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SEVE BALLESTEROS TROPHY

September 23, 2005

Colin Montgomerie

Jose Maria Olazabal

BILLINGHAM, ENGLAND

Q. Did your words bring the desired effect?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, it appeared to, yeah. It appeared to work.

The three, my three sort of top top pairings, if you can say that, with Nick and Ian and my two Ryder Cup pairings, five Ryder Cup players out of six there, they all won today, which was great. They were all fired up this morning, they really were, and that's great.

We did very well. We did well today. I thought we played better as yesterday almost as well. You know, it was a shame to be 4 1 down yesterday when Harrington was inside Remesy and lost the hole, and I think we played better than 3 2 today. But we had to win. It was a must, it was a necessity to win the series today, and we did that.

All credit to them all for doing that, but we have to keep going now. We're still behind, but the gap closed and we have to keep going through tomorrow. Tomorrow is a very busy, busy day with having to get all of the pairings and greensomes and foursomes and who is left out. So it's quite a busy time tomorrow and it's an important time leading into the singles, who takes the lead into the singles, or if there is a lead or it's tied or whatever. So it's a very important day tomorrow, but it was also very important that we won the series of matches today, which we did.

Q. You didnÃƒÂ¢Ã¯Â¿Â½Ã¯Â¿Â½t look happy with Ian last night?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, he wasn't Ian wasn't happy. He spoke and I've seen what he said and he's dead right. He wasn't very happy. That's why he was on the range. Padraig wasn't very happy, because he was on the range. I had to go see him on the range.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: A popular spot, the range. (Laughter).

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: A popular spot is all. I must admit, I was very pleased with him and Nick to come out today and be 10 under par, I believe, after 14 holes or whatever it was, which was a great asset. And all credit to them both for coming out and proving themselves, which was a good thing to do, because the French pair had a great win yesterday against Harrington and McGinley. They had a great win and they must have been very confident this morning, and it was very good that Ian and Nick came out and played so well. So I'm very happy for them.

Q. Was it heated?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No, wasn't heated. It was just a captain speaking to one of his players. God, if you think that's heated, bloody hell.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: You should have seen Monty when he's heated. (Laughter).

Q. Does it show the passion?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, I think that's quite good, actually in, what you're saying, I think it is quite good and I think a match is team games, it needs a lot of passion to make the game it is. We certainly were last night, believe me, we were all disappointed at our performance yesterday. I think it is good that it's passionate. It certainly was last night, and it is now. It's great, they are all a bunch of them are on the range now already and working for tomorrow and they know their pairings and what's happening tomorrow. It's all in here and they know exactly what they are doing. So, yeah, game on.

Q. Will it be a problem for some players that other players were practicing and warming up

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No, no, not at all. I think that Padraig had a point and Ian had explained that point very well and honestly that's exactly what happened. And I can explain that he was hitting drivers and he was hitting drivers in between some of the putts that were going on the green, and it was heard. And he explained it exactly how it happened, and Padraig has explained it very well that 99.9 percent of Padraig knew or thought that he would stop. But there was a .1 percent that didn't. That was the problem.

So Ian has explained that to you, I've explained it exactly the same way. Padraig and Ian are fine. I'm okay with both of them. They both won today, and everything's fine.

Q. Do you thing there was another time for practice

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: We had a few hours daylight after that.

Q. It looked as if Ian told you to F*** Off?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Ian told me toÃƒÂ¢Ã¯Â¿Â½Ã‚Â¦? If it was, it was behind my back and I don't think he I can't answer that. That's not for me to answer because I never saw that, so that's not for me to answer.

Q. inaudible?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: God, no, he's one of my six Ryder Cup players on my team and I need him. So I don't want to say that look, look, hang on.

Please don't try and make anymore, I know it's your jobs, I appreciate that, okay. I know where you're coming from, right. I understand your position and please understand mine. Thanks. Thank you. Questions for Jose? (Laughter).

Q. How did you feel when you got the news with Dodd and Dredge penalized on the first for an extra club?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, DoddyÃƒÂ¢Ã¯Â¿Â½Ã¯Â¿Â½s so laid back, he's horizontal. We heard on the fourth hole that there was an incident on the first, and I couldn't quite believe what he was saying. I mean, what do you do? What do you say to that? When a player starts with 15 clubs and loses the hole halfway down the fairway.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: When you're having a hard time in the morning, you have to use as many clubs as possible I think.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It would have been an advantage.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: If they hit a green. (Laughter).

