THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 21, 2013

Graeme McDowell

Q. Tell us your thoughts on what looked to be a pretty frustrating, disappointing day.
GRAEME MCDOWELL: The same as yesterday. Got off to a real slow start. I was kind of chasing after that little bit. And just a combination this week really of not hitting it great, not putting great. And around a golf course like this you've got to be on your game. It was kind of one of those weeks. Sort of Thursday, Friday, Saturday were there or thereabouts, each day I walked off could have been a few better every day. It slowly wears you down this place. And got kind of impatient after my start today and just one of those things, really.

Q. Just how tough is it playing out there?
GRAEME MCDOWELL: You know, it's funny, because after Thursday afternoon the greens have not had the same sting to them at all. There's no doubt that they got away from them a little bit on Thursday afternoon. I putted okay Thursday, to be honest. And since then my speed's been awful. I barely haven't got a putt on the hole. I scared myself a little Thursday afternoon and ever since then I've been putting a little tentatively. So didn't make much. But it is very difficult. The ball is going incredible distances, 235 yard 7-irons and into 14. A gap wedge from 175 into 15. It's very difficult, there's a few tough pins coming in. 16 is a tough one. 14 is tough. I'm certainly going to be watching with great interest this afternoon. I'm disappointed not to have contended this weekend, but like I say, my game was just a bit off in most departments. I got a little bit of a left going on, which I need to eradicate from my game. When I'm playing well, I don't hit the ball left. But at the minute I'm hitting the ball left. I've got to do something about that.

Q. Are you looking forward to your busy second half of your season?
GRAEME MCDOWELL: Yes, I have to remember I won two weeks ago. I'm not too disappointed with myself. Of course I'd like to have got a Poulteresque round going out there today, shoot 2, 3, 4-under par, but a tough golf course. Very difficult to get the ball close to the hole. That kind of wears you down. You've got to play with a huge amount of patience. You've got to putt well. I didn't putt well. And it was disappointing in the end. A huge month to look forward today. I'm going to Canada for the RBC Canadian Open next week and the Firestone PGA, and the FedEx playoffs. And then I might get married. I've got a pretty busy seven or eight weeks coming up. I'm looking forward to them.

Q. (Inaudible.)
GRAEME MCDOWELL: Hindsight is 20/20, isn't it? Listen, I wish I had done a lot of things differently coming into this week now. But that's just the way it is. You're dammed if you do, dammed if you don't sometimes. I was very happy with my prep coming into here, winning the French. Spent time here last week. Would I have played better this week if I hadn't played the Scottish Open? Who knows? I might have missed the cut. So no idea. I'm happy with my schedule.

Q. (Inaudible.)
GRAEME MCDOWELL: I can't play them all. Unfortunately Castle Stuart was the one that got the chop, for no other reason, apart from scheduling, really.

Q. Is there a chance you'll be at Royal Aberdeen next year?
GRAEME MCDOWELL: Very possibly. But I'm going to run into a scheduling issue, you know, U.S. Open, followed by the BMW Munich, Irish Open, French Open, Scottish Open, British Open. So it's a very busy time of the year. No doubt Royal Aberdeen is a golf course that interests me a lot and could be fantastic prep for the British Open.

Q. Can you speak a little bit about what they're facing up to, the back nine and what it's like to win a Major?
GRAEME MCDOWELL: For sure, I think the British summer -- one of them going to win for sure. It's been an outstanding summer sport. Both of them are exceptionally good golfers, good people. And they'll be great champions. Like I say, I'll be watching with interest. They've got a very tough, arduous sort of 10 or 11 holes coming up, requiring a lot of patience and a lot of good golf. Obviously Lee does. I just saw Ian bogeyed 16. He needs to birdie 17, which is very possible, and par the last. I think even par really could be a good number to post. He wouldn't want to be getting in his car and getting out of here if he shoots even par.

Q. What would you advice be to one of them (inaudible.)
GRAEME MCDOWELL: Enjoy it, you know. Tell me what it's like to sip something out of the Claret Jug. Just enjoy it and it's busy, but it's great busy. Adam Scott knows all about it the last few months. It's great stuff. There will be a tinge of jealousy, for sure, but that's sport, isn't it? I wish them all the best. It will be a great afternoon sport. And continuing an amazing British summer sport.

Q. You'd tell them not to change, do anything different (inaudible.)
GRAEME MCDOWELL: I think, you know, in this game at the high level it's tempting not to want to try to get better and better all the time. And with that can be pitfalls there, you know, by trying to change things. We've seen great players come and go, and great players try to change things. Speaking to David Duval on the range, he's trying to get back to swinging it way he was in the late '90s or early 2000s. He swung a bit like me with and he wanted to come watch me hit balls, because he wanted to get himself back to where he was. It really resonated with me because you hear a guy like that, who was the No. 1 player in the world, and won The Open Championship in great style at Lytham, the guy was awesome. In an attempt to try to get better, he made himself worse. It's a funny old game. It's a hard game. And you've got to really just believe and stick to the things that have got you there in the first place, you know.

Q. I think you said in Bulgaria that it took you a while to get used to the feeling that you deserved it. (Inaudible.)
GRAEME MCDOWELL: Bunkers are tough this week, like I said yesterday. I'm not going to stand here and do anymore complaining, though. Like I say, it wasn't a complaint, it was an observation. The bunkers, they're a different type of penal. They're not St. Andrews or Carnoustie penal, they're a very different penal. The sand is quite soft and there's quite a lot of it and it's quite difficult. A player like Lee, who's been there and done it and maybe should have won one by now, it might not take him as long to a acclimatize to that kind of -- as being a Major champion. It took me a little while, because it maybe happened quicker than I expected. And maybe it took me by surprise little bit. It took me a little bit of time to deal with it. Let's be honest, it's a great problem to have.

Q. It's only ten days to the start of the next Major.
GRAEME MCDOWELL: Yeah, you're right. It's scary.

Q. And the national championship you're going to play in Canada, is that too much high-quality golf to expect guys to play at that high quality level for that long?
GRAEME MCDOWELL: It's a busy old summer, you know. It's the result of playing both turfs, you know, and that's my own creation. I don't have to play the PGA Tour, if I don't want to. I guess, I don't have to play the European Tour, if I don't want to. But I want to play Ryder Cups and I want to play on the PGA Tour or FedEx playoffs. I want to play the best events globally. It's a lot of golf. Gets back to my comment with the Scottish Open. It's scheduling suicide for me to play last week. I've got to pace myself next week. The Canadian Open, it's a corporate commitment. I'm an RBC ambassador, and I'm playing there. And as part of that deal, you know. It's not ideal from a scheduling point of view. But it gets me over to that side of the pond and I'm looking forward to it. Preparing well for the U.S. PGA and it's supposed to be a great course and great event. There's a lot of elements involved in scheduling, and it's a very important thing to get right.

Q. Could you see the PGA being moved to October after the FedEx?
GRAEME MCDOWELL: That would be kind of cool to spread them out. They come thick and fast, once the U.S. Open hits, it's amazing how golf season feels like it kind of disappears. Once the U.S. PGA is over you're really starting to wind down.