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DUBAI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY DP WORLD

November 27, 2010

Ian Poulter

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Third Round 69. 12-Under. 204Total.

RODDY WILLIAMS: Ian, very well played out there. You take a two-shot lead into the final round much the Dubai World Championship. I imagine you'd be very pleased with that.
IAN POULTER: Yeah, I am, actually. You know, I think it was important today to go out there and play solid, bank a few birdies. I figured the guys from behind were going to shoot a decent score. The pins were tucked today, so it obviously made it very difficult.
So it was a game of patience out there today. I felt I dropped two silly, silly bogeys on holes that I really feel I should have taken advantage of. That was the only frustration of the day. Apart from that it was pretty solid.
RODDY WILLIAMS: You're never short of confidence but imagine after last week's win you're going to be fairly confident going into tomorrow.
IAN POULTER: I feel happy, yeah, it's great. You know, I'm in the driving seat. I'm two in front. It's better that than being behind. Yeah, I feel pretty confident.

Q. You've been on the road for some time now, and you seem to be keeping it together brilliantly. What's the secret of playing well this far from home over this length of time?
IAN POULTER: Getting plenty of sleep I think. I mean, you have to be fresh. Taking Monday off was key, travel day. You know, relaxing all day and then obviously playing the Pro-Am Tuesday and you know taking the whole of Wednesday off. I done nothing and rested till half ten, eleven o'clock, and ate a late breakfast and sat around the pool. I feel you need to do that especially when you're going to be playing a number of weeks on the road. With all of the miles you're flying, it's key to staying fresh and performing.

Q. Without wishing to tempt fate, this would be the first back-to-back for you. Quite an exciting prospect I would have thought.
IAN POULTER: Yeah, there's lots of interesting scenarios that could happen tomorrow. One of which is a win and move up in the World Rankings. Yeah, I mean, it's great. I can't wait. It's exciting, put it this way.

Q. You've done a World Match Play. Where would this rank if you do win?
IAN POULTER: I think it would -- it would be right there behind it to be honest. I think Volvo Masters 2004 was probably my next biggest win after the Match Play. So this I think would certainly pip that. It's become a bigger event. It means more. So, yeah, it would be a huge win.

Q. You and Ross sort of traded shot-for-shot throughout the round, and he was one behind you coming down the last. The risk and reward factor came into play there. Did you sense he was going for you, trying to get level, and didn't quite pull it off?
IAN POULTER: He was always going for it. He only had about 210 front. So I would have been going for it if I'd got the extra 30 off my driver like he did; I wish.
But to be honest, I don't like that hole from that tee box to be honest with you. You can't see the fairway. The fairway slopes left-to-right. You can only -- you can only see a bunker to try and carry.
But he hit an absolutely perfect drive, so he was always going to have a go. He'll be frustrated that he missed it on the left side when there's plenty of room on the right and he's chipping back into the grain if he misses it right.
It was a bit of a swing. He was in the driving seat from being in that position in the fairway.

Q. Even though you don't like the hole, do you accept that it would create a more exciting finish if there were two guys coming down the stretch within a shot of each other and it was reachable in two?
IAN POULTER: No, I don't, because it's a poor tee shot. You can't actually see the ball land on the fairway. It's awkward. The hole wasn't designed for that -- to be played off that forward a tee. It's only 250 to carry that bunker but yet it's on the be downslope running straight into the water. It's an awkward tee shot.

Q. Just by way of finishing on that point, you played conservatively; were you always going to take it as a three-shot hole?
IAN POULTER: No. If I hit it in the middle of the fairway, then I was going. It's as simple as that. It's 250 carry. The ball is going to run probably 40 yards down the fairway, which 290 off the tee is probably going to leave you 220 from. I'm definitely going from 220 from, and I pulled it in the left rough, and I'm certainly not having a go from there. So it's just a lay-up hole from that position.

Q. Have you got the Tucson feeling? You seem to be assured over the short ones.
IAN POULTER: My game is as good as it's been, to be honest with you, I feel I'm swinging it good. I really haven't had to putt it on camera because I feel like it's online at the top and when it's in that position, I can hit the shots I want to hit. If I want to hit a cut or a draw, I can and if I put the ball in the fairway, I'm going to be dangerous, especially if you're going to hole a few putts.

Q. You're playing better than Tucson?
IAN POULTER: I'm playing as good as Tucson.

Q. Irrespective of the outcome tomorrow, win, lose or draw, this is a rich vein of form and carry this forward to next year, you must be really, really positive about what you might achieve.
IAN POULTER: There's great things coming from playing well. And the way I'm playing right now, I feel very happy. It's about keeping your focus when you are playing well. I played well at the start of this year and obviously got sidetracked through the middle parts. It was easy to do that.
If you focus properly, stay rested and commit to every shot, then you know, you can win golf tournaments. If you're going to do that, you're going to move up in the World Rankings, and that's my goal is really just to keep trying to move forward, keep betting myself every time.

Q. There are some mysteries in this game, aren't there, form can just go and you reach for it maybe don't understand why and change things that aren't wrong and stuff like that?
IAN POULTER: Sure. Sure. Why did I play poor through the summer? Don't know to be honest. Obviously something distracted me.

Q. You told us you were definitely going to win for the singles. Are you prepared to give us something as definitive now?
IAN POULTER: No.

Q. Do you feel just as confident?
IAN POULTER: I feel fairly confident. I mean, I'm playing well. I'm in great form. I mean, from last week, you know, I'm coming into this week with a lot of confidence. I'm hitting a lot of good golf shots.
If I -- you know, two soft bogeys today; if I don't make any soft bogeys tomorrow and keep playing well, then obviously I'm going to have a great chance to win this golf tournament.
But, you know, Ryder Cup was match play; it was a 50/50. So the odds are tomorrow probably not as good as the singles match. But, if I play well, then I'm going to have a great chance to win.

Q. You got any Tweets lined up?
IAN POULTER: I'm sure we'll have a bit of want ear with Westy in a bit, I'm sure. I'm sure it will be interesting to see what he says. (Laughter).
RODDY WILLIAMS: We'll let you get on with that.

Q. How annoyed were you when the first bogey came, as it was a 3-putt?
IAN POULTER: The yardage was a good yardage for me. I felt that I could have actually probably got the lob-wedge there, if I had paid a little bit more attention to my book maybe. The ball was always going to pitch on the downslope and kick forward. It did kick forward 15 feet and that putt is straight downhill and straight downgrain. I pushed it, the second I hit it was on the grain and I made a poor stroke for the second putt. I mean, I really shouldn't have 3-putted. It was just a poor second putt to be honest.

Q. Do you like front running?
IAN POULTER: I don't mind it, yeah. I've always said, it's better than coming from behind. Rather to have the Cup in the bag than trying to catch up.
RODDY WILLIAMS: Ian, well played. Play well tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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