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MASTERS TOURNAMENTApril 7, 2012Scott StallingsAUGUSTA, GEORGIA SCOTT STALLINGS: This was a weird day. Q. How so? SCOTT STALLINGS: I played good. Obviously the score was really good, but I kind of struggled out of the gates early. I obviously didn't get off to a very good start with a bogey, and then kind of squandered a couple opportunities and made a couple putts and then got it under par and then didn't really do anything with it. So I felt like I had a good chance to shoot a really good mid 60s round. Had a really good chance at 13, 14, 15 to kind of make some birdies and didn't hit a good drive on the par‑5s and then misplayed the second shot into 14. But definitely any round any par here you're thankful, you're happy with. But I feel like I left a few out there. Q. As happy or as good as the first round? Same score, but different kind of round? SCOTT STALLINGS: Definitely different kind of round. You know, 70 for my first round was probably about as good as it could have been. Today, 70 was more towards the higher end of what it could have been. But I made good decisions. I never tried to force it when I didn't have it. When you get out of position on this golf course you can make bogeys really fast if you're trying to force it, and we didn't do that today. Q. Was there anything working for you today that hasn't been the first two days? SCOTT STALLINGS: I definitely putted better. I just didn't adjust to the speed yesterday very well. They kept getting faster and faster and faster and I kept hitting them harder and harder and harder. We worked on my speed yesterday afternoon. My coach and I did some speed drills and tried to make myself more aware of how fast the greens were getting instead of assuming they were staying the same the whole time. I rolled it well, but man, I had a lot of putts hit the hole that didn't go in. Q. How does this help you for tomorrow? How do you get ready now? You've got three rounds, tournament rounds under your belt. What's your mindset coming into tomorrow? SCOTT STALLINGS: I mean, I've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. The better I play, the better it's going to be. Hopefully we can get off to a good start and try to take advantage of the par‑5s. I played the par‑5s 1‑under today and really haven't played them well for the week. You've got to get in good position off the tee and then hopefully have a chance to make some birdies. Q. Is there a goal that you have, maybe a number, or a finish like top 16 gets you back? SCOTT STALLINGS: That's always in the back of your mind, try to play as good as you can, post your score at the end and hopefully it'll be good enough. This is without question my favorite tournament I've ever played in my whole life, and hopefully I can continue to play well and have an opportunity to get myself back here for multiple years and go from there. Q. Any mud balls today? SCOTT STALLINGS: Two, not bad. We had one on 6 and we had one on 8, and after that it wasn't bad as all. Q. Are you surprised how they can firm it up so quickly? SCOTT STALLINGS: Yes and no. You know, I still‑‑ today was, I think, the 20th round of golf I played here this year, and I still have yet to see the fairways play firm. Obviously they've cut them back into you, which is part of the reason why the ball doesn't roll very far, but I have yet to see a ball, especially with the driver, roll more than ten years. The ball is kind of getting into the grain rather than bouncing it on top of the grain, and that's kind of why some of the guys are getting mud balls. For myself, my ball is high and kind of lands hard. Q. Were the par‑5s an issue today, or have they been an issue during the whole first three rounds? You went 1‑under on them today and Tiger has birdied one in the first two rounds and I don't know what he's done today, but he's having issues with them, too, and they're gettable. SCOTT STALLINGS: Yeah, I mean, they're definitely gettable. 13 is kind of a funky hole for me as far as just a target, like I want to hit driver but I know I need to hit 3‑wood and lots of different things, kind of go back and forth with that. But 15 I've had to lay up twice because I've driven it in the fairway and I've had 5‑iron in the last couple days and had to lay up just because mud is all over my ball. When you can knock‑‑ have an iron in and sometimes have a chance to get it up‑and‑down or have a two‑putt for birdie, that's why sometimes they're gettable, and I've had to lay up a lot. Q. Talk about your position on 13 up on that top‑‑ SCOTT STALLINGS: That's a good one. I unfortunately didn't hit a good enough drive to have a chance to even go for it in two today. I shied away from it. That was a good pin. There's a lot of good ones out there. Q. What was it like today being at Augusta playing behind Tiger in the third round? SCOTT STALLINGS: Playing behind him is fine, playing in front of him is a challenge. I couldn't imagine‑‑ I played right in front of him at Bay Hill, and man alive, there was a lot of people. I couldn't imagine playing in front of him today. Q. Were people moving? SCOTT STALLINGS: Oh, it's just‑‑ he's the guy that's helped us get to where we are, so I'm definitely thankful for him, but playing around him‑‑ you'd rather play with him, and I've never had the opportunity to do it, but I would relish the opportunity to get it. Q. What have you learned about your game and yourself over these past three days in your first Masters? SCOTT STALLINGS: I learned a lot. I made my first cut in a major, and I'm coming off an injury, so to make a cut in a major championship, the Masters, is something to build confidence on. I feel like I'm playing good and just kind of got to get a little bit sharper and try to turn the 70s into something in the mid 60s. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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