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DUBAI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY DP WORLD

November 26, 2010

Graeme McDowell

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Second Round 73. 145 Total +1

Q. You needed a fast start, 3-under through 7 and then it went wrong. What happened?
GRAEME McDOWELL: Yeah, middle of the 8th fairway, 8-iron in my hands, I missed the green right and I made bogey there.
Middle of the 9th fairway, 7-iron in my hands I missed the green right and made bogey there. Just very quick to lose patience with myself out there because I knew I needed to do something. I just kind of lost control of the golf ball and just couldn't get it going on the back nine at all. Very disappointed with that last 11 holes.

Q. You told us yesterday, you were not feeling physically 100 per cent; how are you today?
GRAEME McDOWELL: Okay. I'm fine. I just don't think I have a huge amount in the tank. Like I say, my patience is very quick to go out there today. I find this golf course quite difficult. The second I get out of position, I find it tough to scramble around here. I'm just not putting the greens very well, very grainy and tough to read. Unless I'm knocking the pins down, I'm having a tough time out there.

Q. You need to finish second or third, dream to be alive. We know in Wales you were six behind and came back to win by three; is that possible here? Are you playing well enough, feel well enough?
GRAEME McDOWELL: Yeah, there's enough good shots to give myself a chance on the weekend, but like I say, I've got to stay a little more patient out there. Getting frustrated very quickly. Did the same yesterday. Like I say, those two bad swings on 8 and 9 today, just kind of threw me off a little bit.
But I'm actually hitting the ball pretty well. I just need to keep my head screwed on a little bit more and make a few putts. I've got to putt better than I'm putting right now.

Q. You lost control of the golf ball you were talking about, what are your feelings with the challenge you've had this week at this point?
GRAEME McDOWELL: I'm feeling disappointed, you know, because I got off to the start I needed out there today. I was swinging the club good but middle of the 8th fairway with an 8-iron in my hands, completely missed the green way right and couldn't get up-and-down, and did the same on 9 and made bogey.
Any momentum that I had out there was quickly lost. And just getting frustrated. This golf course frustrates me a little bit. I'm hitting a lot of good shots. Just can't seem to get on top of it. The greens are tough to read. They are tough to putt. I just can't seem to get anything going out there.

Q. You've been chasing for four weeks and you've made inroads on a million Euro deficit to bring you down to 300,000. Does it get to you at times that the chase is hard to keep up?
GRAEME McDOWELL: Yeah, it's certainly got that feeling this week that maybe it's one step too far. Like I say, I think the frustration level that I was displaying out there today, it's definitely because I don't have a lot left in the tank. I don't really have -- I don't have the energy to be patient with myself. I don't have the energy to be digging deep. It's okay when things are on a string, you're knocking down flags and making birdies, but when you've got to grind, it's just not in there.
But like I say, these greens, every time I miss a green and I get it up there around six feet for par, I can't seem to make them.
It's a tough golf course. It doesn't really give you a lot. It doesn't give you a lot to look at. It doesn't give you a lot to feed off. It's a grind and I'm not grinding very well.

Q. You had a spectacular weekend to win in Wales, 127, 128, you probably need something like that to have a chance of finishing in the top three. Is the game in there to achieve that?
GRAEME McDOWELL: For sure, I'm going to give it 100 per cent. I'm going to give it everything I have left this weekend. This golf course, it requires you to hit -- my iron play has got to be sharp. I just haven't been sharp with my irons and I haven't been putting well.
I'm driving the ball well and doing everything right to give myself the opportunities, I just can't seem to get the ball close enough and I feel like I have to hit it close on these greens to make putts.
It's frustrating, but I'm going to give it 100 per cent this weekend, of course.

Q. You got into a tie for 6th with the three early birdies today.
GRAEME McDOWELL: To be honest with you, I'm standing here very disappointed because I got so frustrated, because when I look at the leaderboard, I was not that far out of contention. I really should have stayed a little bit more patient than I did. But I let the head come spinning off out there. It's not like me really.

