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CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK HOSPITALS CLASSIC


October 22, 2011


Luke Donald


LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA

Q. Are you sick of playing with Webb Simpson? You've got him three days.
LUKE DONALD: Yeah. Obviously, no, I think it's nice to play with Webb. He's obviously been playing well, and we get along fine. Not tomorrow. We'll have a day off, and you know, I need to go low, obviously, tomorrow, to have any chance. Unfortunately a couple bad swings today really cost me.

Q. You know what, it looked like you took a little time on that 14th tee, deciding which way to go with a driver or 3-wood. What was the deal there on that tee there?
LUKE DONALD: One of the marshals actually came out and stopped me. I'm not sure what for, but he came out on to the fairway so I backed off the 3-wood. The play was to always hit 3-wood unless we thought we could get there in two. It was a poor swing. I'd driven it well up until that point.
You know, it was a contrasting round to yesterday's where I hit a lot of poor shots. Today I hit a couple of poor shots, but those ones unfortunately cost me.

Q. Good luck tomorrow.
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, unfortunately poor swing off the tee there. You know, the putt on 13, if I'd made that, I think the momentum would have kept building, and then a couple poor tee shots on 14 and 16, and that was all that I did wrong today, but they really cost me, unfortunately.

Q. How much more difficult has your job become now to try and win that money title?
LUKE DONALD: Yeah. Very difficult. I have to go super low tomorrow and get a little bit of help from everyone else in front of me.

Q. That's the thing. Is it possible to go super long on this course without getting help from everyone that you can do it?
LUKE DONALD: I certainly believe you can shoot 62 out there. It's going to take a great round. You need to play a little bit better.
You know, today's round I had a lot of opportunities, and I could have been easily -- you know, I had a putt to go 5-under through 13, and 14 is a birdie opportunity usually.
So there is a score out there, but again, everything's going to have to go my way.

Q. When you're standing on that 14th tee, just keep saying, you owe me, hole, you owe me. Play well tomorrow.
LUKE DONALD: I'm going to make birdie tomorrow on that hole.

Q. That's what I'm talking about. Thanks, Luke.
LUKE DONALD: It was a little bit of flying shots. So I don't know if they were or not. But kind of looking through we couldn't see anyone.

Q. So the marshal on the fairway came out?
LUKE DONALD: Came out.

Q. It wasn't clear presumably up ahead to hit?
LUKE DONALD: I guess. I don't really know.

Q. Because I know at one point you gave it the what's going on thing?
LUKE DONALD: Yeah. I just didn't know. I was kind of waiting for him to signal like maybe now you can go, but he was sort of chilling under the tree.

Q. You hit 3-wood there?
LUKE DONALD: 3-wood, yeah. That was always the plan that if we couldn't get there in two, 3-wood kind of takes a lot of the trouble through the fairway out. Obviously it was a poor shot and I got what I deserved.

Q. Did the delay bother you?
LUKE DONALD: I'm not going to --

Q. You can't blame it on that?
LUKE DONALD: There was plenty of times I've backed off shots and hit good shots. So yeah, it was a shame, you know. As I said to the Golf Channel, yesterday I hit a dozen really poor shots, shot 71 and today I hit two really poor shots, but unfortunately they cost me and almost shot the same score. It's just the way golf is sometimes.

Q. Were you aware of how long you'd gone without a three-putt before today on this TOUR?
LUKE DONALD: Yeah. I knew I had --

Q. Can you even remember the last three-putt? Seventh hole Canadian Open, Saturday, if that helps you. That's what they've given us.
LUKE DONALD: Yeah. I knew I had a three-putt at the Dunhill. I had a couple there.

Q. Yeah. They don't count that one.
LUKE DONALD: Tough to escape. So what was my tally?

Q. U. S. tour was 483, which goes back to the Canadian Open. Also on the 14th hole today.
LUKE DONALD: Do I win a prize? (Laughs).

Q. That's not going to help you on the Money List.
LUKE DONALD: Does that give me an extra vote?

Q. Tomorrow's an attack day?
LUKE DONALD: You know, my game plan never really changes. I'm always trying to maximize my opportunities to make birdies, and without being ridiculously attacking. But you know, maybe. As I said at the beginning of the week, this course at times can lend itself to being a bit more aggressive. So I'm sure I'll do the same.

Q. How realistic is it to think that there might be another player in the position you're in to lead both tours in money? I mean how special is that?
LUKE DONALD: I think it's possible. We've proved that. You just gotta play right, in the correct events. You gotta -- you know, obviously if you're doing it, you're playing the big events pretty well, the majors, the world events. It's certainly possible, but it helps -- obviously helped when I won the exemption.

Q. With as many players as figures to be between you and the top, could a 62 do it?
LUKE DONALD: 62 maybe could do it.

Q. Do you have to go lower than that?
LUKE DONALD: Like 15, six back. If I shoot 10-under, that means they gotta shoot 4-under. So yeah. We'll see how Justin finishes. Don't want him to get much more ahead, but yeah, that would be kind of the number I have in my head.

Q. How is your energy level?
LUKE DONALD: A lot better than yesterday. I didn't feel very good yesterday. I'm 90 percent better than I was yesterday. So still not quite 100 percent, and you know, it's been a long year.
It's hard to measure energy levels from a level for a year that's been this long. But I'm looking forward to a break. Put it that way.

Q. What motivates you more, the novelty or rarity of being in the position you are to win both money list titles?
LUKE DONALD: The history of it. I'm past the stage of worrying about the money and cashing checks. That's not even -- the five-year exemption really has no bearing on what I'm trying to do this week. I've been out long enough I feel comfortable that if I keep playing the way I'm playing I won't have to worry about that.

Q. You're good for three anyway; right? The WGC gets you three.
LUKE DONALD: Sure.

Q. So that's not bad. I meant to ask you this the other day, not to make you squirm, any incentives in play with any of your sponsors anything if you top the money lists in either place? Is that an extra little Christmas don't us for you? Do you know. Some guys make No. 1 in the world might get a little bonus.
LUKE DONALD: I think there might be with my clothing deal. I'm not exactly sure what it is.

Q. Ralph Lauren. Should ask Wagner that one.
LUKE DONALD: He wouldn't tell you.

Q. Appreciate it. Go get 'em tomorrow.
LUKE DONALD: Thanks.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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