Hoffman says aggression key to Masters success
By Rory Carroll AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) - After shocking the U.S. Masters field with a stunning opening round of 65, the windy conditions caught up with Charley Hoffman on Friday as he finished the second day with a three-over-par 75. The 40-year-old Californian vowed to stay on the attack through the weekend even if the course conditions become more difficult, as expected, with harder greens. "Any time this place firms up, it plays its hardest just because it's hard to control your golf ball," he told a news conference. "When I'm in position, I'm going to attack and try to make birdies and when I'm not, I'm going to try to just hopefully have a par putt at it." Hoffman, who is playing in his fourth Masters, made nine birdies on Thursday to lead the tournament by four shots but his second round left him at four under par on a congested leaderboard. He is trying to learn from his 2015 performance at Augusta National, when he finished tied ninth despite struggling with his short game. "I don't think I'm going to get tentative with the putter on the weekend this year," he said. "I learned from that. You learn from your mistakes." Hoffman, who has won four PGA Tour titles, still believes he is in good position to win the Green Jacket. "I didn't make any real mental errors, I just didn't execute," he said. "I can live with not executing, as long as I've thought through the process and just stuck to my game plan, I can live with making bogeys out here." (Editing by Ed Osmond)
