An Interview with Keegan Bradley

Q.  I thought that was a well-played final round.  The golf course was considerably tougher today.

KEEGAN BRADLEY:  Yeah, it was.  I played very well.  I just wish I could have been a couple lower.

Q.  I thought the putt at the par-5, 13th was really key in your round.  You're coming off the birdie at the 12th, and on 13th you have an eagle chip.

KEEGAN BRADLEY:  Yeah.  It was just some of the putts didn't go in today, but they've been going in.  I feel really good going into the Masters.  That's all that matters.

Q.  Let's talk a little bit about the Masters.  You should carry a lot of momentum and confidence.

KEEGAN BRADLEY:  I feel great.  I'm hitting the ball great, good preparation for next week.

Q.  Do you and Phil have a practice round together next week?

KEEGAN BRADLEY:  Probably.  Anytime I can get around Augusta with Phil, I'll take it.

Q.  Keegan, just comment on your week and also your round today.

KEEGAN BRADLEY:  Yeah.  I played well all week.  Just a few short.  Felt good all day.  Just not quite the finish I was looking for.

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An Interview with Phil Mickelson

Q.  Last year you shot 128 on the weekend to win this golf course.  It didn't happen for you this time.  What was the difference between last year and this year?

PHIL MICKELSON:  I didn't hit the ball close enough with my irons.  My iron play wasn't the best this week, and then when I had a lot of good putts that came close, they didn't quite fall like last year I hit everything.  I played well and drove the ball well and hit a lot of good shots, and I feel like I'm getting some good momentum heading into next week.

Q.  You have three days before you tee it up at the Masters on Thursday next week.  What do you do between know and then to get ready for that day?

PHIL MICKELSON:  Really not too much.  I feel like I've already prepared on the golf course, and I've been working on the shots around the greens and so forth that I'll need next week.  It comes down to touch and feel with the wedges and the putter on those greens.

Q.  Good luck next week.

A   Thank you.

Q.  Good shots.  Not quite tuned in.  Didn't give yourself a lot of birdie putts inside of 15 feet?

PHIL MICKELSON:  That was really the difference.  I didn't hit my irons as close as I needed to make a good run.  The course was much more difficult today, given that we had more wind and the pins were tucked.  If I had hit good solid shots, I could have made some putts and I just didn't capitalize on a lot of opportunities to make a move.  Feel like I played well though this week, and I'm excited about the ball striking and driving of the golf ball and my putter,  and I'm looking forward to next week.

Q.  You just didn't dominate the par-5s.

PHIL MICKELSON:  It played totally different with the course wet.  13 and 15 were reachable every day last year.  I couldn't get do them any of the days, so that made a big -- that was a big difference as well as No. 8 was a 5, 5-iron last year.  Today it was driver, 3-wood or 5-wood.

Q.  Augusta National is such a feely golf course.  Did you put in enough prep for it?

PHIL MICKELSON:  I spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week at Augusta.  Spent a lot of time on the greens, and I know that golf course pretty well, where I want to be and the shots that I'll have when I'm in the proper spot, and I feel like I don't have to be perfect there.  I feel like I can get up and down and let my short game salvage a stroke if I need to.  Right now the way that I feel like I'm striking the ball well enough that I can play it pretty good next week.

Q.  After Saturday's low round, you thought you had a low one in you.  How frustrating is it that a low one might have given you back-to-back wins?

PHIL MICKELSON:  I knew when I was looking at the pin sheet it was going to be tough for the leaders to go really low.  If I could shoot, 6, 7-under par, I would have a good chance of making a move.  I just didn't get it together.  I didn't capitalize on the par-5s.  I make a bogey early in the round.  I fought hard.  I hit a lot of good shots.  I hung in there and played steady.  It wasn't exceptional play.  Didn't hit the irons close enough.  The putts just didn't quite go in.  I had a good week, though.  I played really well.  I feel like I'm getting some good momentum and got a lot of positive shots that will carry over into next week.

Q.  How confident are you for next week?

PHIL MICKELSON:  I'm confident because of the way these last couple weeks have gone.  I've steadily progressed at Bay Hill after hitting loose shots.  Played much better this week.  Didn't really have but one penalty stroke on a golf course here that has water everywhere.  I was excited with my ball striking.

I put forth the hard effort to try to defend.  Wasn't able to make a good run on the weekend.  I played well and hit a lot of good shots.  I had some good momentum for next week and walk away from this week feeling really good about where my game is headed.

Q.  Feel like home out here?

PHIL MICKELSON:  I do enjoy the people here in Houston, and having won here last year, I have a lot of really fond memories.

Q.  Talk about your emotions now that you shift to Augusta.

PHIL MICKELSON:  I think next week at Augusta is by far my favorite week of the year, the one I look forward to in the off-season.  I can't believe it's finally here.  Three more days and we're teeing it up for real, and I think every player is excited.

