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ISPS HANDA WALES OPENMay 30, 2012Jamie DonaldsonNEWPORT, WALES STEVE TODD: Jamie, thanks for joining us. Wales Open was a special tournament I'm sure for you, and you played pretty well here last year. Start with your thoughts coming into it. JAMIE DONALDSON: Yeah, you know, it's great coming back down to Wales. I've played here loads, and yeah, we had a good tournament here last year, not too far away. But you know, it's just great to come back. And the weather looks pretty good for the week, so looking forward to it. STEVE TODD: Just a word on your game at the moment. You've had some pretty good performances and certainly some good rounds this year, how are you feeling coming into the week? JAMIE DONALDSON: I'm feeling all right. Yeah, I've had quite a few decent rounds this year but form in tournaments has been lacking, consistency has not been there so far. It's been a little bit up-and-down but overall form is pretty good, and just looking to put four rounds together and see where we're at. STEVE TODD: We had Rhys in yesterday talking about playing in front of the home crowd and relishing the pressure of it; is that the case for you, as well? JAMIE DONALDSON: Yeah, I mean, it's just great, the more support the better, coming down here. And like on Sunday, it was pretty good last year and a lot more supporters and stuff. So yeah it's just great to come back to Wales and play in front of a home crowd. Q. Do you thrive on the expectancy, the pressure? JAMIE DONALDSON: What do you mean? Q. Given your nationality and all of this. JAMIE DONALDSON: I don't feel any extra pressure coming down here. If anything, it feels easier. I'm come here before and I've played all of my amateur golf in Wales, so it's just nice to come back down here really and play. This was the Welsh headquarters when I played amateur golf. Not sure whether it still is. We played here a hell of a lot, not necessarily the course that we are playing now, but parts of it. So it's just nice to come back down here and play in front of a home crowd, so it feels like home, really. Q. What would be the highlight of your past experiences at Celtic Manor? JAMIE DONALDSON: When I turned pro, I think this was my second event on The European Tour. I finished fourth in my first event, and probably the best finish I've had here, that was a highlight of mine. I've got lots of happy memories down here. We played here like I said a lot, so it's great. Q. And all of the players say that aside from the majors, the tournament they want to win the most is the National Championship. Is that something you would go along with? JAMIE DONALDSON: Yeah, absolutely love to. My goal in any tournament is to win, and it could be great, but it would be especially fantastic to win here. You know, so we just need to play well this week and put four good rounds together. Q. You're a new dad coming here; is that part of the reason for the consistency at the moment? JAMIE DONALDSON: It's been hectic. It's been different because you know, we have had a new son. It's been a bit upside-down if you like but fantastic at the same time. It's been awesome. But not really I would have thought altered my golf in any way really. It's difficult because you're suddenly looking after somebody else and not just yourself. No, I don't think it's really changed my golf at the moment. It's just I've normally played eight events so far. I took a couple of events off that I would have normally played because of the birth of my son. But you know, overall, I think it's just a case of just a few good weeks and I'm off and running. Q. Having someone else in the family -- JAMIE DONALDSON: Not really, no. Not really. I just try and keep my private life separate, and my golf and my work life separate and try not to take my work life home and personal life away with me. When I'm at home I switch off and when I'm at work I switch on. Q. Were you close to playing at Walton Heath? JAMIE DONALDSON: Yeah, I was down to play but I decided not to play. I played okay parts last week, but didn't feel I was playing, you know, really on my game to be able to just waltz through type thing. I didn't want to sort of go there, tie myself up for this week. Of course, I want to play in the U.S. Open, but I just felt as though I wasn't quite playing well enough. Q. Have you had any feedback from the other players why not more big name players are here this week, and is there anything more that the tournament can do to encourage players to come here? JAMIE DONALDSON: It's difficult to say really. I suppose the higher the purse, the more people come. People get paid to turn up, don't they. But I suppose the more money that's put in a purse, the more players play in it and a few more players come, obviously more World Ranking points, and more come the following year and it rolls on from there. Q. And the timing of the tournament, as well, just after Wentworth? JAMIE DONALDSON: I don't think that should be a big issue really. I can only look at my schedule. I can't really look at anybody else's. Some have the Match Play before and stuff, might not fit with schedules with it being as not as big a World Ranking event as say last week or the week before; that might be another reason why people haven't played. Q. 13th Wales Open and we have yet to have a Welsh winner; do you ever talk about it, how desperate the public are for one of you guys to be the first? JAMIE DONALDSON: No, it's not something that we talk about massively between the lads me. It's obviously extra special when it's your home tournament, but everybody wants to win every tournament they play in. But obviously it's not something that happens. But it's particularly special to win your home Open. Everyone's looking forward to doing that. STEVE TODD: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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