An athlete must have a certain cockiness to succeed and win, but an athlete must also care about the game he or she plays.

I'm not much for sitting around and thinking about the past or talking about the past. What does that accomplish?

I enjoy the press. I understand their business.

I wanted to emulate my father. I wanted to be as tough as he was. I wanted to do the things that he did. I watched him.

I remember what a thrill it was to attend my first Champions Dinner. Just being in the same room with some of the guys I had admired growing up and to be there because I had won The Masters was quite an honor. I still attend the dinner every year and it is one of the highlights of my time at Augusta during Masters week.

I worked for dad on the grounds and I was in high school and I said I wanted to go to college, and he said, well, you figure it out. He said I will pay for your college but you're going to go to St. Vincent. St. Vincent College right here. That's about as much as I can afford, you work here, right here at home. I said, what if I can get somewhere else? And he said if I can get there, that's your call.

The fans motivated me. They gave me the incentive to want to play and to want to win and to continue to play as my career progressed. They were never a distraction.