Masters 2011: Tiger Woods Press Conference Reveals Confidence

Apr 6, 2011, 1:19 PM UTC

The 2011 Masters golf tournament tees off on Thursday morning, but before the official action gets underway, many golfers from the field speak with the media. On Tuesday, Tiger Woods held his press conference, speaking about the Masters course at Augusta, his revamped golf swing, and generally how he feels going into the tournament.

On not being the favorite at the Masters this year (Phil Mickelson is the favorite at 6/1):

Doesn’t matter. You still have to play the golf tournament, right? We all have an opportunity. Everyone has the same opportunity as I do and always has been. So just got to go out there and play and see where it adds up.

On his short game, which is so crucial at the Masters:

You know, Larry, you have to have a short game here. You just have to be able to chip and putt. There's no two ways about it. And I've always said that, yeah, you have to have a short game, but it's imperative that you miss them on the right spots to give yourself a chance.

I think Phil was the perfect example of that last year. He didn't hit it very good for his standard on Sunday. But he missed the ball in absolutely every single perfect place for those pins, and that's experience, and that's knowing where to miss. And he did that, and all of the shots that he made look easy, they weren't that easy, but certainly they were a lot easier than what it could have been.

As far as my short game is, it's progressing. I was able to make a few changes with it technique wise. I spent a lot of time here chipping and putting and working on it. So feeling very comfortable, and looking forward to getting out there.

On changes he's made to his golf swing and mechanics:

Well, we've changed a lot; from stance to grip to where the club is, where he believes the club needs to be throughout the entire golf swing, and obviously what the body is doing. That's way different than what I used to do. And that's been a difficult change. The grip part I got pretty quickly. The posture I got pretty quickly. The other stuff has been more difficult.

Far as being around Sean, he's a great dude, he really is. He knows a lot about a lot. He's very philosophical and always fun to pick his brain.

On whether or not we've seen the best of Tiger Woods:

No. [...] Well, I believe in myself. There's nothing wrong with believing in myself. God, I hope you guys feel the same way about yourselves. You know, that's the whole idea, is that you can always become better.

Read the entire Tiger Woods press conference transcript.

More resources: Masters 2011 tee times for first round ... Masters 2011 odds.

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