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ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS

April 27, 2011

Luke Donald

AVONDALE, LOUISIANA

DOUG MILNE: Luke Donald, thanks for joining us for a few minutes prior to the start of the ZURICH Classic of New Orleans. Obviously a big, extended week for you last week. You almost claimed the No. 1 spot in the world, but a great finish nonetheless. Just a few comments based on that finish and how you're transitioning into this week here in New Orleans?
LUKE DONALD: Well, this is my first time to this event, and I'm enjoying the hospitality already. Got to play with the CEO today, Martin Senn.
ZURICH, I think, has done a great job in raising some valuable money needed for this area. It's good to be a part of this event for this year.
Yeah, last week was disappointing not to get the win, but you move on. You take the good that came from it. There were a lot of positives from last week and looking forward to another crack at trying to pick up a trophy this week.
DOUG MILNE: You mentioned in your first time here, just some thoughts on the course and then we'll take a few questions.
LUKE DONALD: The course is in great shape. Obviously, I played nine holes yesterday in very calm weather in the morning. If it's calm, there are some birdie opportunities. Today it was blowing about 25, and it was tricky. It was hot, humid and it was tough.
But the course is in great shape. Lot of section greens. You'll have to be pinpoint accurate into the greens and around the greens there are some slope-offs and run-offs and you have to have some imagination. I kind of like how it sets up for me.

Q. There was a lot of talk last week about you making a run for number one in the world rankings. Is that something that you pay attention to?
LUKE DONALD: It's hard not to put it out of your mind because there was a lot of talk about it last week. It's certainly not a goal of mine. I think the goal for me is continually going through the steps to try to become a better player. When you do that, good things happen like they have this year.
I've really had a solid start to the year, been doing a lot of things right and I've been putting in a lot of hard work. No. 1 is just another part of that parcel, and I'll continue to do what I'm doing and hopefully that will happen.

Q. You mentioned this is the first time that you've played this event. Is there any particular reason you're playing this year? Any kind of ties to the community or anything about New Orleans that made you want to come play this event?
LUKE DONALD: It just fit with my schedule very well. I hadn't played a lot leading up to this event. I had 11 weeks off in the off-season. This is only my seventh start this year, so I haven't played a whole lot.
I think the TOUR is always looking for players to play new event that's they haven't been to before, and this was a good opportunity for me to come here and play one.

Q. When you have a disappointing finish like you did last week in the playoff, are you glad to be back out here three days later or four days later playing again? Do you wish you were home working on some things? Maybe you weren't working on something that didn't go right, or how do you feel about stuff like that?
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, a lot of things did go right last week. I'm playing well, I'm swinging well. I'm doing a lot of things well. So I think it's good to keep playing.
Sometimes you go back for a week and take a few days off, and you can kind of lose that feeling you have in your swing. I'm glad to be playing this week. I think it's nice to continue where I left off from last week.

Q. Does playing this week mean you don't think a lot about what happened at Hilton Head? You automatically focus on ZURICH and leave that behind?
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, I've already forgotten about it, you know. Again, I'm taking the positives from last week, but I tried to not dwell on things so much. Just learn from it and move on. So that's the way I'm approaching this week.

Q. What did you think about the gator by the 17th tee box?
LUKE DONALD: I think you could fit a lot of drunk people in there throwing beads off on Bourbon Street. I think there are a lot of good touches. Obviously, today with the Pro-Am and having all the food stations out there is a nice little touch for the event. It really shows off the New Orleans hospitality and the great food that they have here. It was fun out there.

Q. What is on your hit list this week in terms of restaurants? I'm sure you've done some research there? And secondly, stats don't always tell the whole story. As of last week I think you were 162nd in greens and regulation, yet you were on the verge of becoming No. 1. So how do you explain that? Again, number one, food hit list this week, and number two, that statistical look.
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, I have a list of restaurants to choose from that they gave me. Just sampling some of today's foods, I had some great charbroiled oysters from Drago's, so we might hit up that place tonight. Tomorrow, I may go catch the New Orleans-Lakers game, hopefully. So that will be probably a cheeseburger.
The rest is really up in the air. I've heard Emeril's restaurant is great, so maybe I'll try that or maybe something a little bit more local.
Yeah, I'm fully aware of stats, and I keep an eye on what I'm doing well and what I'm not doing well. Certainly the last few years I have struggled tee to green. I think more than anything I haven't driven it well enough the last three years, and that's kind of compounded into not hitting enough greens.
But if you look at my stats last week, I hit 77 or 78% of fairways, and 66% of greens which that place is pretty good. So I'm improving and I'm going in the right direction.