Q.  It seems like everybody you talk to, it's a perfect course to prepare for the Masters.

PHIL MICKELSON:  Conditions very similar to what we have next week at Augusta.  From a design standpoint, we're not able to hit drivers, we're hitting a lot of 3-woods here.  At Augusta we're trying to hit drivers as hard as you can.  You got to shape shots here, can't really work on your chipping because you've got either water or sand.  And so I had to put in a little extra time at Augusta with my wedge work because it's such a critical part next week, but the conditioning and the -- of the fairways and the first cut are very similar to next week.

Q.  Any more pressure when you're the defending champion, difference in your mindset?

PHIL MICKELSON:  When you're coming back to a place you won, you have a lot of positive memories.  I had a lot of positive memories last year.  I won't ever forget how well I putted.  It's one of the best putting weekends I ever had.  I felt I was going to make everything.  The greens are so pristine, if you get hot with the putter, you can make it from anywhere on these surfaces.

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An Interview with Carl Pettersson

Q.   Crazy sun.  You got off to a great start.  Had a couple of par saves that you really needed, and then the putts just wouldn't fall after you gave yourself a lot of chances.

CARL PETTERSSON:  Yeah.  I played good.  I played really good today.  Very difficult.  I couldn't make a putt on the back-9.  I gave myself good chances coming in.  Just a little pissed off I left it short on 18.  I had a good chance coming in, couldn't get anything to go.

Q.  You gave yourself a ton of chances.  Did the course change much as the round went on?  Did it get a little firmer and faster?  The drive at 17 actually bounced.  I saw the shot bounce.

CARL PETTERSSON:  Yeah, that was a long drive.  It did firm up a little bit.  Seems like the wind was moving around a little bit which made it quite windy.  I don't know how the scoring was today.

Q.  Wasn't very good.

CARL PETTERSSON:  Hunter played great to win.  I wish I could have been in a playoff.

Q.  Again, second 2nd of the year.  Now, he what that means in one way, but in another way means you're playing really well.

CARL PETTERSSON:  Yeah.  Exactly.  I'm a little disappointed right now.  Overall my game was good.  Hopefully I can build on this and probably get a win soon.

Q.  Keep up the good work.  Thanks so much for your time.

CARL PETTERSSON:  Thank you.

Q.  18 the putt was tracking.

CARL PETTERSSON:  I decelerated on it.  I hit two great shots.  Good tee shot and good second shot.  I thought it was a quicker putt, but I decelerated a little bit on it.  It was right in the middle, but you know, 18 is a difficult hole.  Still in the back of my mind, I didn't know what Hunter was going to do.  I should have given it a better run than I did.

Q.  I guess it's one of those that you see at night when you're trying to go to sleep and stuff, that putt?

CARL PETTERSSON:  Yeah.  I wish I could have given it a better shot.  What can you do.

Q.  16 was another one.

CARL PETTERSSON:  Hit a great shot in there.  Hit the putt exactly where I wanted.  Didn't break down the hill as much as I thought.  But I played good down the stretch.  Couldn't quite make the putts, but it was fun playing with him.

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An Interview with Louis Oosthuizen

Q.   I know it was a tough round for you.  Really struggled early.  You did well on the back-9.  Just comments.

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN:  It was a rough day.  I can't really pinpoint hitting terrible shots.  I had horrific lies on 5 and 8, ball with mud and making two double bogies, you know, at the time I was trying to push to try and make par or bogey on them, but just tried a bit too hard.  The two birdies would have done a playoff for me.  It was disappointing.  I kept in there and made a bogey on 14, but other than that, I'm happy with the way I came back.

Q.  Still some positive signs for you the way you played all week heading into Augusta?

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN:  I'm not going to be bothered about the way I played the front-9.  I had a few horrific lies and bounces.  It happens.  Another day it goes my day.  Yeah, I'm very positive in going to Augusta.

Q.  With the mud balls, was it was a tougher day with a little more wind?

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN:  A little bit more wind.  I struggled the first four holes to get the wind right, but, you know, once you get to 6, 7, I feel like I could feel the wind a bit better.  It was pretty much like this the first-9, but it was just not my day.

Q.   Besides The Open, this is one of your best performances on the PGA TOUR, correct?

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN:  Yeah, I think so, yeah.  You know, obviously disappointed in not getting the win, but I'm taking a lot of positives out of this.

Q.  Did you feel as good today as did yesterday?

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN:  Yeah.

Q.  You were hot yesterday?

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN:  I felt really good.  I would like to go through the front-9 and see all the shots I hit, because I can't really say any bad, bad shot I hit, you know, was just like I said, two bad lies with the two double.  Could have been completely different.

Q.  Take out one of those and --

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN:  Yeah.  Lot of positives.  Hunter played well.  He deserved it.

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