A pleasant 67 for you on day one. How would you summarize your efficiency?
LUKE DONALD: Clearly very happy with the rating, bogey-free in a significant. Somebody simply advised me it was the bottom first spherical in a significant I’ve had since 2004 or one thing. So you realize, clearly I’ve been trending with all of the missed cuts coming into this week.
However no, it was a nice shock. I bought off to a very nice, regular begin. I hit a bunch of fairways on the entrance 9 which at all times makes me be ok with my recreation.
I didn’t hit a ton of greens in the present day however my putter was actually good. The greens shock — not surprisingly however they had been infinitely faster this morning first group out than they had been the previous couple of days.
However I adjusted very effectively to them, and I made quite a lot of good, strong putts on the market.
Q. What’s it wish to undergo a press convention like yesterday when query after query is about Jon Rahm’s recreation or LIV gamers’ recreation or anyone’s recreation however your recreation?
LUKE DONALD: Nicely, that’s what I signed as much as. You already know, as I stated, I’m right here solely as a result of I’m captain of the European Ryder Cup Workforce. I wouldn’t be on this discipline in any other case. It’s a pleasant invitation and a perk that the Ryder Cup Captain will get.
I perceive that. I perceive that my recreation isn’t the place it was, and that’s the focus. So it actually doesn’t trouble me one bit.
Q. I wish to know the way a lot enjoyable you had been having on the market on the course in the present day, and what’s it like sustaining a wholesome steadiness between maintaining a tally of potential Ryder Cup gamers, and naturally, your individual recreation, as effectively, which is trying actually good in the meanwhile?
LUKE DONALD: Nicely, it’s at all times enjoyable, bogey-free in a significant championship on a course that you just wouldn’t have thought could be excellent for me.
Yeah, it was. It was good. I really feel like I’ve putted fairly effectively the tournaments I’ve performed this 12 months however not seen a lot go in. And to see them go in, dropping, was quite a lot of enjoyable.
However the balancing factor, yeah, I don’t discover it — I discovered it extra difficult the primary go round for the captaincy for Rome. I had much less time to organize for that captaincy.
This time, I’ve had an extended time, and clearly second go-around, I’m form of accustomed to what’s happening and what I have to do and the time frames and all that stuff. I’ve been capable of steadiness it fairly effectively. It’s been good to play a minimized schedule. I nonetheless love competing. I really like being a competitor. However nonetheless giving myself loads of time to be ready for New York.
Q. Undecided for those who checked the leaderboard, however Keegan is 3-under. Are you turning this into your individual Ryder Cup preview duel right here?
LUKE DONALD: If it’s tied 14-14, are you speaking a playoff? I’ll seize the trophy and return to Europe.
Keegan is high 20 on the planet. He can have one good week out right here, win, which he’s very able to, and he’s completely within the dialog of being a enjoying captain.
I don’t assume that’s fairly in my future, however Keegan, we dwell very shut collectively. I see the place he practices, and he practices very onerous. He’s nonetheless one of many high gamers on the planet.
Q. A little bit of a nuts-and-bolts query right here. Whenever you’re approaching a inexperienced, understanding there’s probability that you could be miss it and have a chip, how are you setting your self as much as have chip upcoming, and attempting to get up-and-down on a few of these holes?
LUKE DONALD: I believe by way of this course, the greens, as I stated, they bought fairly fast in the present day. A lot faster than they had been, they usually have quite a lot of slope.
So your purpose factors from the golf green — relies upon for those who’re attacking it from the golf green or the tough. However you realize, for those who’re out of place, then you definitely’re actually attempting to place your self into a spot the place you are feeling like you will get up-and-down, extra so right here than you’d most locations due to the severity of the greens.
So I believe I did job of that. I simply saved it form of the place the up-and-downs had been very manageable. However you realize, for those who’re within the fairway, then you definitely’re simply attempting to make fairly good, aggressive swings to the correct sides of the holes.