Q. Can you talk about ways and what you see in the stats influence your practice, especially the ShotLink stuff with proximity. If you're missing right more often, does that influence how you practice, length of putts or anything like that?
LUKE DONALD: I do look at stats. I'm not a huge stats guy, but every week I note down my stats and try to find the positives from them more than anything. At the end of the year, I'll mostly go over the stats and see what I need to improve.
But more of it is looking at all the positives I can take from them. How I think I'm first or second in putting on the PGA TOUR. I'll just use those kind of little added numbers to just make me feel a little more positive about my game.
When you stand over a putt, it's nice to know that you've done it before and you have a good chance to make putts because of that.

Q. Are you still painting at all? Active in that in any way?
LUKE DONALD: I haven't really done a painting for a couple of years. I think the last time was really when I had my wrist injury. I had six months off and I did pick it up again. But since that, had a young girl, a little baby daughter and she's taken up a lot more time.
It's something I'd like to take up again, but right now it's on the back burner.

Q. What did your folks do growing up in England? Just a little bit about where you grew up and what your family was like.
LUKE DONALD: I grew up in a town called High Wycombe, just 30 miles west of London. Led a pretty normal life. My parents I think were maybe somewhat unusual in terms that they were very supportive but they weren't pushy. They never told me to go practice. They never forced me into doing anything like that.
They wanted me to do something that I would enjoy and they encouraged me. But it was not to the point of trying to push me too far. I think I've always had a good family life. My parents have always brought me up to try to lead a very balanced life. Not be centered around just one thing. Have other interests other than just golf. I think they've done a good job with me.

Q. Anybody a sportsman? Were your father or mother sportsmen at all?
LUKE DONALD: Not really, no. My mother was a typical housewife and looked after me and my other siblings and did a good job doing that. My dad played a little bit of golf when I started, but my granddad was a golfer. He died before I was born. He was a scratch golfer, and I think I inherited a lot of the golfing genes from him.

Q. So much is made about young players, but most of the top guys in the world rankings are in their 30s, including yourself. With golf being a mental and physical pursuit, what are the benefits of being in your 30s when those things kind of meet?
LUKE DONALD: Just more experience, more knowing how to handle situations, how to play to your strengths, when to be aggressive, when not to be aggressive. You just learn every time you play out here.
It's just like anything. Going back to No. 1 in the world, I mean, certainly it would be a great achievement. But when I get there, it doesn't mean I've gotten to the top. It means it's just another tick in the box. You keep learning. You keep improving and you keep moving on. You just try to keep getting better.
I felt like I was a good golfer in my twenties, but I think more and more just knowing my game a little bit better. You feel more comfortable. You get to play courses more and more and learn stuff from that. Yeah, that's the reason I see some success with the guys with a bit more experience.

Q. I think you may have reviewed this in the last week or so, but just one more time if you could. The work you've done with a coach who has helped you psychologically get a little meaner out there?
LUKE DONALD: Dave Alred. Yeah, I met Dave about a year and a half ago. We did some work together and we're still continuing to do work. Again, a lot of his stuff is based on looking at statistics, looking at ways I practice, trying to gain positives from them. Trying to use that to build some self -- I'm trying to think of the good word.
I never know how to explain what Dave does, but it's obviously working.
I think in general I have a good team around me. Not just Dave. I don't want to just single him out. But I have a great coach in Pat Goss, and my caddie, John McLaren has been doing a great job on the bag, and good family around me too. So it's a number of things.
Dave's just another set of eyes and ears to look at what I'm doing and making sure I'm doing it in the right way, and it's been working.

Q. Was there talking about getting more fiery, that kind of thing?
LUKE DONALD: A little bit. I think the English, not being stereotypical, but have a tendency to be a little bit modest, a little bit not quite go-getters, you know. I think Dave wants me to be a bit more ruthless out there. Just keep believing in myself that I have the ability to be as good as I can be. There are no limits. Through diligent practice and preparation and thinking in the right way, that anything is possible.
DOUG MILNE: We appreciate your time as always and best of luck this week.

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