Q. The technical changes in your game since December?
DARREN CLARKE: Before I went out to play in Torrey Pines, I went to see Butch a couple of days, I made alterations for my swing, and I went to Taylor Made a couple of days as well. I've got a driver that I'm hitting it further than I've ever done before. And with those changes and with a new caddy on the bag, as well, it's just a fresh start again, so everything is working out very well.
Q. It's been a good start?
DARREN CLARKE: Very good start. If I had abacus in the score shot at Torrey Pines, I might have been all right, I might have had four runs in there, as well. I don't have a score card. They gave us ones this week, but, no, I'm not doing that.
Q. Is the way you won today, is that just match play?
DARREN CLARKE: That's exactly the way it can go. I played nasty at the start, and got a good start, and unfortunately Davis got all the bad breaks, and unfortunately that's match play.
Q. You were given score cards yesterday?
DARREN CLARKE: Yes, yesterday, just to keep score in case there were any altercations. I didn't ask for one. If I can dodge the score card, I will do that.
Q. (Inaudible.) What's your opinion about the technology revolution, is it time to draw the line?
DARREN CLARKE: I think it's a very -- obviously a topical argument at the moment, but it will be interesting -- on one hand, yes, I do agree that the distance that the ball is going now and the distance that people are hitting it, we're are soon going to overpower the best golf courses in the world, the way things are going, but it would also be interesting just to let it go, and see how far we can actually go. Because there's going to come a stage where everybody is going to hit it that far, but you're going to have to start losing control sooner or later. So there's two sides to it. And at the moment, if you're with the right equipment, you're on the right side of it.
Q. When is the last time you hit a Persimmon driver?
DARREN CLARKE: Actually I don't know, about 6, 7 years ago. I've got a collection of ones. I started when the Persimmon drivers, when they were using them, and I've got 15, 20 at home, old ones. I take them out now and then, but I haven't taken it out for a while.
Q. Nick Price was saying back in those days, you learned to swing, only you'd say 85 percent, and try to reach that line, otherwise you lose control, and now with this equipment, essentially the swing is from the heels, and you cannot go too far off line?
DARREN CLARKE: That's true, but I think if you take a look at the modern golfer, myself excepted, they're all fitter and stronger and eat all the right things and drink all the right things, so there's more dedication. People are working harder, as well. So there's always two sides to that.
Q. It's a combination of factors in length. But if you had to single out the one most responsible?
DARREN CLARKE: It's a combination of modern technologies, where the companies now can match the players, with their clubs available to whatever ball they play. That's what's happened. Companies are able to optimize the performance of their players. My time with Taylor Made to figure out which shaft and which head was giving me the best launch angle and least amount of spin -- there's so much more technology. We've still got to knock them in.
Q. Would winning this week be as satisfying as 2000, regardless of who you play along the way?
DARREN CLARKE: Any win is satisfying, but it would be -- that's a long way off yet, and I don't want to start going down to route just yet. But it's nice after the very, very mediocre year I had last year, it's nice to make the changes I have made and play pretty solid so far this year.
Q. When you're presented with conditions such as today, do you get an extra -- (inaudible.)
DARREN CLARKE: I just sink a little lower into the ground.
Q. Are the conditions giving you an advantage?
DARREN CLARKE: Because I'm hitting my driver very well and carrying it through the air, it's carrying a long way, so because that is certainly giving me an extra boost because of that. But the conditions -- everybody is playing these sort of conditions, but in Ireland, this is just what we're used to.
Q. How long ago was it that you had a driver with which you're as happy as the one you've got now and were driving as well as you are now?
DARREN CLARKE: I don't know ever. I don't know I've ever had one.
Q. It's terrifically good?
DARREN CLARKE: Yeah. Not overly long, though. This one's going long and straight, fortunately at the moment.
Q. Against somebody like Davis Love (inaudible.)
DARREN CLARKE: I've probably gone from about 15 yards behind Davis to level with him, maybe a couple of yards past him. It's difficult to say, because Davis wasn't -- for him he wasn't really hitting as well as he can.
Q. That's the driver you picked up at Taylor Made?
DARREN CLARKE: Yes.
Q. Psychologically it's huge, though, isn't it?
DARREN CLARKE: The game's changed. You've got to hit it 300 yards and straight.
Q. What was your driving average?
DARREN CLARKE: I think I averaged something like -- I don't know, you could check this, 311.7 yards or something, which is a long time since I've done that, a long time.
Q. Is your driver a little longer, like Ernie's?
DARREN CLARKE: No, just standard length.
Q. What would your club head speed be?
DARREN CLARKE: My club head speed was about 117.8 miles an hour or something. And my ball speed was about 175 miles an hour, launching high with low spin, which is optimum for me.
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