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MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 5, 2018

Harry Ellis

Augusta, Georgia

Q. What were your thoughts after this round?
HARRY ELLIS: The score got massive. But, no, I felt pretty comfortable. The first tee was great. To look down the first and for them to announce your name was really cool. Just got off to a little rough start and just hit some shots that I haven't hit for awhile. Last night with my coach here as well I was hitting it great, really good, so I was very excited about how going out there and getting stuff in. And the putting felt good and didn't putt really good all day, I was just scrambling around trying to save numbers. And it's a little bit hard when you know you get off to a rough start and then start a little rough on the back nine, it's not, you kind of lose all your momentum and what you were looking forward to. But I finished up the round and like I said, I'm not trying to make it tomorrow, I'm just trying to keep learning. And when you have rounds like this you learn the most. And I'm open to that, so it's fun. So I'll come back tomorrow and hopefully post a good score.

Q. (No Microphone.)
HARRY ELLIS: I wouldn't say I would probably be playing my natural game because like I said, the way I played being here last week and playing rounds and then even playing the nine holes I did Monday, Tuesday here, I felt pretty good. So probably did end up chasing it a little bit. That's natural. Still, in terms of my game, I still got to learn on the big stage as well. So obviously playing The Open Championship and now playing one round here, definitely keep learning about it. So tomorrow I probably won't chase, don't need to chase and just go out there and know that I'm going to be free tomorrow because I'm not really playing for anything now. So like I said, I was just trying to do what I can.

Q. The birdie on 7 did that give you a boost?
HARRY ELLIS: I made a big putt for par, yeah, definitely, and then birdied 8. I started feeling like I was swinging it pretty good then or somewhat like I was yesterday. And I knew that if you stay patient, you still get ‑‑ 9's an opportunity, I just missed there. And then obviously what happened on 10. And great drive down 11, then just missed one yard wrong on the second shot. Played 12 fine. 13, poor tee shot. And then 14 ripped one down the middle. Like I said to my caddie, I like to draw the ball, all the holes that were set up for that I played poorly and I think that then really races through your mind a little bit. But, yeah it is what it is.

Q. What's it like standing on the first tee in a tournament that presumably you've been watching your entire life?
HARRY ELLIS: Nothing, nothing can prepare you for that moment. Doesn't matter who it is, what anyone has told you, I had plenty of time to prepare, nothing compares to that feeling of being on that tee. Because like I said earlier in the week, it's almost a celebration to be here and this is definitely not going to be my last Masters, but to be able to step on that tee and have the honor of being in the field and looking down the first hole it's so special. You just got to learn from that. The more times you're in that situation the better you get at it. And it's days like today where I had a poor round and I'm disappointed, but I also know that I've learned so much from that. And until you're in that position you'll never know how you'll react. Today I was pretty nervous, I'm not going to lie, but I also was very excited as well. And just ‑‑ and then it just, was a bit of momentum kill a little bit in a way, but it's just a very, very special feeling.

Q. Did you get a lot of support from others who have been around?
HARRY ELLIS: Absolutely, yeah. No, absolutely. Obviously Scott, fellow county player at home, obviously he was here last year, I listened to him, I listened to other players as well. I have‑‑ I have been playing with members this week, the past week, having a local caddie, speaking to people that played this tournament, I've got some good information in there. And I felt good. But I just didn't execute and that's just the story, really.

Q. How quickly has this week gone by for you so far? There's a lot of build up, a lot of lead up, you get here early and does it fly?
HARRY ELLIS: It definitely does. I think it's just balancing out your time again. I think that like from what I learned at the Open Championship and into this week I've done, I feel like I've done a better job in terms of my preparation for it. But all of a sudden the first round is upon you and it does happen a little bit quickly, because obviously you're trying to do your work here when you come on site, and there's other things to go to and other things to do. And like I said it's all a balancing act, it's all a learning experience for me and all of a sudden, yeah, round one's over and we got round two tomorrow. So it happens very quickly and it's important just to slow things down mentally and then obviously whatever happens tomorrow and then next week I'll be able to just slowly reflect on the week and again keep growing, really. Keep growing as a person and keep growing as a player.

