• PGA Tour

Woods rejects his initial Masters assessment

ESPN staff
April 29, 2010
Tiger Woods was initially disappointed with his Masters showing © Getty Images
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Tiger Woods has rejected his initial assessment of his performance at The Masters by insisting that the tournament "went as well as it could possibly have gone".

Woods finished fourth at Augusta in his first tournament back on the PGA Tour following a five-month hiatus from golf. His initial reaction to his 11-under finish - five strokes back from winner Phil Mickelson - was one of disappointment, but he has changed his mind in the weeks since.

"Given a little time to reflect on it, it was an incredible week," Woods said. "I think it went as well as it could have possibly gone."

Much of the pre-Masters discussion centred on the reception Woods would receive from the viewing gallery at Augusta. As it transpired, it was predominantly positive - with any dissenters largely inaudible.

At Quail Hollow, which begins today, the spectators will not be as rigorously controlled as they were at Augusta - but Woods is not expecting to hear any heckling. "As far as the fans here over the years, they've been great," he said. "There's no reason why that shouldn't continue."

With a field that includes both Mickelson and Lee Westwood, who finished second at The Masters, Woods will have to be at his best if he is to triumph in North Carolina. He is confident of victory, however, insisting that his game is in good shape.

"The game is now where it used to be and where it should be," he said. "It should be fun. It is a game. Even though I do it for a living, it's still a game and it wasn't that for a while."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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