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SENIOR BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 23, 2005

Derrick Cooper

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND

STEVEN FRANKLIN: Okay. Welcome, Derrick, to the press center. Ladies and gentlemen. Congratulations firstly, Derrick. Can you just give us your thoughts today.

DERRICK COOPER: Yeah, it was one of those days. I set off very mediocre had a very good chance to birdie the third hole. Left it short. Didn't think anything was going to happen. Then I made a great up and down at six, sparked me off. And then I had a good run up to the ninth and just through the turn.

STEVEN FRANKLIN: Particularly as you came off an 80 yesterday, a brilliant recovery from you.

DERRICK COOPER: Yeah, I played well yesterday, hit one bad shot on six and ended up making nine. And after six that was not a bad shot, but I finished in a bunker where I couldn't play. So I felt a bit aggrieved there, because I didn't play iffy golf, I played quite nicely. But today I made up for that, obviously.

STEVEN FRANKLIN: Do you mind if we just go through your card. Start off, birdie at six.

DERRICK COOPER: Yeah, missed the green with a 3 wood right. Left myself an impossible shot. Played a lob wedge to three feet. Played a great shot. That started me off.

Then the birdie at 8. I hit it to about 12 feet there.

STEVEN FRANKLIN: What did you hit in?

DERRICK COOPER: 9 iron. Driver, 6 iron at the ninth to 16 feet. Made that one.

STEVEN FRANKLIN: The 10th.

DERRICK COOPER: 5 wood, sand wedge, 12 feet. Made that.

STEVEN FRANKLIN: Birdie 11.

DERRICK COOPER: 8 iron to 18 feet.

12, hit driver, 6 iron off the back. Chipped it up to three feet and knocked that one in.

STEVEN FRANKLIN: 15.

DERRICK COOPER: 15, I hit I was very fortunate at 15. I hit it left and it hit the face of the bunker and popped out on top. And had a 50 yard lob wedge to four feet and made that.

17, I misjudged the wind. Hit 9 iron and it pitched just over the bunker, which shot right underneath the right hand trap. I tried to lob it over, just got it a bit strong, 20 feet past and then holed it for a three.

STEVEN FRANKLIN: Any questions?

Q. Is this your lowest round on the TOUR?

DERRICK COOPER: I shot a 63 once. 64. I think 63 is my low round on TOUR.

Q. You had struggle with your putter, didn't you?

DERRICK COOPER: Yeah, I didn't bring it.

Q. What happened?

DERRICK COOPER: I left it in the garage. It's called preparation. So I got it couried up here and I decided I wouldn't use it. Bought one at the pro shop. Used that one for two days. That's now in the bin and the putter is back out.

Q. The old putter?

DERRICK COOPER: The old one is back out, yeah.

Q. Why didn't you use it for the first two days?

DERRICK COOPER: I had just paid 85 quid for a putter out of the pro shop. So if you pay 85 quid, you might bloody well use it.

Q. Did you get your money back?

DERRICK COOPER: Well, there will be one in the pro shop when I get back, put it that way.

Q. How did the old one get back up here?

DERRICK COOPER: Couried it.

Q. Does this round put you back in contention?

DERRICK COOPER: Well, I wouldn't say in contention, I think Stadler is probably going to get another three or four. It looks like he's playing great the back nine. And that back nine, it's easy to get the ball close now, because there's not so much wind. So you can actually hit a few shots in there and control the ball. Which was very difficult the first two days. So I think I'll still be six or seven behind.

Q. Satisfied?

DERRICK COOPER: Absolutely, it's better than being 20 behind and knowing you have got absolutely no chance.

Q. What stood out as your particular best hole today? Because nine has been playing very difficult. You had a birdie there.

DERRICK COOPER: Yeah, nine was a good one. You're always trying to get through the turn and that's always a great one to get through. And I hit a great drive, and I left myself 152 yards, right past the neck. So I really killed the ball there. But again it was down to the tee shot. If you don't get a tee shot, why it's an evil hole.

Q. You've been active behind the scenes lately.

DERRICK COOPER: There's no relief without getting out playing. I could drive me around with a nail in my foot. It's, you just get all the old feelings, oh, Christ, here I go again. Whereas you sit in the rules buggy, you don't have to worry about it, you just let the other guys have the nightmare.

Q. (Inaudible.)

DERRICK COOPER: I'm afraid I am, yes. It's one of my hobbies. I did, I came off I thought I was Valentino Rossi. But I wasn't, and I paid heavily for it.

Q. How long were you you were knocked unconscious?

DERRICK COOPER: Yeah, 25 minutes I was unconscious. I broke my ribs and my rotator cuff.

Q. How long did that set you out for?

DERRICK COOPER: Four months. It was at the end of the year so I was quite fortunate. It was November. I did a track day in November, so that was six years ago, it was.

Q. How did the putter get out of the bag?

DERRICK COOPER: My daughter was practicing for a tournament and she had a few putters around there and I'm sure one of them was mine, but she denies it. So she won't have to pay for the courier. But it wasn't my daughter, obviously I just changed golf bags and forgot all about it.

Q. Who is your daughter?

DERRICK COOPER: My daughter is Sarah, Sarah Jane.

Q. Does she play golf regularly?

DERRICK COOPER: Golf? No. She's got more sense.

Q. How many putts did you have? Do you have any sense of that?

DERRICK COOPER: No, I think you probably got them all there. Yeah.

STEVEN FRANKLIN: Well done. Thank you.

DERRICK COOPER: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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