Phil Goes Deep, and Other Tales from the Pressroom

I found the traditional Tuesday press conferences to be chock full of interesting tidbits, none more so than Phil's.  Now you might logically conclude that I need to get out more, but I'm far from alone in this assessment.   

Not for the first time we'll let Shackelford bat leadoff, with his Six Things We've Learned post at The Loop:

2. Rory McIlroy better hope Ian Woosnam isn't thinking about returning as European Ryder Cup captain.

After getting some laughs for saying 70 players had a chance to win, he then proceeded to digging a bit of a hole for himself when he tried to narrow down the number. "Obviously there's a few past champions that play that might not be able to compete," he said. "There might be a few first-timers or a few amateurs that won't compete. But then you've got the rest; I'm just looking down the list here: Stewart Cink, Tim Clark, Ian Woosnam, no; John Huh -- sorry, Woosie. But I'm talking about the people that are playing regularly on the PGA Tour, sorry, Woosie, didn't mean that."

A very funny moment as Rory realizes that he's inadvertently dissed Woosie....

4. Not everyone is missing the Eisenhower Tree. And just because it's gone doesn't make the hole that much easier. 

Justin Rose does the honors: "It's still a chute. There's no room for error. If you hit it down the left edge of the fairway, you're blocked out by trees, because you get underneath them. And the right side, there's trees all the way down the right. But it definitely opens up the hole. But obviously, if I go back to 2007, that was a tee shot that really hurt me in a way. Had a great chance to win there in 2007 and made double bogey on 17. So for me, maybe it's going to suit my eye just a little better."

Next up is this Sam Weinman piece that left me a tad disappointed.  Turns out it was a general overview of what Tiger's presser might have covered, as opposed to the hoped-for faux transcript of Tiger discussing his "reps", "golf feels" and throwing in the occasional "It is what it is."  

Now back to Phil, who had me glued to the telly to the exclusion of some non-Masters items on which I had intended to blog.  But he had me at hello:

• Tiger - The headlines will be that he said it felt strange to not have Tiger there, though he's certainly
  
  played lots of majors in which Tiger wasn't in the field.  But he was extremely gracious in acknowledging Tiger's importance to the game, characterizing himself as the biggest beneficiary of it.  He noted that when he won in Tucson as an amateur the entire purse was barely 1 million, and now they play for $1 million first place checks every week.
• Swing Thoughts - When asked about his recent injury, he drifted into a discussion of how he was taught to play with a wide, smooth swing that has allowed him to go through his career without any significant injuries.  He contrasted this to guys who have more violent actions in their swings...Gee, I wonder who he has in mind here?
• Money Game - His Tuesday morning money game included Rickie Fowler as his partner.  Rickie apparently went on a tear, shooting 30 on the front nine (the more difficult scoring nine) and made at least one eagle on the back (I lost the plot at certain point), and made Phil some spending cash.  Bear in mind that that the pins are typically in the center of the greens during practice rounds, so scoring is far easier.
• Offsetting Losses - Phil was also asked about making a bet with a spectator.  Apparently this chump was trash talking to Phil that he had left himself in a bad spot, and Phil bet him $1 that he could get it up-and-down.  When he missed a 7-footer, he paid up.  But the funniest bit was when he was asked if he carried small bills, and he admitted he had to borrow it from one of the caddies.  Now we all love this kind of story, but one wonders at the reaction of the humorless green jacket set.  Has this rube patron been separated from his badge?  And was Phil visited by anyone after his presser?  Inquiring minds want to know...
• Bad Camera Angles - Perhaps the biggest laugh was when he blamed the photographers for missing the proper angle for his White Men Can't Jump moment after holing his winning putt in 2004.

No Worries, Phil, There's No Jumping in Golf.

• The Second Time Around - When asked, Phil stated that it's far easier to win a second Masters than a first.  In fact, he said that in dicey situations after first winning in 2004, Bones would often relieve the pressure by reminding him that he had already won this thing, and had nothing to prove.

Now, the above is all good stuff, and Phil is obviously a great interview subject, candid, down-to-earth and quite amusing.  But the following items had me sitting up in my seat and taking notes:

• Who Can Win? - Like most of the players, Phil was asked how many players in the field have a legitimate chance to win.  His response was that for the last few years the course has played soft and that under those conditions half of the field could win.  But, that he felt from his round on Tuesday that the greens were already regaining their speed (after the heavy rains on Monday) and that if they can get the course firm and fast, less than a dozen guys have a chance.  One can only wish that someone had followed up with a request for him to name names, but let's keep our fingers crossed that we get those conditions.
• Timing is Everything - I don't remember the question that triggered it, but Phil made the seemingly obvious point that it's extremely important to be in the last few groups on Sunday (and presumably Saturday).  The point may be obvious, but the reasoning wasn't.  According to Phil, the wind at ANGC typically dies down around 5:00, and if you go late then you get to Amen Corner with little to no wind.  As we know, wind+water=trouble.  I've never heard that point made.
• WITB - Which is golf-nerd speak for What's in the Bag... Phil was asked what new clubs he's fiddling with and answered with a question of his own, "Do you know why I'm always fiddling with stuff here?"  According to Phil, after the lengthening of the course in the early aughts he has never had a shot between 90 and 130 yards.  Think about that for a sec...a forty yard gap which he says gives him two free clubs in the bag.  Now I was always taught that a marker of a good golf course is one that makes you use every club in the bag, though of course these guys play a different game.  I find that quite amazing, and I'll no doubt be listening more intently for yardages all week.  I'll also be watching to see what happens when he gets out of position on the Par-5's and longer two-shotters.