Q. What is the overriding factor to explain what is happening?
GARY EVANS: In the last two years, I've changed coaches, I went to Ewen Murray. A cousin of mine once told me, "If you're not happy with the people around you, you'll never perform well." I got myself to a stage where I've got a great manager, James, who is a friend of mine, really. This is not his main line of business. He's just a buddy looking after me. I have a great caddie in Dominic. And Ewen Murray is my strength really. He made me believe in myself again and told me how I've got to work hard if I want to succeed, and basically just dedicating myself a lot more.
Q. Do you think Muirfield provided a breakthrough in the belief, and the belief is back in your game?
GARY EVANS: Definitely, without question. You know the story. I'm not going to bore you again with all the bad things that happened during my career, but it does take a long time to get real confidence in your own ability and I'm feeling I can hit those shots again. I'm feeling like I can compete at the highest level again, which is something I haven't felt obviously for the last eight, nine years.
Q. Coming here gives you confidence because you made it here, rather than the other way around?
GARY EVANS: Absolutely. The real killer for me this week is the fact that last week I was 23rd in the Order of Merit. I had to finish top 20. I knew I took a minimum of $41,000 last week to jump Clarke, who was lying 20th. I also knew I had to beat Faldo by $25,000 to jump him.
And to go out on Sunday last week and perform, you know, under the cosh, if you would like, to get here, and achieve is massive for me, massive.
Q. What was the last trophy you won?
GARY EVANS: The last trophy I won was probably the English Stroke-play Championship. I don't know. My last trophy, if you would like, was beating Dave Duval 2-1 at the Walker Cup. That was my trophy, because I turned pro two days later.
Q. So you haven't got a major trophy room?
GARY EVANS: Yes, it's my toilet (laughter).
Q. Do you have any silver polish?
GARY EVANS: No, I don't. My mom, bless her, she tries to send me all my trophies -- because I'm living at Sunnyhill. She boxed up all these things. I said, "mom, I don't want them. You keep them where they are."
She said, "They'll remind you of good days."
I said, "mom, that's over a decade ago."
Q. When you see someone like Rich Beem winning the U.S. PGA, does that inspire you?
GARY EVANS: Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Obviously I'm watching it knowing exactly how he felt and I was just amazed how well he did under the circumstances. Just stunning. I think it shows people, other people, the more regular players on the TOUR it can be done and that, you know, anyone can win a golf tournament these days. It wasn't like 20 years ago where there was half a dozen guys who will fettle out every year.
Q. Does that carry on for the rest of the TOUR guys?
GARY EVANS: Absolutely right. Why shouldn't it be? I'm just a normal Joe Blogg on the tour. I'm not a superstar, but I'm playing all right and that's great. I can walk into restaurants and no one knows me. It's perfect.
Q. Do you know if your ball was ever found on the 17th (at Muirfield?)
GARY EVANS: No, I forget all about that. My caddie refuses to have Titleist 2s in the golf bag now. He's gotten stupid about it, superstitious. One of my pals from Perth, David Grice, he used to be on tour, he sent me a Titleist 2. He said, "I found a Titleist 2 in my back garden. Is it yours?" (Laughter).
SCOTT CROCKETT: Thanks very much, Gary.
End of FastScripts....
