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DEUTSCHE BANK CHAMPIONSHIPSeptember 2, 2011Luke DonaldNORTON, MASSACHUSETTS Q. Bogey-free today, some good parts of the round but maybe some not so good in the sense you missed a couple putts coming in, but you've got to be pleased with the way you played. LUKE DONALD: It was. It was a good round. I feel like I've been hitting the ball pretty well the last few days. I hit it decent today, not great. My short game actually was pretty sharp. I did miss a couple coming in, but made a good few out there and was very happy with the score. Q. Was the key maybe the up-and-downs at 12, 13 and 14 to keep that round going? LUKE DONALD: I think so. You know, it's a little bit of a tough stretch, those three holes. They're pretty good holes. And I haven't played them very well. But it helps to have a good putter and it got me out of trouble. Q. Looked like the greens were getting a little bit firm and fast this afternoon? LUKE DONALD: Yeah, the course is really in a great place considering a hurricane came through here a few days ago. The course is in great shape. The greens are starting to firm up, and I think it's playing just the way it should be. Q. How important was it to get off to a good start considering the conditions were as ripe as they were for scoring? LUKE DONALD: Well, it's always nice to get off to a good start. I think the last couple events I haven't played that great the first round and kind of been playing catch-up, so it's nice to post 5-under. I'm in a great position. Q. What's more important than a good round, the birdies you get or the par saves you get? LUKE DONALD: I think the par saves to keep the momentum going. The last month or so I haven't short-gamed it well enough, haven't made those putts when I needed to, and today I did, and that was really the difference between 5-under and maybe 2-under and being back in the pack. It's nice to see the putter warming up a little bit. Q. In a playoff format do you look around a little bit more and make sure you're aware of where you stand, or is it like a normal situation? LUKE DONALD: I'm still treating it like a normal situation. There's a little bit more urgency to do well and win because it is the Playoffs, and with the points being so much more, there's a lot of value in winning. Winning goes a long way. It'll set you up great for the TOUR Championship, and that's the goal this week. Q. Talk about what happened on 18. LUKE DONALD: Just I guess some fear of hitting it short right, which isn't very good. I kind of overturned a rescue into the hole and it flew a little bit long, had a tricky chip and didn't hit a great putt, just pulled it slightly and had to settle for par. It was obviously a good opportunity to make birdie, but still, a very solid round. Q. What do you think about more, the solid round or how it ended? LUKE DONALD: No, I'm in a great position. I'm not going to worry about the missed opportunity there. Throughout a tournament you're going to miss some, you're going to make some, and it all evens itself out, and I'm in a good position. Last couple weeks I've sort of got off to slow starts, so it was nice to get off to a little bit of a quick one. Q. What was the difference today? LUKE DONALD: Putting I think more than anything. I think the putter has been a little bit cold of recent, but I putted a lot better, holed a nice chip on 11, made some crucial putts for par on 12, 13 and 14 when I needed to and kept the momentum going. Q. What kind of reaction did you get from the crowd, from the gallery today? LUKE DONALD: Same as usual. They're always very supportive of me. Q. I'm not one to talk about the weather, but I couldn't help but notice what a really nice day this was today, and as a golfer have you ever seen a day where -- I'm not sure there was much of a disadvantage in going off late today. LUKE DONALD: No, the only disadvantage would be maybe slightly firmer greens and a few more spike marks here and there. But other than that, yeah, the conditions seemed very favorable. This is just what it's like in Chicago every summer. Q. Is that a joke? LUKE DONALD: I was just there four days. It was just like this every day. Q. You probably can't put your finger on it, but if you've struggled to get off to a good start, why has that been, and is that 12 through 14 stretch the difference for you? LUKE DONALD: It probably was the difference. I think it was putting. I feel like tee to green I've been a lot more solid this year, and even the last few months. But I've really been taking the opportunities ever since kind of The Open Championship. The putter has been a little bit cold. It hasn't been terrible but just not as good as I would expect, and today was a lot better. Q. What do you see as your goals until East Lake given that you've had a good year? It's not like you're starting at 28 or something like that. No matter what happens you're going to be in the mix you would think. LUKE DONALD: Yeah, the goal is really to pick up a win before East Lake and win one of the next two and at worst be in the top 5, so at least I have a little bit of control with my hand, I suppose. I think that top 5 is important going into East Lake. You know if you go there and you win, then it's yours. That's all you can do, try and maximize your control, and that's what I'll be trying to do. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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