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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 19, 2010

Gregory Havret

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA

Q. That chip in at 14 for just getting to this point?
GREGORY HAVRET: I liked that. It was the highlight of my round. I was 1-under and playing solid golf. I still had the second shot to put my ball in the rough, it's very bad in this hole to layup in the rough. I managed fine to be just behind the green. It was a good wedge there and the chip was obviously not very easy, at all.
And I slightly hit it too strong and it was quick on the green and then hit the flag instead of going ten feet away, it was in. So it's the kind of move for two strokes that makes a big difference at the end, 69 instead of 71. And also you never know it gives you confidence and then you play the last holes probably stronger, and it makes maybe another two strokes difference. It's definitely a very important one.

Q. You've never played in the U.S. Open before and here you find yourself in the position that you're in. You tried to qualify a few times, didn't you?
GREGORY HAVRET: Well, yeah, many times before. Actually the first time I qualified for an Open or U.S. Open, and I struggled a lot. Obviously I wanted to play that one, but usually I'm thinking maybe it's better to miss this one and focus on The Open. I was wrong.
Hopefully -- I qualified for my first U.S. Open. It's great to be there after three rounds. Obviously it's a fantastic feeling. This course, we get used to in Europe, we got that Dunhill Links tournament and The Open and many other tournaments where we can play in links type. This is probably the one, too. Not many U.S. Opens played on links courses. And I think it's a big opportunity for us European players. And I was able to manage this three rounds and my putting was very good, less than nine, ten foot, and it's obviously very important, yeah.

Q. Why did you try to qualify for the U.S. Open instead of just saying forget it?
GREGORY HAVRET: Of course, you want to play those tournaments. I'm playing golf now for maybe 25 years and I just don't want to look at my scene at home, my -- very nice European Tour tournaments, but The Open, and those three in America are just something else, of course. And you want to play there. And you want to compete there. And you want to win there. It's such a thing, yeah.

Q. You put yourself in position to compete in this tournament on a Sunday, on one of the most iconic golf courses in the world with a reasonable shot at winning this tournament, talk about what it means?
GREGORY HAVRET: Well, yeah, my thoughts are the same for every tournament. When I arrive in Italy and win in 2001, it's not the U.S. Open, but to win on the European Tour, it's so big. And then you don't expect much and then you win. I won Loch Lomond back in Scotland and such a win, last group with Phil Mickelson and I won in the playoff against him. That's great for me. I'm from there. I know everything is possible because if you tell me that when I was 15 or 16 years old, I couldn't believe it. So, yeah, probably seen enough -- I'll be in the last tomorrow, maybe with Tiger, it's great and I'm looking forward to that and that's why I'm working out and playing golf.

Q. What would it mean to play a U.S. Open round at Pebble Beach with Tiger?
GREGORY HAVRET: Yeah, it's okay (laughter).

Q. (Inaudible.)
GREGORY HAVRET: No, never. I've played with Phil, but --

Q. In your mind, have you imagined it?
GREGORY HAVRET: No, not really. I hope I won't think too much about this night coming. I hope I'll dream about things, but not thinking about things. Yeah, we'll see, it's a day, obviously very important and very fantastic for me tomorrow.
But I'll take it like it comes, you know. If I play good and if I putt as good as I putted for this first three rounds, why not doing something right. And if I have to fight to finish in top-10 or top-15, I'll fight. It's like that, I know too much golf can be hell or paradise.
So I lived paradise in Loch Lomond. But I had an 82 last round in Deutsche Bank in 2004 last pairing with Padraig Harrington, finished 25th, I was leading by two. I will just focus on my game, like I did the three days. And see what happens and hopefully it's going to be good.

Q. France's football fortune is not so good in the World Cup?
GREGORY HAVRET: No, not so good.

Q. Do you think your country will look to you for comfort?
GREGORY HAVRET: We've been very terrible in football, but it's been a while now, it's not very new. It's a Major. I was in Roland Garros a few days ago, a few weeks ago, and those Majors in tennis and golf are really some fantastic things for us. In France, tennis is big. Golf is not as big as tennis, sorry, as tennis, and it's coming. It's growing up. Since a few years now.
And if I can help a little bit on that, I'll be very pleased and if people are for me in France, I would be very pleased. I play for me, my little one, my parents, and all the rest, we'll see.

Q. We may not know much about you or your game, what is it we don't know about you, that you'd like to talk about in terms of your ability to go out and play championship golf and play with the likes of Tiger Woods?
GREGORY HAVRET: First thing is I really love golf. I really, really love golf. It's been ten years as a pro, and you can't imagine how I enjoy those tournaments and those moments. First thing, I enjoy my life. It's fantastic to travel and play those tournaments, especially here, of course, it's the best ever, here. I've played so many great courses.
But here is just something else, of course. And, yeah, what else? I like music. I don't know what to say. My game can be fine. My putting, I struggle sometimes, that's why I come back to the belly putter a few days ago. I tried to putt with my little putter and I struggle a little bit. I qualified with it and I holed a 45 footer to win a playoff and qualify for here. A little story.
And, yeah, then I struggled a lot to qualify for The Open. So I came back with a belly putter, which is the one I won in Loch Lomond and the year after. So it's a good thing for me. Yeah, what else? I don't know.

Q. At Roland Garros, who did you follow, who did you watch?
GREGORY HAVRET: I was in that game Nadal against Bellucci, Nadal, he's obviously too strong. It's nice, Roland Garros, and I'm living about 500 meters from there. I love those great moments. I don't follow tennis otherwise.
But Grand Slam you have to have a look. And I think golf is the same, even if you're not into it, this is something else and you've got to look at it.

Q. Looking ahead to tomorrow, the experience that you're going to undertake, what are your thoughts about that round of golf? Magical?
GREGORY HAVRET: Yeah, magical. That's a good word. I don't know, I'll have a nice evening with my lads and parents, and for sure it's going to be something else I remember forever, but when you're in the present you don't really see and feel that. It's more after, when I won Loch Lomond, it's more the week or the months after I look back and say, that was fine. And at the moment you don't. I mean I don't. And I just do my job, because first of all it's a job. And I want to do it fine. Whatever -- it's good or bad, I just want to focus shot after shot and do the best I can. If it's mine.

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