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BMW MASTERS


November 1, 2014


Jamie Donaldson


SHANGHAI, CHINA

SARAH GWYNN:  Jamie, thanks for joining us, 62 today, very well played.  Talk us through the highlights of that one.
JAMIE DONALDSON:  Yeah, I played nicely.  Got the ball rolling better on the greens today which made a big difference and started to hit more putts on line and holed the majority of them, which obviously made a big difference to the scorecard.
SARAH GWYNN:  And the eagle 2 at 16, what happened there?
JAMIE DONALDSON:  Yeah, I had 142 to the flag, slightly uphill into the wind which was a soft 9‑iron and it came off spot on.  Pitched just past the hole and spun back and went in.  So it's nice to get it online.
It's quite a narrow entrance into that green from where I was.  But pitched perfect and obviously is a bonus to see it go in.

Q.  When someone like Alexander is playing as he is and you're out on the course, to get an eagle and suddenly realise you've closed the gap considerably, must be really a big relief.
JAMIE DONALDSON:  I wasn't paying too much attention to what was going on really.  I was just trying to hit my shots and hit it as close as I could.  You know, obviously shots like on 16 help big time, help your own scar to climb and catch whoever is leading.
I'm just trying to go out there and shoot as low as I can and hit the same shoots I've been hitting and try to hole more putts, and that's what I did today.  Obviously that shot on 16 is a big bonus.  It would have been‑‑ it was nice to birdie that hole but to eagle it is great.
Yeah, made up big ground.  Any time you shoot 10‑under you seem to close a lot of gaps.  Yeah, it was good.  Played nicely, and, yeah, got the ball rolling better.

Q.  You've just come off The Ryder Cup, and a few players this week have talked about who they might feel could be the next captain.  Have you got any thoughts on that?
JAMIE DONALDSON:  Obviously I've seen it.  I don't know exactly who is the running, I think it's Darren and Miguel?  Yeah, I don't think between the two guys that are up for the captaincy it matters who out of the two of them is going to be the captain.  I think they both are going to be great.
I was under Miguel in the EurAsia Cup and he did a great job.  I haven't been in a team environment where Darren is captain, but I'm sure he'd be just as good.  I don't think it matters out of the two of them who is going to be captain.  They are all part of The Ryder Cup spirit for so long and they have played so many games.  You know, they know what it's all about, each one of them, so I don't think it matters which one.  I think they are both going to do a great job.

Q.  The long putt you had on No. 14 today, a real long one, how far was that?
JAMIE DONALDSON:  It was a long way.  I'm going to say 40 feet, 45 feet.  So yeah, shots like that, putts like that were a bonus, as well.  I hit a decent shot into the green but because of the lie on the fairway, I couldn't go directly to the flag and had to play left, and hit it just left of where I wanted to.  Left a long putt but great to see it go in from that distance. 

Q.  What's your secret of going so low a couple years ago and again this year today?
JAMIE DONALDSON:  You know, obviously the course suits my game.  I've shot 10‑under before and I've done it today which is great.  It's just one of those courses where you've got to putt well, because if there's no wind like it was today, you're going to have a lot of chances.  So you've got to putt well.  If you don't, it makes it difficult.
So I hit a lot of good putts, and you know, I hit a lot of good shots.  So playing well, you have to convert and then today I did.

Q.  Now that you're in this situation, what would you like tomorrow, tougher conditions so it throws a few more uncertainties into it or do you think, no, you'll go for another 62 and hope that Alexander doesn't do quite so well?
JAMIE DONALDSON:  Don't mind really.  I normally play well when it's worse conditions.  But obviously I played well today.  So I don't really mind what it's going to be, whether it's windy or whether it's the same as it is today.
You've got to go out there and play well to catch him.  I don't know what score he's on.  But I'm just going to go out there and try and play like I have done today.  I've hit a lot of good shots and I need to go out and do that again tomorrow and get that ball in the hole.
So you know, whether the conditions are rough or benign, I don't mind.  It's going to be a day where I have to play very well to win.  So that's all that I need to focus on.

Q.  Can you tell us the main reason why that you won a couple times on The European Tour this year?  You've got a couple more wins under your belt.  Did something make that change?
JAMIE DONALDSON:  No, nothing in particular.  I've been playing well for a few years now so things have been getting better each year.  I've been improving and winning was just a matter of time.  I just had to be patient, keep working hard and obviously the first win came in Ireland and then two years later in succession.
So it's been a progression of once every year for the last three years.  Now it's obviously looking to a point where I'm trying to win more than once in a year.  Everything is a progression and I'm just working towards getting better and moving the goal posts.

Q.  If you can win the tournament tomorrow, would you like to post a picture similar to the one from The Ryder Cup?
JAMIE DONALDSON:  Hey, winning a tournament, I don't mind, I'll do anything if I've just won the tournament.  Tomorrow is another day and I have to go out there and play well like I have done today to catch Alex.  You go out there and win the tournament, you might do some crazy things, but not too crazy.  We've got more golf to play, so it's a case of focusing on the golf and then enjoying the win afterwards, if that's what happens.
SARAH GWYNN:  Thank you, Jamie, good luck tomorrow.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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