Charles Howell Quotations

No particular reason. I think I remember watching when I was a kid and all the players would take it off.

I think it will keep a lot of guys from coming back.

When I got my first invitation in the mail, I almost threw it away because I didn't know what it was. It doesn't stand out at all. It's a plain, normal white envelope. Doesn't say Augusta National, no return address. And once I opened it, well, now it's in a frame in my office. My first invitation to the Masters.

We're not out there hitting people and tackling people, but walking 36 holes on this golf course is not easy. I think it's just as important to physically stay strong as it is mentally.

The shortest 11 can play is 505. I walked it to the back and it was 513, which puts it longer than No. 13.

To be honest, I was a little bit disappointed with the changes in '02 because I wanted to play the same golf course everyone else had played and I couldn't. I wanted to play at least one Masters on the same course that Tiger (Woods) did what he did in '97 on.

With that green and the way the wind swirls in that corner of the golf course, playing that hole in even par over four days is going to be really good.

Now, I like these changes. The reason I do is because if you look at other golf courses we play, like Torrey Pines, golf courses that are 74- or 75-hundred yards are becoming fairly customary and normal. I don't think you want to play a major championship on a golf course that is not in keeping with other courses we play on tour in terms of length.

Interest is one of the strongest motivating factors in a child's education.

If you had never seen this golf course and didn't know what course you were playing, you would think, OK, this is fine. But if you see this from the perspective that Augusta is one of the most familiar courses in the world, you would look at the changes and say, 'Wow, this is going to make a big difference'.

The big ones that stand out are 4 and 7. The changes done to both 4 and 7 are going to impact the score. There's no doubt about it.

Any time you take a golf course and completely overhaul it, you're going to get some mixed feelings. But now I think it's fine. I really do. There isn't one thing I saw at Augusta National that I haven't seen done everywhere else.

It's probably one of the most important holes in this golf tournament.

I don't know how to do it, never have, and don't plan on learning. I just don't understand it.

It was just real quiet for a Sunday because I don't think anybody could exactly believe what in the world was happening. It was painful to watch.

The course is a grind and that's the way it should be. It's a major, it's the Masters. I think that's the way Bobby Jones would have wanted it. I don't think he'd like to see guys strolling around laughing, smiling, having a big time.

The guy who sits in this chair winning on Sunday is going to have to make a few eagles. It's the most important hole in this tournament.

The change to 15 is interesting. Although it is longer, it does allow you to play a draw off the tee again. It just doesn't feel as claustrophobic back there any more.