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3 IRISH OPEN


July 29, 2010


Richard Green


KILLARNEY, IRELAND

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Tell us about your first rounds, obviously brilliant, leading the tournament, 6-under.
RICHARD GREEN: Yeah, it was a nice day. I felt very comfortable when I first saw the course on Tuesday and practised and played very nicely. I thought this is a nice old golf course for a change that's a little bit old school. I felt very comfortable out there. Played very nicely today.
MICHAEL GIBBONS: Tell me about this driver.
RICHARD GREEN: Yeah, I went to Sweden last week and took another driver out to try and make a gain, if you like. I thought it was the answer, and obviously it wasn't. In practise I gave a quick call back to the U.K. to a friend of mine and got him to bring out another driver for me Wednesday night. So I practised with it for a few weeks and then straight back in the bag in the morning and went really well. Been good since.

Q. What time did it arrive last night?
RICHARD GREEN: Midnight before the tournament. This is last week.
MICHAEL GIBBONS: But it's continued this week. Still here this week and it's been working well.

Q. You talk about old-style golf courses. Are you a traditionalist?
RICHARD GREEN: Yeah, definitely. I'm not known as one of the longer hitters out on Tour, and when you get a golf course that feels like the sort of golf course that I grew up on, length-wise, putting surfaces, it's nice. It's a nice change, because you know, to be honest, the last five years, The European Tour golf courses have got so long, they have got difficult, and it's nice to play a golf course like that again.

Q. What was your home course?
RICHARD GREEN: My home golf course in Australia at the moment is the National but I grew up in Huntingdale.

Q. I just wondered, do you like the idea of a course being protected by the difficulty of its greens, which is largely the case here?
RICHARD GREEN: Yeah, definitely. You know, I don't think that lengthening a golf course is the answer. I think that firming golf courses up and maybe making them a bit tighter is the answer. Changing them length-wise to me is not my favourite, anyway. But the challenge around here is definitely your approach shots into the greens and you've got to hit the ball in the right spot to have yourself an easy putt and if you don't, it's tricky.
So I like the challenge.

Q. How many courses in a season would be like this?
RICHARD GREEN: So far, I think this might be the second maybe this year.

Q. After?
RICHARD GREEN: I feel like Dubai is a golf course -- Emirates in Dubai is a golf course that I feel has been lengthened over the last few years, as well, but still within range and for me to compete there. There are some golf courses out there that have got so long the last few years, feel a bit inferior.

Q. That's it so far this season, Dubai and here?
RICHARD GREEN: Yeah.

Q. People were saying that 59 was possible, but its got its defenses, hasn't it.
RICHARD GREEN: Definitely. You've got to be a little bit lucky with the putter to shoot a score like that, and you've got to hit it extremely well from tee-to-green. Yeah, it's a bouncy little golf course. It's not the sort of golf course like last week where you'll be firing at a target and stop it there. This week, you have to bounce it up to the flag or shape the ball into the flag positions and it's a different game. It's a shot-making course.

Q. Just getting things back on line?
RICHARD GREEN: It's been a battle this year trying to get my game back together to where I feel it's been in sort of '04, '05, '06, I was playing some pretty nice golf and I played comfortable with my bag of tools and my bag of tricks, if you like, and it's finally sort of got back to that again.
This week, and even last week, I didn't feel comfortable with my putting and driving, and so it's nice to give it back.

Q. Who are the sponsors?
RICHARD GREEN: Valvoline.

Q. More racing than golf?
RICHARD GREEN: Motor oil company out of America, and they support me, and surprisingly more so with golf but a little bit of racing, as well.

Q. So to digress seriously, what do you think of Rory's R8?
MICHAEL GIBBONS: It's outside.
RICHARD GREEN: I like those R8s, they are very nice.

Q. Have you driven one?
RICHARD GREEN: No, it's a very nice car.

Q. But not as quick as your Porsche?
RICHARD GREEN: No. I'd get him, no problem.
MICHAEL GIBBONS: Thanks very much.

End of FastScripts




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