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THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA

September 24, 2010

Luke Donald

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

JOHN BUSH: Luke Donald joins us here in the interview room after a second consecutive 4-under par 66. Luke, once again, nice playing out there. If we can just get your comments on the day.
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, very happy with 66. It was another good day score-wise, and I'm in a great position, so it was nice to build off a solid first round and continue that. Yeah, very happy with the score.
JOHN BUSH: Five birdies, one bogey. Any of the birdies stand out? You made a couple nice putts again today.
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, 4 and 16 I made nice putts. 16 was a bonus. I hit a poor tee shot right there and hit a nice 7-iron to about 30 feet and holed that putt. So that was a bonus.
Yeah, I hit the short game a little bit on the back side, which kind of kept my score together.

Q. Are you tired at all? I think next week will be seven out of nine weeks, something like that, going back to Bridgestone.
LUKE DONALD: It's certainly a busy run. There's a lot of very good tournaments now where we get to play. It's hard to say no to some of them. But physically actually I feel like I'm in as good a shape as I've been, and I think that's really helped me in terms of playing the number of events like we have. Tiredness really isn't a factor.
I think the Chicago event, looking back over the weekend, I felt a little bit tired. I was traveling a 45-, 50-minute drive every day, and that just takes it out of you more than anything. But I had a good week last week, rested up, and I feel good this week.

Q. You've got a little one at home, too, right, so that's got to be a whole new arena to deal with, as well, just a few months old?
LUKE DONALD: She's seven months, but she's very well behaved right now. She's sleeping well, and she's a joy to be around.

Q. Much was sort of made about the guys that didn't make the European Ryder Cup team and wanting to play well, maybe having motivation from that. But you did make it and are playing very well. So in some ways was that helpful to be given a vote of confidence like that by Monty, because you obviously are playing very well?
LUKE DONALD: Absolutely. From my perspective I would have loved to have made that team automatically, but relying on a pick, obviously Monty had confidence in me. You know, that's -- gives me confidence in itself. Saying that, you know, I haven't really changed the way I've been practicing or anything like that. I feel like I've had a pretty solid year, and I'm just kind of continuing that trend.

Q. On the Ryder Cup, there's only one from the American team and that's Furyk in the top tier this week. More of you guys. Will that encourage you any concerning next week, the way you guys are playing this week?
LUKE DONALD: There's only me here, too.

Q. He's counting Paul probably.
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, there's only me playing in the European side. But this game changes week to week. I wouldn't put too much emphasis on people, what they're scoring this week and how that's going to reflect on how they're going to play next week.
It's a fickle game and things change, and the atmosphere and the excitement of a Ryder Cup can do a lot to get you playing well and get you focused, so I wouldn't read too much into that.

Q. Just out of interest, how surprised are you that Paul isn't on the European team?
LUKE DONALD: Do I have to answer this again?

Q. Please.
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, it was a surprise. You know, I think looking at Paul's match play record and his World Ranking position, he's had a solid year. I think he would have made a -- he would have added some power and strength and a good match play record to the team.
But as I said, you know, Monty had to pick five from three is what it looked like. You've got to leave someone out.

Q. Talk about how you've changed over the years playing overseas, particularly in this country. How have you developed? What have you learnt about yourself, and how has your game improved?
LUKE DONALD: Well, the goal is always to improve every year, to just keep getting better. I had four really good years at college. I felt like those kind of were a steppingstone into making me feel my game was good enough to compete out here on the U.S. Tour.
I was very fortunate to get my card the first time going through all three stages of Q-school, and every year I just feel like I've progressed. You learn along the way, you learn from the defeats and you learn from the successes, too. I definitely feel like I'm growing as a player and feeling more comfortable out here every year.

Q. This is kind of a tactically demanding golf course. Looks like the fairways are about as narrow as they've ever been and you've got to put it to point A and then point B, which seems to play right to your strengths. Is that a fair assumption?
LUKE DONALD: Somewhat. Statistically I'm actually not that straight of a driver. If you look at my statistics, something I feel like if I could improve a little bit, something that would go a long way into getting me to contend a little bit more. With my distance out there, I need to hit more fairways, and it's something I'm going to concentrate on.
But this place is tough, and being as firm and fast as it is, it is tough to hit fairways. Especially the back nine for me, it seems like the wind and the slopes are all pushing the ball to the right, and my ball flight right at the moment is a slight fade. So it just becomes very narrow targets.
I've struggled a little bit off the tee on the back side and been able to short game it and kind of get away with it. But I need to improve that just a little bit this weekend if I can.

Q. One more Ryder Cup question. As big an event as it's become and everybody talks about how much they want to play in it, the Ryder Cup is basically everything that golf is proud that it is not. It is team instead of individual, there's nationalism, there's gamesmanship. Despite that, what is the appeal, because it is what golf tries not to be.
LUKE DONALD: I'm not sure about that. I mean, certainly there is a little bit of gamesmanship and what goes along with team events one-on-one, but you know, it's an event about pride, it's an event about representing your country, and that brings out a lot. And I think that's good characteristics in golf, so I would kind of disagree with you in terms of -- I think it's a showcase about what golf is. It's all about guys going out there and trying to win their match, but at the end of the day, they shake their hands, and on Sunday night we all have a party and we'll be celebrating together win or lose, and that's what golf is all about.
JOHN BUSH: Luke, we appreciate your time. Play well this weekend.

End of FastScripts

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