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MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 5, 2011

Peter Uihlein

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA

TOM NELSON: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to introduce the 2010 U.S. Amateur Champion, Peter Uihlein, who is also the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world. He is a junior at Oklahoma State University and most recently has represented the United States in the 2009 Walker Cup and 2010 World Amateur Team Championship.
Peter joins five other outstanding amateurs in this week's field. Peter, it's a delight to have you here. Would you please provide a few opening remarks about your feelings just days before your first Masters appearance?
PETER UIHLEIN: Obviously I'm excited. I think playing in the Masters is obviously pretty special, and to be here as the Amateur Champion, it's even more special. I'm excited. I'm nervous and I'm definitely looking forward to this week.

Q. Have you settled in, in terms of this week, having finally gotten here? Has it finally settled in and do you feel comfortable?
PETER UIHLEIN: Today was a lot better. I was definitely nervous out there yesterday. But today I felt a lot better and was able to kind of get in the routine and hit some good shots. So today was a lot better for sure.

Q. Can you give us a rundown on when you got here, what you did first, the step-by-step?
PETER UIHLEIN: I got in Friday night, and then Saturday, played a practice round with Geoff Ogilvy, Adam Scott, David Chung, and played Sunday morning with Fowler and Watson, and then I went over and watched our team over at Forest Hills and watched them win over there. And then Monday -- yesterday? Days are blurred.
Yesterday played with Rickie and Nathan Smith and today just played with Bo Van Pelt, Nathan Smith and Ryan Palmer.

Q. Has Nathan, who has played here twice, been helpful --
PETER UIHLEIN: I really like the way he really works a crowd. He does a great job of that.

Q. What does he do?
PETER UIHLEIN: He's a very good entertainer.

Q. What's been the neatest part of the experience so far and what has surprised you, if anything?
PETER UIHLEIN: I think just being here is pretty special. Any time you can go out in the Masters and play as an amateur, it doesn't get any better than that. That pretty much takes the cake.

Q. Crow's Nest this week?
PETER UIHLEIN: I stayed there last night. It was a little -- little lightning, a little thunderstorm out there. (Laughter).
It was just, you know, I'm sure it was everywhere, bad weather came in last night. I was there last night.

Q. Not tonight?
PETER UIHLEIN: I think we are going to have a full house, and my girlfriend comes in and then my coach -- or Coach Bratton and his wife are coming in. So just a lot of people are coming in, so I'm going to stay over there with them.

Q. Prior to arriving, what were you looking forward to or what were you looking forward to most about this experience?
PETER UIHLEIN: Well, it's the first time I've ever been here. Once I found out I got in, you know, just being here is pretty special. You see it on TV but it's definitely one of those places you have to visit, at least once in your life.
Just being here is just pretty special.

Q. How do you balance trying to learn as much about this course as you can in a certain amount of time and not over-preparing? I'm sure you can't be out there 16 hours a day.
PETER UIHLEIN: Yeah, I've been told that a lot, to not burn out, not try and work too hard and overdo it. It's kind of hard, the facilities are so great you want to be out there all the time. Yesterday was perfect, it was windy but you definitely wanted to be out there and you can over prepare and things like that.
I've been trying to take good advice and play early and take some naps and relax in the afternoon, so I'm not burned out by Thursday or Friday.

Q. What single shot out there did you look forward to hitting the most before you got here?
PETER UIHLEIN: I think 12. 12 is obviously one of the trademark holes of golf, that's for sure. I think just hitting that shot was pretty cool.

Q. What did you do?
PETER UIHLEIN: I hit it in the water the first time I played. Right pin, I went for it. (Laughter).

Q. Coach gets in tonight?
PETER UIHLEIN: No, he's here. He's been here with the team. But his wife gets in. So it's going to be a full house. I'm going to enjoy everybody's company.

Q. Your clubs are five years old?
PETER UIHLEIN: Five to six, yeah.

Q. Why is that? Are you cut out of the Stricker mold, don't change anything if it's working?
PETER UIHLEIN: Yeah, irons, if you're used to something and it feels good, feels right, you don't really want to change it too much.

Q. And when you played the practice round with David, was that the first time you had played since last August, or in the same group, I should say?
PETER UIHLEIN: We played down in Argentina for the World Am, but we had not played in college. So I guess Argentina in October was the last time.

Q. How about your goals for the week?
PETER UIHLEIN: First and foremost have some fun, enjoy the experience and enjoy being out there with all of the patrons and everything, they are pretty special. Making the cut would be nice and being low amateur. That would be great but first and foremost, just have some fun.

Q. A fair number of Cowboys have played in this as amateurs before; have you talked about what to anticipate or is expected from your trip here?
PETER UIHLEIN: Not so much. You know, I guess I saw Hunter yesterday, he played well as an amateur. But they are out here competing, so I'm just trying to not pick their brains too much or anything like that. I already played with Bo today. Bo was fun out there. A lot of "go Cowboys," so that was pretty cool.

