MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 7, 2001

David Duval

DAVID DUVAL: I'm pleased. I thought I played fairly well, but because of the turnout, I guess I didn't play all that well. (Laughs) Again, you know, a couple shots I feel like I left out there, like the first day, but all in all, on Saturday at Augusta, if you pick up a few strokes, I think it is a good thing.

DAVID DUVAL: Yeah, it probably does. You know, it's just taking each step as it comes, and I was faced with a situation earlier where I could have gone backwards quick, with 3 and 4, and I ended up making a par and a bogey and could very well have made 5 and 5 and gone bogey, double-bogey. Goes to maybe a little bit of experience and maybe some extra patience paying off.

DAVID DUVAL: I don't know. Just a terrible shot. Maybe, as much as anything, I knew the pin was back right, and when that pin is back right, I hit driver. You know, I tried to hit it by everything, and I got to the tee and I was expecting to hit driver, but there was some wind coming in and just -- probably just didn't convince myself I was hitting the proper club. I didn't expect to be hitting driver and had 2-iron.

DAVID DUVAL: You know what, at 14 -- I don't know how to say it -- I feel like I got hosed pretty much, on 14. (Laughter.) You know, I hit a perfect tee shot. I really don't know -- I don't think I could hit a better tee shot than I did. And I hit it -- if you see me, I just pick up the tee and turn around and all of the sudden the ball is on the ground. It's like the tree just reached out and grabbed it. I mean, baseball season started, but come on. (Laughter). Then I hit what I thought was a very excellent golf shot for my second shot. I hit a nice hook around there and tried to play it -- get it through the green, and I thought I had executed perfectly because I saw it release through the green and there was applause, but when I got there, I knew I was in trouble. So, excuse my French. I had a couple of good shots and I made five. That's the beauty of this place, you can do that.

DAVID DUVAL: Not really.

DAVID DUVAL: It doesn't really occur to me to do that. I don't see any benefits from it, you know, because what if you reach your number and lose? I mean, that's no good. I don't do that. It could be a lot of different things required tomorrow.

DAVID DUVAL: 7 was a good shot I hit up there. I was very pleased with that shot, obviously. And 9, again, I just hit a very good shot. But at other place, I don't think the shot I hit on 9 or 7 was really any better than the shot I hit on 15. I hit that exactly where I tried to. So, some shots here, although they might not be a foot and they are 40 feet, you have to hit them exactly how you want to. One thing I have learned, that left pin over there on 15, hits a sucker pin. You can't hit at that pin. It's silly to try. I did that. I laid up a few years ago and tried to hit it up there and spun it back in the water and tried it again and spun it back in the water and got home that afternoon and watched Nick Price who had been playing here for a lot of years and he had a shot just like I did and hit it just like today, 40 feet right. Just experience. Never aimed over there since.

DAVID DUVAL: From over the green? Yeah, that was really good. Kind of like the shot on 12, I didn't hit it as close on 12, but off of a lie that wasn't very good, and thin, and hit a really good shot. I hit a really good shot. I felt like I could have tried to get a little cuter, but again, if you're going to try the shot, it's silly.

DAVID DUVAL: I just hit it right up. There's two rocks as big as this thing wedged behind my ball so I was trying to get in behind those and underneath those. You could see that it shot out because the rocks just forced it out. I didn't see where it landed, because I was down in there.

DAVID DUVAL: About -- I was trying to hit about 185 yards, 186 yards, and I hit a 6-iron.

DAVID DUVAL: Yeah, I guess it could be better. And maybe they do. Hopefully they do get caught up in -- I don't know. That's just how it is falling out this year, and, you know, there's a lot of people that have a chance to win the tournament now. And I think I'm one of them.

DAVID DUVAL: Well, I'm very excited about that, that chance, that opportunity. Again, I feel like -- a little disappointed. I feel like I should be a little bit better than I am, score-wise, because I certainly think I've played well enough to be a few shots better. But again, I just think that the place sets up well for me, and I feel like I have a pretty good knowledge of how to play the golf course. I've done that well so far this week.

DAVID DUVAL: You know, I don't really know how to respond. I mean, I don't know if that is much of a -- I would -- I don't know what to say about that. I guess as much as anything, I would -- I hope that the golf fans are happy and I hope that the writers are happy and I hope that the Augusta National Committee is happy. Because it is seemingly what you want. In a major you want some of the names to come up and have that be the chance. I think it goes to show that the golf course has been set up very well and the people who are on top of their games have kind of risen to the top, and the players who have been playing the best for the last few years are there again. I think that's everything that you want in a Masters Sunday.

DAVID DUVAL: You know, if I shoot 66 or 65 or 67, I don't think it is very tough at all. If I don't, it is -- it's just up to me to be able to play well tomorrow, I guess, is what I'm saying. And I can't be real concerned with what he is doing or anybody else.