Q. What in your thoughts is a manageable up-and-down? How do you outline that?
LUKE DONALD: I used to be disenchanted on 18 to hit in the correct bunker. I believed that was a foul miss however wasn’t as dangerous as I believed. Had a bit little bit of breeze into me however I nonetheless wanted to gap an 8-, 9-footer for par.
You’re not attempting to assume an excessive amount of over the ball in your second pictures about, oh, I simply don’t wish to be right here. You’re attempting to be as particular is what you’re attempting to do and the place you’re attempting to hit it. I believe extra so while you’re out of place off the tee, that’s while you begin eager about, okay two, three pictures forward: This pin is right here; if I can get it to the correct aspect of the inexperienced, I’m chipping up the hill. One thing like that. And that’s going to offer me a chance to get up-and-down.
Q. When was the final time you performed in addition to that?
LUKE DONALD: Testing my reminiscence. Can hardly keep in mind what I did final week not to mention this week.
You already know, once more, I solely hit 9 greens in the present day. So I wouldn’t say it was superb however there was undoubtedly highlights in the present day that had been an enchancment on earlier occasions. Extra fairways. A bit higher driving. Iron play was respectable.
However the placing, clearly, was very key and the quick recreation. I bought up-and-down and made good putts after I wanted to, and that was form of the important thing to my spherical in the present day.
Q. There’s already a number of complaints about mud balls and the choice to not carry, clear and place. The place do you stand on that?
LUKE DONALD: I didn’t have any mud balls, per se. When it begins to dry out much more, you may get some this afternoon. It was difficult. I used to be a bit bit stunned yesterday after I heard the information yesterday night simply due to how moist it was, however it had dried out fairly effectively, to be trustworthy.
Two instances I needed to take informal aid from the golf green, which helped. You already know, you possibly can clear it. The remainder of the time, it was simply form of a watery, muddy residue on it, at instances. It wasn’t actually lumps of mud, which that’s when it will get very dicey.
Q. To return to the enjoying captain, simply typically talking, after we speak about Keegan presumably doing it, what are the calls for of doing each of these jobs, which appear actually onerous?
LUKE DONALD: I believe it’s extra the calls for throughout the week. For those who’re enjoying your self, you’re going to be on the golf course and so that you’re going to, you’re going to have to offer the choice-making, the decision-making, to another person.
You already know, then clearly it’s a must to instruct, I suppose, that particular person, you realize, what to search for, what you’re attempting to perform. And for those who’re attempting to play as effectively, that’s a bit bit distracting, I suppose.
I don’t assume there could be a lot distraction up till the Ryder Cup. It’s simply the week of. It’s simply you’re not watching the blokes. However you do have assistant captains, vice captains, to do all that and relay that message to you. It’s simply, yeah, an additional step in what you wouldn’t often should cope with.
Q. As a person of a sure age, you had been most likely up in the midst of the night time to go to the lavatory anyway, but when not, what time did it’s a must to set the alarm for the 7:00 tee time?
LUKE DONALD: I believe I made it by way of the night time final night time.
However I used to be — 4:40 this morning my alarm went off.
Q. How did you are feeling about being first off? Are you okay with that?
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, I used to be within the first group final 12 months. Acquired a strong pairing with two main champions. I suppose it’s a pleasant little honor to hit the primary tee shot to get the match underway. I used to be good with that. The greens had been very good the primary 9 holes, and the tempo of play was fairly good, too.
Q. This clearly is an uncommon means so that you can put together for a significant championship, however is there something which may have helped you play in the present day, the best way you performed in the present day, in the truth that you weren’t capable of put together as you’d have wished to?
LUKE DONALD: Taking part in final week. In all probability the primary time this 12 months I had two weeks in a row. Taking part in a minimized schedule sounds good however it’s fairly tough to get in a aggressive mode. So you realize, enjoying one week, three weeks off, one week, you realize, all that stuff, hasn’t been very simple for me. It’s like cease, begin.
It’s nicer to play two, three weeks in a row and form of get a rhythm. That’s at all times what I loved after I was on the high of my recreation, as effectively. So I believe simply having, yeah, consecutive weeks enjoying was useful