Q. How does the journey that you've had off the golf course prepare you for a different perspective for a tough day on the course like today?
HARRY ELLIS: Yeah, obviously it's like, you know, this is where I've matured in a way from my experiences that it's not the end of the world. A lot of guys, a lot of people generally around the world will be looking at the score, whatever, but that's irrelevant, it doesn't really matter to me right now. It eats at me, no doubt, and I also want to come back tomorrow and bounce back, but there's definitely a perspective. And the fact that, from where I've come from to be stepping on the first tee at the Masters as an amateur, which I think it's more unique as an amateur, I'm very proud of that and no one can take that away from me. So like I said, I'm pretty tough inside and tomorrow I'll try and do my best to rebound.

Q. What would you your mom say about you being here?
HARRY ELLIS: Oh, I don't know, she would love this place. She would definitely be the loudest person in the crowd, no doubt. Me and my brother were talking about that yesterday, you would definitely be able to hear her voice. But like I said numerous times, I think she would be super proud of where I'm at right now and where I'm going also.

Q. You all stayed together, didn't you?
HARRY ELLIS: We did on Monday night after being in the Crow's Nest after the amateur dinner. But I've been with my family, the majority of them have been with their families in houses.

Q. What was it like to share accommodations with the other amateurs?
HARRY ELLIS: It was great. We shared a few stories. Obviously Matt's got a fantastic story as well. He was telling us about even stories with his dad fighting fires and their passion for that. And obviously his round with Tiger, he went and played with Tiger yesterday. We just shared our experience. Joaquin was playing with Sergio one round. And it's great to share. There was four of us in there at the time and four different backgrounds. And to be able to be in that, in the Crow's Nest and share stories in such a historic area, where many people out there in the field are Major winners, Green Jackets, they have all been up there, so it's pretty cool to share that.

Q. What are some memories of your mom as a junior, junior tournaments, being loud, cheering for you?
HARRY ELLIS: Yeah, no, obviously it's from also from playing soccer as well back in the day. She was always the one that would support me, she was tough on me as well, but also tough in a sense that she was a fantastic mother, a great parent and guided me into what was right and what was wrong and I thank her so much for that. And I think that's why I was pretty mature even when she passed, but just to have her as a mother and the support she continuously gave me throughout up and down times, which they happen in sport, you have to accept that, I couldn't have asked for a better mother, for sure.

Q. What was the biggest take away from your time with Jack?
HARRY ELLIS: To be able to sit one‑on‑one with him and listen for how he played the course and how he sees the course‑‑ now the course has changed. The footprint of the course is still here, but obviously it's lengthened over time, etcetera, but the same principles apply. And the principles he told me today I sort of, I didn't do, which was probably part of the problem. But I think going forward there's a lot of things that my experience is going to come back even tomorrow now, it's just making sure and executing those things that he mentioned to me, but also my own game as well. So when you have got a man who's won 18 Majors and you're allowed to sit opposite to him and listen to him talk, it's pretty inspiring and I was very grateful to be able to do it.

Q. Who was the person that got you through the tough times the most a few years ago? Was it a friend or a coach? In college, was it someone back home?
HARRY ELLIS: Oh, it's a difficult one. I would almost say I started the process in terms of healing, in terms of going and getting help ‑‑ and I'm not going to mention the lady's name ‑‑ but when I went to go and get counselling, she had a lot of responsibility for it. I've got a phenomenal support network around me, fortunately I've always been seemed to be well liked and people have always tried to do the best for me and when you have that network around you, those people around you, even going from my head coach at Florida State, my own personal coach, my team, my family, you go right through, when you look at the people that I got around me, I'm pretty lucky. And I think that making sure that I did the right steps and build, put the blocks in place from the very beginning of coming back as such was, is the reason why I've been able to succeed.

Q. Was that Coach Taggart following you today?
HARRY ELLIS: Yes, it was. I had the president of the university, Coach Taggart, and Stan Wilcox, our AD, and a couple others, so, yeah, pretty honored to have them walk along.

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