Retief Goosen Bit Quotations

On 17 we both hit the wrong clubs, eight-irons instead of nine-irons. I didn't have much of a shot and it was a bad lie in a hard pan. It was a question of landing the ball in the right spot and it was a bit of a shock when it went in. But then it was a great up-and-down by Ernie as well.

My swing is definitely not there. Yesterday I was very bad off the tee and I had to keep chopping out sideways. I was a bit better today, at least I kept the ball in play more.

I didn't really play all that well. I missed a lot of greens but I chipped and putted very well and holed a lot of good putts for pars. The greens were a bit more tricky this afternoon with all the traffic. I felt I could have shot a good round. I was three under through six and then nothing happens,

Funny enough, I've been struggling a little bit with a sore rib. Everybody's got sore ribs this week.

I think the course is in as good of shape as I've seen it in the last five years. You know the fairways are running a little bit and some holes are actually playing shorter than it's played in the last five years, purely because you get some run in the fairways.

I think the course is definitely a better course. It's tough, that's for sure. The rough is just slightly longer than it's been in the past two years. With the fairways getting so firm now, the rough tends to stop the ball a little bit from running into the trees.

There was about a yard-and-a-half break on the putt, so it was nice to roll that one in. I was a little bit on the lucky side.

I started a little bit shaky but I had Phil to guide me around here. We made some good putts and it went really well.

As long as you hit it straight (at Augusta National) it doesn't matter how long you hit it. You still have to hit it straight and hit the shots. I think I'm hitting my irons a little bit better at the moment, which is a big plus.

It is still hurting a little bit when I walk and especially in the pro-am yesterday when I finished it was pretty sore.

It's going to be nice. It's what the sponsors want and the spectators want. I always enjoy playing with Ernie and playing with him just makes you concentrate that little bit more.

It was playing tough out there, the wind was maybe even a bit stronger and certainly colder.

I'm going to need to shoot six under to have a chance to win because there are a lot of guys up there but hopefully there will be a bit more breeze to make the course slightly more difficult.

I'm disappointed that it wasn't a little bit closer but I had my chances. Stephen played awesome. He ran away with it at the end.

I missed a lot of greens but I chipped and putted very well and holed a lot of good putts for pars. The greens were a bit more tricky this afternoon with all the traffic. I felt I could have shot a good round. I was 3 under through six and then nothing happens.

I played terrible. I just didn't make a putt and was wayward off the tee and missed a lot of fairways. Michael got on a roll at the start, but if I had played a bit of a game out there it would have been nice.