28 September 2010
An Interview With:
LUKE DONALD
GORDON SIMPSON: Everyone, we are
joined by Luke Donald, very close to success last
week at East Lake, didn't quite manage it. Jim
Furyk just got up-and-down there at the last, but a
fantastic way to prepare for the Ryder Cup, to
come in on such a high and in such good form.
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, absolutely. My
form has been good the last few weeks. I feel like
three out of the four playoff events, I had a chance
to win.
You know, it's nice to be in contention and
give yourself chances to win. My game feels pretty
solid, and hopefully I can bring that form to this
week.
GORDON SIMPSON: And how does the
course differ from June in the sunshine and later
with the extra softness here?
LUKE DONALD: To be honest, the course
has drained very well so far. It seems like the balls
are running on the fairway and it's damp, but the
course is good. There's a lot more rough and the
rough is thick, and it's hard to get to the greens if
you're hitting in the rough, so there's a premium on
putting it in the fairway.
Q.
Did you come across on the
American Team flight?
LUKE DONALD: No, I did not. That was a
misprint. I was on a British Airways flight. They
said they had room, but only in the toilet; I
declined.
Q. If you win, will you go back on the
American Team -LUKE DONALD: Maybe, just to gloat.
(Laughter).
No, I'm not travelling back
straightaway, so I won't be going back with them,
either.
GORDON SIMPSON: What sort of vibes
have you picked up in the team room in the first
evening you've had together in.
LUKE DONALD:
Good vibes.
Very
relaxed atmosphere so far, we are just trying to
feel our feet and try to start that team bonding
process. You know, trying to maybe chat to guys
you haven't chatted so much before and find out a
bit more about them. We know each other, pretty
well, most of us, but some of us have not really
spent a lot of time together. It's all about trying to
ask some questions, you know, what have they
been up to, all that kind of stuff. A little bit more
team bonding and it's been a very relaxed
atmosphere so far.
Q. Since your last Ryder Cup, the
FedEx series has obviously started in the
States.
Is it a concern for you that the
Americans are going to be that much sharper
because of this post-season series of events;
whereas, you were the only European player
competing in it and all of them are going to be
really on top of their game?
LUKE DONALD: Well, there's still events
over here to play in.
I know some of the
Europeans have taken a couple of weeks off. You
could look at it both ways. Some people like to
prepare by spending some time at home and
working on their game. Some people like to lead
up to an important event by playing a lot. I think
it's all individual.
But we had a couple of guys, obviously
Rory and Ian Poulter play three out of the four
playoff events. Harrington played last week. I'm
not really worried about form.
Q. I happened to be there on the 15th,
1
and saw that you noticed there was no fairway
short of the green. Monty said that might
change; so have you had words?
LUKE DONALD: Well, I think being at
home, you get to kind of set up the course
however you want and design it around the
strengths of your players.
As a team, the
American Team are probably a little bit longer.
They have some really long hitters that could
probably reach that green easily. Some of our
team probably will struggle to reach that, if the
wind is in our face like it was today.
So, you know, it's definitely something that
we'll talk about tonight. I think tonight's meeting is
talking about the course, where we want the tees,
all that kind of stuff. Just to give us a slight
advantage, which you are allowed to do as a home
team.
Q. Do you like the fairway back?
LUKE DONALD: Certainly the thinking
about that hole is it's not that easy of a lay up down
the left side. It would be nice to go for it and if
there was a little bit of short grass in front of the
green, it's a good place for me to aim, for sure. I
would probably be in favor of at least cutting down
the rough just a little bit there.
Q.
You obviously had a fantastic
payday on Sunday, but you missed out on the
sort of money that for most people is pretty
incomprehensible. For you, is it something
that you can get over very quickly that you
missed out on such a massive jackpot? Did it
take you any time to get over that?
LUKE DONALD:
The disappointment
wasn't to do with the money. That's not my money
to start with. Anything I earn is bonus. Certainly I
didn't feel like I lost 7 million. And it wasn't my
money to start with or whatever.
It was disappointing I didn't have a chance
to pick up the trophy and win the tournament. I've
come close a few times this year, and finished
second three times and I think third a couple of
times. That's more disappointing; the fact that I
haven't got to the winner's circle yet.
But the money is really very secondary.
Q. Two questions. One is about the
rookies in the competition. Can you tell me
what your observations are about how they are
handling it? And the second question is, which
two Americans are going to make the most
formidable pairing?
LUKE DONALD: The rookies on our side
seem to be handling it very well. I think our rookies
are very experienced. I know that one of them,
Martin Kaymer, Major Champion, he's been in
impressive situations. The Molinari brothers have
done very well; Peter Hanson. Everyone seems
very relaxed so far. I didn't play with any of the
rookies today, so I'm not sure how they played.
From what I can tell, they are enjoying the
experience so far.
What was the second, the two most
formidable Americans?
Q. Yes, if they were paired together?
LUKE DONALD: I don't know, I'd probably
go with ranking, Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods
probably, or I guess Mickelson is up there, but
didn't seem to work very well together before.
Steve Stricker and Tiger seem to get along
very well, and they seem like a good pairing and
they have been successful in the past, I believe.
Q. Having come second to Jim at the
weekend, how much would you like to face Jim
on Sunday, and how much possible extra
motivation might that opportunity present to
you?
LUKE DONALD: Again, I wasn't playing
with Jim in the last round. It's a little bit different
scenario. To be honest, the main goal this week is
for the team to get 14 1/2 points, whoever I play,
and it doesn't really matter.
Jim will be a tough opponent if I get paired
with him. He's a consistent player, and I think we
have similar games. It will be a close match. But
to be honest, as long as the team gets 14 1/2
points, that's all that matters to me.
Q. Monty has described you as a
modern-day Bernhard Langer, he sort of sees
you in that role here.
LUKE DONALD: That I hit it short like he
does (chuckling).
Q. How do you feel about that? Is that
something that sort of strikes a chord with
you?
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, I don't have quite
his record in majors over his career, and that's
quite a compliment. Bernhard Langer is someone
who really thought his way around the golf course.
I think he worked diligently on his game. Got the
2
most out of his game. And in today's modern era,
you know, sometimes it's a little bit tough on some
of these courses we play for guys like me to
succeed. I've done pretty well, but I'd like to win a
little bit more than I have.
Playing with Harrington today, looking at
his record, he went through a patch where he had
plenty of seconds for a long time, and then broke
through and won three majors. So you never give
up. You keep trying and I think that was also a
characteristic of Bernhard Langer.
Q. And one other thing. Monty also
has talked many times about feeling somewhat
uncomfortable as a wild card, having not
qualified out right for The Ryder Cup Team as
he did in 2004. Do you have any of that kind of
feeling at all?
LUKE DONALD: To be honest, no, I don't
really feel uncomfortable. I just feel like with the
selection process this year, it's always going to be
tough for the guys that concentrate in America.
And we got to the scenario where we had five or
six guys that could easily have been picked. I was
one of the fortunate ones to get picked. But you
know, in any other year, I think we all would have
made the team quite comfortably.
I feel like I've played well enough to
deserve my place on the team. But you know,
from now on, I don't think anyone on the team sees
me as a wild card or someone who made it
automatically. We are just 12 guys trying to win
The Ryder Cup.
GORDON SIMPSON: Luke, have a great
week, thank you.
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