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BETFRED BRITISH MASTERS

May 11, 2019

Matt Wallace

Hillside, Southport, England

Q. 2-under, what are your thoughts on that round today?
MATT WALLACE: Good, yeah. Happy. Would have liked to have holed that one on the last there. I can't complain. I was probably going to make a bogey sooner or later, but I'll take doing it for halfway around the tournament. To have no bogeys was really cool.

All good for tomorrow.

Q. Different wind today. How much was that a factor?
MATT WALLACE: Massively. Total different game plan. Different shots. That 13th hole, the one after I bogeyed was just completely different. It's a tough hole when the wind is like that. I think this is the prevailing, so we'll see what it's like for tomorrow.

Q. You got off to a sensational start. Can't birdie every single hole that's out there, so how much was patience a factor?
MATT WALLACE: Massively, and especially when you're ahead. You know, I was trying to take a little note out of Tiger's book, and try and let them try and catch you, but I just hit -- I probably hit two bad shots today, and that's it and that's what happens in golf. I'm pretty happy with how I handled myself out there today.

Q. Looking forward to tomorrow? What are your thoughts?
MATT WALLACE: Yeah, going for it. Going to play the same game plan. Try to hole some more putts. I've done a lot of work with my putting. I feel like I'm close to holing a lot of putts, so hopefully we can do that tomorrow.

Q. Round of 70 today, you got off to the start you wanted, birdie, birdie. How would you summarise today's play?
MATT WALLACE: Really good. Obviously frustrated with dropping a couple on the 15th hole. But I think I showed a little bit different character there to not let it affect me too much and then step up on the next hole, which is tough. If you miss that green right, you're stuffed, and I put it to a good length and played the last three holes really nicely.

So would have been nice to have holed that putt on the last, but I mean, I would have taken 2-under at the start of the day, seeing how windy it was.

We are in great shape. It's not about winning it on Saturday. It's about putting yourself in good position, so looking forward to tomorrow now.

Q. A little elephant in the room. Obviously you weren't dropping a shot all week. DJ's record, 45 holes and you beat him by two holes today. Fist-pump on 6. How much was that in your mind?
MATT WALLACE: Huge. I didn't want to make any bogeys. I just wanted to keep -- well, no bogeys. Pars and birdies, that's all I wanted to do. That was nice momentum, because I hit a bad shot, you know, and in golf, you've got to get over the bad shots and try to make the most of what you can.

So I chipped it out and put it to about 15 feet and made it. So I knew there was some birdie chances coming up.

Q. Can you talk us through the tee shot on 12? Camera angle was a bit funny from where we see it on the TV, so hard to tell how much that tree is coming down.
MATT WALLACE: If you had the chat I would have had with Dave, I was like: I have to hit this relatively low because that tree is coming in the way and I kind of hit like a push draw rather than a straight shot. Because the wind is out of the right, I had to take it out of the right-hand side to keep it in the fairway. Felt comfortable. Felt like I hit the shot and I just hit a push-fade and hit straight into a tree.

I was going to make a bogey at some point. I just tried to make sure I didn't make a double and I managed to do that a couple holes later.

Q. Sellout crowds at the British Masters, sunshine, what's the game plan tomorrow? Is it just to keep your head down or are you going to keep an eye on what the players are going to do around you?
MATT WALLACE: Try and entertain the crowds. They have been amazing. Today was incredible walking down 16, 17, 18. It's like a mini-major, mini-Open. It's brilliant. Credit to them for coming out. They came out Thursday and Friday when it wasn't so nice, and tomorrow is supposed to be good. So let's try and entertain the crowd tomorrow and try and get the win.

Q. Two days that have been relatively stress-free. That was a battle. You must be pleased.
MATT WALLACE: It was hard out there. I don't think anyone would have found it easy out there today. I did really well for 11 holes, and the 12th hole was a bad swing and we're going to make it, just unfortunate there's a tree there. Made bogey there. Get that out of the way.

And then a little bit annoyed with how I played 15, really. I hit a bad second shot and there's no sand in the bunker and I would have chipped it but I putted it, whisked out a little bit.

Really, really happy with how I bounced back from that. Hit a great shot on 16. Just bubbled off line and then great tee shot and second shot into 17, good chip-and-putt and then played 18 really nicely.

I think that's a different side that I'm showing at the moment, and I'm really happy about that.

Q. Give us an insight of the mental approach. I think you mentioned a few moments ago that you had sort of Tiger Woods in your mind?
MATT WALLACE: Yeah, just trying not to give back any shots. When you get a lead, let them try and catch you, because I know how hard it is to try and make birdies. I've done it before, and it's very difficult to do, you know. It's like one in a thousand chance that it can happen when you make eight or nine birdies or so.

So when I pulled lead, I think I got to 11th hole and saw Marcus was one or two behind and no one was that close at all. Did he make eagle on 11? He made eagle on 11. By when I made birdie there, I was like, have the lead again and let's not give it back but did. It was tough out there. You know what, 2-under, at the start of the day is very good. It would have been a little bit better if it would have been more but I'm very happy with it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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