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MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 8, 2011

Steve Stricker

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA

Q. Talk about Freddie's day.
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah we were talking about it. If he wanted to, if his back was better, you know, in good enough shape, I think he could maybe could play out here, if he's healthy enough. He's got that game still, he's still got a lot of game.

Q. What do you need to do better the next two days?
STEVE STRICKER: I got to get off to a better start. I was 1-over, bogeyed 2 today, I parred 1, bogeyed 2, and both of the days I've been 1-over after 2.
And I made a good save at 3 today. I drove it right and had to chip it up underneath and hit it over the green.
And so I haven't gotten off to very good starts. And that, you know, that kind of, those are the holes you need to make birdies on.
2, 3, I made birdie at 4 to get it back to even. But I hit a terrible 6-iron at the 6th to go 1-over again. So I just never really got it rolling. So I just need to get off to some better starts.

Q. (Inaudible.)
STEVE STRICKER: Who knows what's going to happen here. You know, a lot can happen.

Q. The pins a little bit tougher today too? Just maybe a smidge harder than they were yesterday?
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, maybe a little bit more breeze I think today too. And I heard it was supposed to get maybe to 15 miles an hour or 20 miles an hour this afternoon, so. But, yeah, it's good to be around for the weekend, for sure.

Q. Golf course question for you here, you played here enough to sort of know where to go, where not to go, what is the one shot that you encounter out here in each round that maybe you have some trepidation about or it's very difficult for you?
STEVE STRICKER: How many shots?

Q. No, no, no. It's a one in particular is there one in particular? Is it a chip from a certain part, side of a green, is it a drive at 7? Is it the second at 11? If I named a couple already.
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah there, is a lot of them. And maybe that's why I have a hard time here. I don't feel real comfortable going around here.

Q. I was wondering if there was one that you just went, oh, God.
STEVE STRICKER: Well, you know, I never seem to hit a good shot at 6. 6, I don't know why, but we're elevated, I never feel like I got the right club, I make really tentative swings out there.

Q. If you miss it right there too you're really dead.
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, and I missed it right yesterday and then I was short today, pin's all the way in the back. You know, there's so many good shots where you have to suck it up and hit good ones. And there's really no bail out. You have to pick your spot and be aggressive to that point and try to get all that negativity out of your mind saying, if I miss it over there, it's going to be almost impossible to get up-and-down. So there's so many, for me there's a lot of negative thoughts going through my mind here.

Q. Can you just talk about Freddie at 51, able to hit it like he hits it and play like he plays in this course. How amazing is that?
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, it's, it was fun to watch that first couple days. He still has got a tremendous amount of game and he still hits it plenty long like I was saying earlier and he putted well. He managed his game very well. He's a good iron player, he gave himself a lot of opportunities and he played very well.

Q. What's more impressive, that at 51 he can hit it as far as he can and still as limber as he can or that he's still as cool as he ever was?
STEVE STRICKER: He's as cool as he ever was for sure. And that's what's cool about Freddie is that he's one cool guy and he still, you know, it would be scary if he was healthy. Because there's a couple shots out there where he hit and groaned, you know. And you know, downhill lies I think really bother him a lot where he has to really stay in there a long time. And I heard a couple groans come out of him.
So -- and he's playing hurt. That's what's even more impressive. If he was healthy, how good could he be still?

Q. In terms of his coolness factor, with you and Luke Donald walking beside him where do you guys rate in Freddie's scale?
STEVE STRICKER: Oh, we're way down at the bottom of the totem pole. We're just hoping to get a little of his aura, you know, as we walk behind him, you know.
But no, he's really, he's an easy guy to be around. He doesn't come off as too cool or anything, I mean he is generally just a great guy. He really is. He's easy to be around, he's fun to be around, he makes you feel comfortable, so it's really an easy pairing.

Q. He's missed one cut here I think in all that time?
STEVE STRICKER: Did he?

Q. I thought he missed one. He's tied for the best. But he missed one cut. I mean he just keeps going at 51, 50, 51, 49, he makes the cut every year. Is that phenomenal?
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, I mean it's amazing.

Q. Not just making the cut, he puts him self in position.
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, he could be three or four shots back at the end of the day and, you know, like I was saying earlier, he knows where to go around here. He knows the misses, he knows where to hit it, he putts great here. He made some putts that or the ones he didn't even make, they looked like they had opportunities to go in. He always putted the ball up there within gimmie range for the most part. So he really understands the greens and where to miss them and where to hit them.

Q. You can't get him to sort of take you out of those bad thoughts though?
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, I need some help.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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