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MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 9, 2004

Jose Maria Olazabal

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA

BILLY MORRIS: Ladies and gentlemen, we are delighted to have Jose Maria Olazabal with us. He had a very fine 69 today and currently is 4 under for the tournament.

Q. Talk about your day today.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: It was a very quiet round until 13. I hit two lovely shots on 13 and gave myself an eagle chance from, I don't know, about 36 feet or so, maybe 40 feet. I made that putt.

And then I made another nice putt on 14 and hit a lovely shot on 15 with my third. That was my round. (Laughter.)

Q. Last week when you came to the press room in Atlanta, you didn't seem all that even though you shot a good score, you didn't seem all that confident. It's a week later and obviously you're feeling better. What's happened in the last week?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, it must be something with this place, I don't know. I don't feel much different to how I felt last week. Parts of the game are pretty much the same. The putting has not been all that great except for those two or three putts that I made today. The driving, you know, has been average, would I say, not great. I managed to hit more fairways than not, but the quality of the shots off the tee is not the one that should be for this golf course.

But, you know, as I said, every time I come here, I try to do my best. I feel in a way a little bit at peace with myself. I don't have a straight answer for that question. You know, those things happen.

Q. What is it about this course that fits your game so well?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, I don't know if it fits my game. The years are going by, the golf course is changing a lot. Changes have been huge since '99. I think now you really need to be a long hitter of the ball to really do well around here.

But apart from that, it is true that the knowledge of the golf course, it's a great point in the favor of the player that knows the course really well. At the same time, it allows you to chip around the greens or putt around the greens. I think that's, you know, that's the only reason for it, the only reason I can see, anyway.

Q. There was a stretch here where the Europeans really dominated this tournament, and now the Europeans have not won in the last five years in a major and now you have one, two, three up there that are all Europeans. Can you just talk about that?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, it would be nice to have another European win the tournament, that's for sure. I think that the level of the game has been raised so much that nowadays, all of the players can play. It's just a matter of you having the right week.

In those years, I think we were really good around the greens. I think the other players, especially the U.S. players, just catch up on us in that department of the game on this golf course. Most of the players used to be players that used the sand wedge around the greens a lot, and they realized that around here, that might not be the right choice at certain times. You'll see more players, U.S. players, using the chip and run shot around the greens, the putter around the greens. I think that's leveled the equation.

Q. You mentioned you think it favors a long hitter, but playing a little faster and harder than the last couple of years, do you feel like it gives guys like yourself a little better chance?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I tell you what, there was not much run on the ball after the rain we had yesterday. Even if the golf course is playing fast, I truly believe that the long hitters have an advantage. Because it indicates that the golf course is playing fast, that means the greens are going to be hard. You're going to be needing very, very high shots to be able to stop the ball, and that's the case that the long hitters are going to face.

Q. How many drivers did you hit today?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Almost every one. Yeah, every hole except 10.

Q. What did you hit on 13?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Driver.

Q. And your second shot?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: 3 iron.

Q. The 13th was critical in your '99 win; how much different is the hole now to what it was then?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, before, you could hit a 3 wood off the tee. It was much easier to turn the ball around the corner.

In my case now, there is no choice. I mean, I have to hit a driver. Long hitters can still use the 3 wood. I have to hit a driver to give myself a chance to reach the green.

And the green, they changed the green from last year, but, you know, the edges of the green, especially that front part and that right edge towards the creek, it's like a false front. Everything slopes towards the water, and that is making the chip from the left hand side of the green much more difficult.

Q. Did Gary Player get a hold of you on Tuesday night?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Yeah, I think he's really tired of telling me the same thing every week. (Laughter.)

Q. When you think of Justin Rose, what do you think of? What's the striking characteristic about his golf for you?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: About his golf? You know, I think he's a steady player. Everybody says maybe his weakest part is the putting. I haven't seen him play that much. I know his long game is good. He's long off the tee. He hits high shots, which favors this golf course. And it's going to be down to him if he's having a good week on the greens, he's going to be up there.

Q. Can you take confidence in these two rounds, or does it take a longer spell of doing well?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I think it's going to take a longer spell than these two days. It's always nice to have two solid rounds. It's always nice to have a solid tournament. But I think it's going to I'm going to need a longer spell than just a week.

BILLY MORRIS: Thank you very much, and Jose Maria, good luck to you tomorrow and Sunday.

End of FastScripts.

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