Q. Do you do anything to steady yourself for the weekend with a reassessment of the task ahead of you which is birdies, birdies, birdies?
GRAEME McDOWELL: I just have to rest. There's nothing wrong with my game. I'm hitting a lot of quality-looking shots. I just can't seem to get any momentum going on this golf course. It's a little bit like how I felt in Shanghai; I just can't seem to get on a run out there. I get off to a great start today and throw it straight back to the course.
It's a course where it doesn't gift you birdies. It doesn't gift you shots. You've got to take advantage and you've got to hit quality shots. I've got to go low on the weekend and I'm hitting enough it good shots to do that.

Q. Does it feel like The Race to Dubai is over, or do you still think there's something that you can do?
GRAEME McDOWELL: It's not over. 65-65 is not out of the question, of course. You know, I'm just disappointed that I got as frustrated that I did out there today. There was no need to get like that. I just made two very elementary bogeys from the middle of the fairway, which frustrated me because this golf course, it doesn't give shots away.
You have to hang on to ones you have. I'm just giving shots away too easily this week. Three 3-putts yesterday and just elementary bogeys today. Just simple, stupid mistakes I'm making this week and a sign of a man whose head is not very sharp at the minute.

Q. The kind of thing that happens when it's the fifth week in a row?
GRAEME McDOWELL: I don't want to stand here and make excuses. I'm here to do a job this week and I'm just not doing it very well.

Q. You still have two weeks to go; would you at any point considering saying, this is it?
GRAEME McDOWELL: The two weeks I have left, they are irrelevant. They are silly season, if you like. This is the one -- this was it as far as my season goes. This is the one where I was wanting to pour every last ounce of energy into it.
It's weird; a golf course like this frustrates the life out of me. It always does. I feel like I'm standing here as the same man that was standing here probably Friday afternoon talking to you guys last year. There's something about this course, you know, I just can't quite get my head around it; can't get the ball close enough, I can't hole any putts on it.
I'm driving the ball fantastic actually. I mean, I've hit a lot of quality, really long, straight drives. Did that part well. But like I say, as soon as I get out of position, I can't find a way to get the ball in the hole.

Q. After a year of such highs, when were you last so frustrated?
GRAEME McDOWELL: This game frustrates me on a regular basis to be honest. Even when it's going well, this game is never far away from frustrating. Like I say, Ken had said he had never really seen me like that on a golf course today, which wasn't ideal. I was just angry with myself and frustrated with myself. I'm a sign of a man who is not very mentally sharp at the minute. I was very quick to lose the head out there with myself. No patience with myself.
But such is life. Such is golf. I'm not going to stand here and complain about anything. It's been an incredible year. I'm just going to try to pour every last ounce of energy I have.
I shouldn't be walking around like I am out there. Kenny said to me this morning, "Let's go have a good time out there." It's hard to have a good time when I'm trying so desperately hard this week to get in the mix. Just can't make it happen. I'm frustrated -- I'm frustrated because I'm not doing what I know I should be doing this week.

Q. And yet you see people picking up birdies all over the place. That has to make it worse.
GRAEME McDOWELL: It's happened for me two days running, Alvaro played fantastic today, as well. Sometimes when you're frustrated with yourself -- right about the time my head was rolling down the 9th fairway, Alvaro strung about three birdies in the space of four holes. It's a funny game. Like I say, you know, I'm just very impatient with myself.

Q. How can you change that attitude for tomorrow? Is it possible to do that when you're in this sort of negative --
GRAEME McDOWELL: Negative is probably the wrong word. It's just impatience really. It's frustration; I'm not negative. I'm actually playing well. I just can't seem to get out of my own way. I've got to somehow go out and relax and have a good time this weekend; whether it means go and have a few beers tonight and hanging out in the pool. I nearly have to try and switch it off a little bit because I'm so switched on and I'm trying so desperately hard, I can't seem to do it.
These are great problems to be here and it's a great problem to be here this week doing and I'm doing. I haven't been able to do it. I've got to kick back and look back on what's been a great year.
I'm not writing myself off, but I've got to shoot two 65s this weekend and if it doesn't happen, big deal, it's been a great year and certainly not going to make excuses this week. I wanted to play well, but you know, golf course perhaps doesn't setup that well for me and like I say, I'm a mentally tired man.

End of FastScripts

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