- Title: USA: MASTERS INTERVIEWS.
- Date: 5th April 2001
- Summary: AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES. APRIL 5, 2001 (REUTERS- ACCESS ALL) 1. SHOT OF THE LEADERBOARD 2. CHRIS DIMARCO SCORES ON THE LEADERBOARD 3. SOUNDBITE (English) CHRIS DIMARCO SAYING: "I would say two years ago I came here I would be happy with just being here, and I am happy to be here don't get me wrong. I also came her to play and it's a goal for everyone is to win this tournament and that's the goal from the outset and if you don't believe that than why even come." 4. SOUNDBITE (English) TIGER WOODS SAYING: "Overall I am very pleased, I drove it pretty good today, I had some good iron shots, I didn't really putt as well as I liked to but ah, overall you really can't be unpleased with a number in the red. Its the start of a major championship and you want to put yourself there so you have a good chance." "This golf course with these pine locations is awfully hard to be aggressive. I have to make a lot of 15 footers for birdies and I wasn't able to do that today. I made a couple here and there but I didn't my share that I normally do." 5. SHOT OF THE PRESS 6. SOUNDBITE (English) PHIL MICKELSON SAYING: "I am pleased with the start. I'm very very pleased to have shot 5 under today and I put myself in a good position for the next three rounds. Today was the day to score low if your going to score low, because I think it will progressively get more difficult as the week wears on." 7. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) ANGEL CABRERA SAYING: (English translator) "He was able to hit the ball very good, and his tee shot were in good position. His approach shots were close to the hole and he was able to take advantage of that." 8. SOUNDBITE (English) GREG NORMAN SAYING: "There are a lot of DiMarco's out there that can do that and he is no different, you'd expect that from these players right now. They are very good, very aggressive, and trust their game explicitly." 9. SOUNDBITE (English) JAMES DRISCOLL SAYING: "I wasn't thinking of a number that I wanted to shoot today, I just that if I played well I could, if I played my game I could shoot a good score. If you'd asked me if I would shoot a 4 under at the beginning to the day I would probably would have laughed at you." 10. SHOT OF THE LEADERBOARD Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 20th April 2001 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES
- City:
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA5KB8GXDRZ06OLGVDOZ8Z5TT3W
- Story Text: After the first day of the 2001 Masters Tournament a
course rookie Chris DiMarco, is leading by one stroke, sitting
at seven under par. Other golfers are not surprised by his
quick start and are preparing to make adjustments for Friday's
(April 6) second round.
Tiger Woods opened his quest for a piece of golf
history with a two-under 70 in Thursday's opening round of the
Masters, declaring himself satisfied despite being five shots
behind leader Chris DiMarco.
"Overall I am very pleased, I drove it pretty good today,
I had some good iron shots, I didn't really putt as well as I
liked to but ah, overall you really can't be unpleased with a
number in the red. It's the start of a major championship and
you want to put yourself there so you have a good chance."
Knowing this course, Tiger feels he will be able to make
the necessary adjustments for round two. "This golf course
with these pine locations is awfully hard to be aggressive. I
have to make a lot of 15 footers for birdies and I wasn't able
to do that today. I made a couple here and there but I didn't
my share that I normally do."
Masters rookie DiMarco, 32, was not phased by his first
trip to Augusta. "I would say two years ago I came here I
would be happy with just being here, and I am happy to be here
don't get me wrong. I also came here
to play and it's a goal for everyone is to win this
tournament and that's the goal from the outset and if you
don't believe that than why even come."
World number two Phil Mickelson was two shots off the
pace after a five-under 67 fashioned off a back nine that
featured five birdies, including four in succession from the
12th.
Mickelson, who has said he considers the Masters his best
chance of capturing his first major title, was relaxed and
confident after his excellent back nine left him high on the
leaderboard. "I am pleased with the start. I'm very very
pleased to have shot 5 under today and I put myself in a good
position for the next three rounds. Today was the day to
score low if your going to score low, because I think it will
progressively get more difficult as the week wears on."
Twice U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen and John Huston were
also at 67, with Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez, Chris Perry,
Kirk Triplett and U.S. Amateur runner-up James Driscoll
knotted at four-under 68.
Angel Carbrera who shot a 6 under par and is in second
place explained the reason for DiMarco's success. "He was able
to hit the ball very good, and his tee shot were in good
position. His approach shots were close to the hole and he was
able to take advantage of that."
Having a leaderboard filled with relatively unknowns
golfers and a rookie leading the way is no surprise to two
time Masters runner-up Greg Norman, "There are a lot of
DiMarco's out there that can do that and he is no different,
you'd expect that from these players right now. They are very
good, very aggressive, and trust their game explicitly."
Maybe the most surprised person today was amateur Greg
Driscoll. "I wasn't thinking of a number that I wanted to
shoot today, I just that if I played well I could, if I played
my game I could shoot a good score. If you'd asked me if I
would shoot a 4 under at the beginning to the day I would
probably would have laughed at you."
Defending champion Vijay Singh of Fiji was in a large
group of players well-placed at three under par.
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