Q. Today there are a lot of numbers in the red. Is today the day to get it, because it's probably not giving up a lot the whole next three days?
DAVIS LOVE III: It's nice to catch it on a calm day and a damp day. With the weather predictions of at least a chance for rain, I think that keeps it more humid and soft, so I don't know if they will get it back to what they had Sunday and Monday, which was may be good for all of us that they don't get it back to that.
I know that the pace of the greens will pick up and the fine edge will pick up. It will get tougher, but they may not get it quite as dry as they want it.
Q. The leaderboard looks typical for a Masters. Is all of the talk of the changes kind of overrated?
DAVIS LOVE III: Well, it's fun to talk about because Augusta National is always about, you know, being on the fine cutting edge of what makes their tournament better, and it's been fun to talk about. It's fun for players who are interested in the design side of it to see what they did, what Tom Fazio did, and he did a wonderful job with it. So, no, I don't think it's overrated. To put it simply, it's longer. Atlanta Athletic Club was longer and everybody came in and swung hard and the long hitters played well, as they normally do on a long golf course .
Yeah, the hype about it is, the longer it gets, the longer we are going to try to hit it. And the longer players are going to do better. And that's just the way it's going. If you want to combat the length, go play Merion, because everybody will be teeing it off with an iron and hitting it in the same place .
Now we are searching for length and we are going to find more length to keep up. And you're going to hit it in the trees like I did a couple of times today. The holes are prettier than they were before. They set up better off the tee than they did before. It's hard, I've done it on a couple of courses, it's hard to lengthen golf courses without messing them up. The holes have all gotten to be a better golf hole after lengthening, and that's quite a statement or testament to Augusta National and to Tom Fazio, that they were careful enough.
Even 2, they changed what, two years ago? It's just, now that we are used to it, it's great. It's perfect. If you smash one down the middle, you can get on in two. If you don't, you're not going to get on in two. Everything they have done is just, you know, it fits. It's not a natural. It's not tricky. It's just a little bit longer.
Q. You mentioned compounding mistakes, hitting bad shots and compounding mistakes. Has it been just one or two holes that have been blowing you up, pretty much the common theme throughout the early part of the year?
DAVIS LOVE III: No, just general goofy stuff. Made a 9 at Doral. Kept hitting -- trying to hit it over the lake on one hole. Last week, made a double with a 60-degree wedge into a par 4 and then made a triple on a par 5. Instead of making a double on a par 4 and coming back and driving it in the fairway and making a four, I made a, whatever, an 8.
So those things kill you. Now, I did play -- like I said, made 11 birdies, but you don't get credit for that if you make four "Others". That's the only difference in my game. So I just haven't taken a bad shot very well, and I promised myself this week that no matter where I hit it I was going to try to hit the next one better and be patient with myself and enjoy playing the game. I don't think I've enjoyed playing. I've been pushing too hard and trying -- trying to make things happen and trying to play myself into Augusta, rather than just enjoying playing. I've enjoyed my practice rounds this week. I enjoyed playing with Nick and Brad today. I don't think I could have gotten a better pairing to start off with a good attitude.
LARRY PUGH: Davis --
Q. Can you go through your birdies.
DAVIS LOVE III: 2, driver and a 3-iron, pin-high, right, probably 20 yards right. Pitched up four feet.
3, a driver and had 65 yards to the hole and pitched it up there about five feet.
Then 9, I pulled my drive, it was in the left intermediate cut. Hit a 7-iron, kind of a little bit of a draw, to about four feet.
Then 10, hit a beautiful 6-iron. Got just over the green, hit a little chip-and-run back down onto the green and had a two-footer for par.
Then 13, got that one, drop-kicked it off the tee and chipped it out with a 7-iron, hit it on with a 7-iron and 2-putted.
14, driver, 6-iron to about six inches.
15, driver, 6-iron to about 12 feet, 2-putted.
17, hit it in the right trees, 9-iron over the trees on the green, and then 18.
LARRY PUGH: Thank you.
DAVIS LOVE III: Thank you.
End of FastScripts....
