Jason Day and Bubba Watson happy for Tiger Woods to take Masters attention
Tuesday 3 April 2018 13:06, UK
Jason Day is happy for Tiger Woods to take the attention in the build-up to the Masters and says all the players are eager to see how the former world No 1 does at Augusta this week.
There is a huge sense of anticipation for this year's tournament because of Woods' promising form and the plethora of players all in with a genuine chance of claiming the Green Jacket.
And Day, who finished runner-up on his first trip to Augusta in 2011 and third two years later, says he is excited to see how a stacked field shakes itself out over the four days.
"I think when it comes to Tiger and the Tiger mania that comes with it, everyone wants to see him win and play the way he did before," said the former world No 1.
"Everyone's chomping at the bit for him to get here and see how he's moving. But that's fine with me. I can just focus on what I need to do to try and win this tournament. Tiger's Tiger, but I think the biggest thing for me is I can't beat myself.
"On my good day I've got a good chance of beating him. I honestly believe that. I think that there's 10, 20 other guys out there that honestly believe they can beat Tiger as well.
"You can't come into an event thinking that, well, Tiger's going to win, I'm going to play for second place. You got to believe in yourself and understand that you put the calculated preparation into it and try and execute the game plan."
Day says Woods will always give himself a chance because of his skill around the greens.
"Obviously his driving's not the greatest, but once he's on the fairway, he hits unbelievable iron shots. And if he doesn't, then he does those big flop shots and holes those big long putts and makes things exciting."
Two-time champion Bubba Watson agrees that a healthy, competitive Woods is great for the game and is equally keen to go under the radar this week given the Masters' unique pressure.
"As a friend you want him healthy, and as a competitor you want him healthy," he said. "What he's been able to do with the on‑and‑off the course to help the game of golf and help young people, being on course and winning again is going to just help.
"We want everybody to play their best. It's going to come down to how we prepare. At the Match Play a couple weeks ago my whole focus was energy. I had to save energy so I didn't practice very much. I just kind of tried to save energy.
"Here is different. You've got to be mentally prepared. The mental part of it is what drains you around this place. I'm hoping everybody gets immediate attention and I just kind of sneak through the back nine roars there and somehow pull out a victory."
The Masters - Drive, Chip & Putt