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: So, yes, you're going to make a story about that and that's great and all of the Woosnam stuff and I feel sorry for Ian at this stage. I'm sorry but there's a Welsh thing going on here and there's Ian Woosnam and a Ryder Cup thing going on.

He has apologized and we've all accepted that. What can one say? There's very little one can say to that. Obviously it wasn't meant and we're all open to that, so just forgotten and we get on with it tomorrow.

RODDY WILLIAMS: Jose Maria, did you want to comment on the day?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I'm pretty much enjoying the conversation along. (Laughter.)

RODDY WILLIAMS: What's your feeling on the state of the matches at the moment?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I have to say, I got my ass whipped today really well. Those boys must have listened very carefully to what Monty said yesterday. They played really well. I think all matches are played really well and they made a bunch of birdies.

Actually at the end of the day, I have to say that, you know, I'm pretty happy to end out the day 3 2 because I think most of the day we were down in four matches. And it looked like they were going to turn the tables around today and give us the 4 1 that we had yesterday. But Emanuele and Maarten managed to hold on to the last few holes and won a point and I think that made a big difference for today's results.

I think that we have to play a little better than we did today, and tomorrow we have different formats even though we have greensomes in the morning, the rest of the holes are going to be by playing foursomes. So it's going to be tough tomorrow. Tomorrow is a tough day. It's a tough format, and well, we're going to try to do a little better than we did today hopefully.

I thought in my mind back there the pairings even before we came in. I said, Monty, I didn't trust you, so

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No, no, I just have these here. I wanted to keep them.

RODDY WILLIAMS: Who wants to go first?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: First ball tomorrow, Thomas Levet and myself.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Are going to play Harrington and McGinley.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Wow, a lot of whipping going down here. Niclas Fasth and Peter Hanson.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Are going to play Howell and Casey.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Are going to play McDowell and Dodd.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: And Thomas Bjorn and Henrik Stenson.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: They are going to play Ian Poulter and Nick Dougherty.

RODDY WILLIAMS: A couple of changes there. Jose Maria, if you could explain your changes in the lineup there.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: No particular reason. Tomorrow being different to four balls, being greensomes in the morning, I think you need certain players and I decided to rest to Jean and to Maarten in the morning. Some of these holes are especially the par 5s are good and long and par 3s are tough, too. So he is not a long hitter and I decided that, you know, to give him a rest.

And Maarten, he won today, no particular reason for him not to be tomorrow in the morning, but, you know, I had to go with eight players and I had to leave somebody out.

RODDY WILLIAMS: Colin, could you maybe talk through your changes, as well?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, I was very happy with the three groups, as I said, with Padraig and Paul and David and Paul and also with Nick and Ian. So I kept them as they are. The other four was my issue, and I've just rested Bradley and myself. I don't fancy 7:00 tee times anymore. If all goes according to plan, we'll be out there supporting the team, and you know, I look forward to possibly coming in the afternoon.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I think you should rest all day tomorrow. (Laughter).

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: You just reached 40 (laughter) life begins at 40.

Q. Were you planning on not playing tomorrow?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: That was my intention, yes, at the start of the week I wanted to and it gives me an idea to watch what's going on in the morning, and then I've got until 12:15 before I have the foursomes pairings at 12:15 and so I know exactly what's going on in the morning and what feels comfortable and what doesn't. I've got an open sheet to deal with in the morning. So that's fine. I'll be there at 7:15 in the morning and I'll be watching every shot. I'll make my ideas for the afternoon by 12:15.

Q. Have you ever benched yourself before?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No, I've never benched myself before, no. Never.

Q. You sat out a session in the Ryder Cup last year?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I did, goodness, that was a record, since 1991, however many matches it was, but that was a decision that Bernhard and I took together and it was the right decision. I've decided to, yeah, to watch the guys tomorrow. They all want to play. We're all keen to play and we're all keen to help the cause. And so therefore, captain's prerogative, I'll sit out in the morning.

Q. Is it agreed that everyone has to play tomorrow?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No, it's not.

RODDY WILLIAMS: Thank you very much and good luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts.

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