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MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 7, 2011

Tiger Woods

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA

Q. How was it out there today? General comments?
TIGER WOODS: It was nice today. Conditions were pretty good all day. The ball, it was cold starting out warming up, but it warmed up so the ball started to fly. And towards the end the ball was really flying, it was going a long way today.
So they had a few really tough pins, but also more than we thought would be accessible pins. So it was a good day.

Q. A lot of almosts in there.
TIGER WOODS: I hit a lot of beautiful putts. A lot of beautiful putts. And they were just skirting the edge, so hopefully they will start going in.

Q. 12 was a big hole for you.
TIGER WOODS: It was. Absolutely. Yeah, couple slip ups there at 10 and 11. And hit a good 8-iron short and had no lie, I was sitting in a hole and I was just pleased to keep it on the green. And kept it on the green and made that putt. And then got it going on 13, 14.

Q. That putt on number 10, was that just a misread where it went way left?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, you know, I normally practice that putt from more in the middle of the green and it snaps. Not too often I actually fire that ball over the top of that flag like that, so I don't really have that putt. I don't remember actually ever hitting that putt, so, yeah, it was a complete misread and bad speed at all.

Q. How about the putt here, Tiger?
TIGER WOODS: I just pulled it. Pulled it. Bad putt.

Q. Mostly decent putting today?
TIGER WOODS: Most of the putts looked like they should have gone in. I felt really good over the putts today and I hit a lot of good ones.

Q. 17 is a real test of the short game. Is that what you've been working on to try to get that thing to stop?
TIGER WOODS: Three things were going to happen. Either I was going to flub it, hit it perfect, or hit it over the green. And I had to take a chance. I mean, look, if I tried to drill it in there -- because I was on a slight downhill lie -- and if I try to drill it in there, the problem is the grain's growing into me and there's no guarantee the ball's going to skip up.
If it was down grain I would have probably played it into the hill. And I was just waiting for the wind to switch and it did switch and it came into me. And that's the reason why I threw it up in the air.

Q. This is very close to your score of 70 the year you won your first of three of Masters after the first round. Is this where you would like to be situated after the first round?
TIGER WOODS: I would rather be where Rory's at. But, hey, it's a long way to go. We have a long grind ahead of us. The temperature's supposed to warm up and I'm sure they will start making the pins a little more difficult as the week goes on.

Q. Do you walk away from this kind of round saying what could have been or?
TIGER WOODS: No, no, I'm very pleased. I'm right there in the ball game, I'm only six back and as I said, we got a lot of golf ahead of us.

Q. The putt on 14? The long putt?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, it was nice. I don't know how my iron shot stayed there. I mean, it landed into the crest and stayed and somehow I made a bomb there.

Q. What do you do when the putts don't go in? Do you go to the range and practice or the putting green and work on it?
TIGER WOODS: No, today's one of those days where I hit beautiful putts. I was hitting my lines and they just weren't going in. So that's fine. It's not like I was pulling it or blocking it or something like that. And I felt really comfortable with it.

Q. It seemed like some guys were able to make some runs on the front. Is it playing any easier than the back?
TIGER WOODS: Well, 1, 2, 3, you could get off to a quick start.
1 is dead center of the green.
2's a pretty accessible green if you drive the ball in the fairway down there.
And 3 is the easiest pin they have on the whole green.
And then 4 is, it's a long hole, that's as benign a pin we'll see all week. It's only going to get tougher from there. So you can get off to a pretty good start.

Q. You couldn't take advantage of the par-5s on the front nine because you hit it in bunkers on both.
TIGER WOODS: Right. Correct. Correct. They have two that I just didn't quite turn over enough, so I hit just a dead straight ball and ended up in the bunker.
8, I tagged that one.

Q. What did you see in Rory when you played with him? You played a few times.
TIGER WOODS: He's got a lot of talent. And as we all know he's got a wonderful golf swing and it's just a matter of time before he starts winning a bunch of tournaments.

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