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May 26, 2011
SURREY, ENGLAND
Q. Two birdies in the first three holes and pars all the way home. Sum up your day for us.
DARREN CLARKE: I think I probably miss-struck two shots in total all day. I hit a lot of really, really good putts that burnt the edges and just couldn't quite get a combination of line and read. But I hit the ball probably as good as I could hit it, and a cold putter, but maybe tomorrow, hopefully it will be an awful lot warmer.
Q. Weather, lots of contrast, how difficult was it?
DARREN CLARKE: It was tough. Obviously taking a look at Luke Donald's score you wouldn't think it was that tough, but Wentworth is always tough in this sort of breeze that the winds tends to swirl around an awful lot. And one minute you stand on the fairway thinking you're going to hit 7-iron and the next minute you have to hit 4-iron, that's the way it is. You have to take your time to pick the shot and hope you get it right.
Q. A couple of weeks ago you were picking up the trophy in Mallorca, and just wonder how much confidence that's given and you what it's done for you.
DARREN CLARKE: A lot. There's nothing like the feeling of winning again, and you know, I was fortunate, Chris Wood had a tough day in the last round. It was tough conditions like this and he didn't quite play his best and I played quite nicely.
I feel fortunate to win but at the same time I'm delighted to have won again, and you know, my swing feels great, everything, I'm hitting good putts again. The game is more fun again, and it's tough when you're struggling and trying to grind out scores and playing okay but not scoring, but you know, I'm hitting the ball so much better now and I can't wait to get out and play no matter what the conditions.
Q. An exceptional round to go around here without a bogey and on a day like today, as well.
DARREN CLARKE: I actually struck the ball almost as good as I can strike it. I think I miss-hit two shots all day, that was it, in total. I hit the ball where I wanted to for the most part and hit so many putts that burnt the edges and my reads were a little bit off.
I couldn't quite get the line and pace. Pace was good but my reads were a little bit off. Hopefully tomorrow I get the combination right and go a little bit better tomorrow.
Q. Does a win really make a difference to the way that you move around a golf course that is as challenging as this one is, in an event as big as this one?
DARREN CLARKE: Well, I think, obviously win makes a huge difference to anybody, but I think in Mallorca, as I said at the time, Chris Wood had a tough day, and I stayed patient and that's something I was not always very good at.
And it was the same for me today. To start off with two birdies in the first three holes and pars after that, that's not what I do, but I kept giving myself chances and chances and chances.
Q. Finally not to over-use the wind analogy, but the wind is at your back a bit in more ways than one, you seem to have that spark of getting a second wind in your career.
DARREN CLARKE: I'm enjoying it again. It's amazing, I had a break before Mallorca, and recharged the batteries somewhat and came back out in a totally different frame of mind; and to go there and win and then to come here to probably our biggest European Tour event outside the Majors, you know, it's huge for me, and I'm just excited about playing again.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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