Q. Have you imagined playing Sunday afternoon here in contention, and have you any idea of what you would -- how you might play or change your approach?
PETER UIHLEIN: I think everybody kind of dreams of playing on Sunday afternoon at the Masters in contention. I think everybody has dreamt about it, at least one point in time.
I think if I'm there in contention and playing well, I don't know if I would really change my approach. I think it's kind of one of those things if it's working, just keep trying it. Obviously a couple good days to have that happen.

Q. You've been in the spotlight for a long time, your name and everything, a lot of people have had high expectations of you. How have you kept it fun through those years, and were there any pressures that you really had to deal with?
PETER UIHLEIN: I'm out there playing golf. It's a pretty good living, and I love to play the game. Ultimately that's what I love to do, and you try not to force too much pressure on yourself when there's already enough.
I just -- at the end of the day, I just love to play. I'm not out there trying to prove anybody wrong or anything like that. Just go out and just play.

Q. Has it helped having Alan on the bag? What does he allow you to do or help you with out there?
PETER UIHLEIN: I mean, it's a comfort level, for sure. Having him there at the Am, he definitely was helpful. He's still a good player in his own way. He can still play. Having him there is definitely comfortable and makes me feel kind of right at home.

Q. Two questions. What does your summer look like? NCAA, U.S. Open, can you fill that in, until you go back to school?
PETER UIHLEIN: Yeah, I'll do Nationals, U.S. Open, and I think the AT&T, is that right after that? Yeah. And then it's kind of up in the air. I'm going to take a vacation. I'm going to go over before the British Open and just go over there the week before and just play all of the course and St. Andrews and go over to Aberdeen and check that place out.
I'll probably do the Western Am and then the U.S. Am and then back to school.

Q. Walker?
PETER UIHLEIN: Yeah, Walker Cup. Walker Cup is after school, though.

Q. I'm sure you watched the Masters as a kid. What's your first recollection of this tournament?
PETER UIHLEIN: First time I remember watching it is '97 with Woods, setting the record. Actually it was on yesterday. I watched it again yesterday.
He was hitting some short irons into those par 5s. That was pretty impressive. That was my first recollection.

Q. Just coming from your position as a player, 21, etc., when you look at the Masters and the dominant force at Augusta, do you think more Tiger or more Phil?
PETER UIHLEIN: Oohh, that's a good question.

Q. Looking for a good answer here, too. (Laughter).
PETER UIHLEIN: They both obviously were very successful. You know, Phil has been playing great lately and Tiger was playing good before. There's no question, they both can play well at the same time. They both are obviously the best players of my generation, and it's been exciting to watch.

Q. Can you see how Phil has somewhat come on equal footing in the Masters in the last six, seven years?
PETER UIHLEIN: He's been playing great the last few years out here. He obviously knows the golf course. I'm obviously looking forward to playing with him on Thursday and Friday, try to get a practice round with him tomorrow morning and try and pick his brain a little bit.

Q. Going into this first round, have you had some advice from Bo or Hunter or somebody, to determine the particular strategy for your first few holes in your first round on Thursday?
PETER UIHLEIN: No, they haven't really given me advice with that. Just have some fun. Nathan Smith has given me that advice, just have some fun and try and enjoy it. That's what I'm going to do, just go out there and just have a good time.

Q. Any particular strategies or thought processes?
PETER UIHLEIN: Just try and get off the first tee I guess.

Q. You talked about the shot you're most looking forward to. Now that you have practice round under your belt, what's the toughest shot for you out here, or maybe a spot that you really don't want to be?
PETER UIHLEIN: The second shot on 13 is difficult. You don't realize how above your feet the ball is, I would love to be in the fairway every time there -- I don't want to avoid it, but it's obviously a very difficult shot. And with the wind coming, I guess it would sometimes be in and off the left, it makes it even more challenging.

Q. Have you gone off to the right of 13 fairway, like behind a few trees?
PETER UIHLEIN: Where Mickelson is? I've been there. I looked at it. It's an unbelievable shot, especially since -- where his ball was and being left-handed. He probably couldn't see the green behind that tree. That was an unbelievable shot.

Q. Try and hit one from there?
PETER UIHLEIN: No.

Q. Did you check out any of the other spots on the golf course, maybe where Tiger made his chip on 16, any of those historic spots?
PETER UIHLEIN: I hit it there, I think the second time I played, where Tiger was. I was hitting the putt, and Coach was out there kind of coaching me through where Nicklaus was in '86 when he made that putt on 17. We were trying to hit it and see what it did.
I've been out there. I've seen a few of the shots.

Q. Did you make the putt?
PETER UIHLEIN: There's no hole there. I was putting to a tee.

Q. What did you do during the storm?
PETER UIHLEIN: David Chung and Jin Jeong were there. Jin went to sleep. Me and David, we watched the basketball game, and then David doesn't remember anything about the storm. I was up all night. But he's a deep sleeper I guess.
TOM NELSON: Peter, we wish you all the best. Thank you for being with us and hope your first Masters is a great one.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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