open. I know all you lot will be focusing on it, so of course I will be, as well. You know, major championships and big World Golf Championships events are always tournaments I've set my mind to and wanted to go and play.
So now I'm getting the to stage where I'm check I'm exempt for these big tournaments and I want to do that as soon as possible in my career to give myself the most experience I could in these big events, and I've got a great chance to do so. I think the remainder of the season now, I can pretty much plan and prepare to play the biggest tournaments, and that's really exciting for me.

Q. Inaudiblel
RHYS DAVIES: I think, yeah, that would be -- anybody of that equivalent would do all right on a Sunday afternoon I'd have thought.
It's a strange one because you really don't know how the big events shape up. You don't know how other players will play, as well; it's not always just about yourself in this environment. You need some results to go your way, and some will and some won't.
It's not a thought, simply because it's still so early in my career, and I'm very good at taking it week-by-week. I'm going to enjoy this week, I've got a few days off, and I think by Tuesday afternoon I'll be preparing for Pebble Beach.

Q. Are you happy or disappointed?
RHYS DAVIES: I was disappointed I didn't hole the putt on 17 and I was disappointed I didn't hit a very good wedge into 18. To me they were two other chances I could have made birdies on. I knew, I looked at the board and Graeme was quite a few in front and I have to keep pushing, and I felt I had things go anyway.
Okay, I made bogey on 16 and didn't feel I did a whole lot wrong there, I missed my second shot by a very small margin, I didn't go for the pin there, I just thought you couldn't, went into the bunker, fine. 17 and 18, I hit such a good tee shot into 17, I really thought I could finish two, four, but it didn't quite happen.

Q. Inaudible?
RHYS DAVIES: Yes and no. Yes, obviously I have improved a lot in a short time but if I'm honest I've always felt that I can do so and I've always felt that I have been doing so. I really believe that for the latter stage of my amateur career, I was playing some really good golf, and it had not quite shown up in the early stage of my professional career.
That often happens when people turn pro, and there's little things that you have to adapt to and adjust, and obviously the standard is that much higher. But I'm getting -- I'm improving and I feel every year, since about the age of 15, I've got better, and that's all I'm striving to do every time.
GORDON SIMPSON: Well, you've given the Welsh a lot to smile about today, and I'm sure they are very proud of you, as well. Thank you.

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