MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 5, 2021

Matt Jones

Quick Quotes

Q. What's it like to be out there?

MATT JONES: It's awesome. Been seven years since I've been here. I came out last week for a couple of practice rounds, which was great, but it's a little different than it was last week already. The surrounds have tightened up a lot, and the green speeds picked up one or two feet easily.

Q. There are five Australians playing this week. Can you talk to us about that?

MATT JONES: Yeah, it's a very good golf course for Australians. The firmness, the fastness, bump and runs into greens. If it plays firm and fast, which it looks like it will, I would suspect Aussies would do well, which they have in the last. Leish has always done well here, Adam won, of course, and Cam finished second last year.

Yeah, it's great, the more the merrier for the Aussies out here. It would be great.

Q. It's been 25 years since '96, the Shark's finish here. What memories do you have of that?

MATT JONES: I vividly remember 15, the chip shot that we all thought was in. The tee shot on 16. But other than that, I mean, I was in Australia, so you know what coverage is like in Australia, so we don't see any of the front nine. So then the back nine, I honestly can't really remember, until 15. That's all.

Q. Obviously, you had a relationship with him from a very young age. Do you remember being shattered or anything like that?

MATT JONES: No, no, of course I was disappointed. From what I hear I think Adam took it worse than others, but I was definitely disappointed, but I was so busy at that time playing so many other different sports that golf wasn't a focus for me. I was busy playing soccer and cricket, and I only decided to take golf full-time when I decided to come to college in America.

Q. Last time you came here was a whirlwind. You win the Sunday before, and you're forced into figuring everything out, and of course your prep wouldn't have been very normal. Do you feel like this gives you a better chance to play your best and contend?

MATT JONES: Yeah, I mean, this is my third practice round now. There's a lot of holes out here that suit my ball flight. It's a golf course that should visually suit my eye. There's a couple that are a little more difficult than others, but yeah, I've got another two rounds I'm going to play with Adam on Wednesday, play nine tomorrow, nine Wednesday, and hopefully be good to go.

Q. How do you assess your goals? You're here to win I'm assuming, but what's a great week for you?

MATT JONES: I don't know, I really -- of course winning is the goal. We know how hard it is to win. I've won twice on TOUR, so to win two in four weeks would be impressive, but it's going to be tough. I'm going to have to play well. You've got to do everything well out here. You can't be off on anything. If I was lucky enough to hit it like I did at the Honda, I'd be a chance.

Q. Do you feel like your game is still in that sweet spot that it was?

MATT JONES: It wasn't on the range this morning, but on the course it was much better. I haven't done a lot since I won actually. I've taken it easy. I came out here for a couple of days. That was the first time I would have touched a club, last week, and then I did a little bit of work at home the last few days.

I'm trying to treat it like I would a regular prep for a tournament. I'm not trying to over-prep because I don't think you can, but you can become too obsessed with trying to do things right out here. So I'm just going to try and play golf and do what I can.

Q. What has Adam imparted on you so far about this place?

MATT JONES: Actually nothing. I mean, I played with him in '14 but I couldn't tell you what we did. I can't remember anything about '14. I'll play with him on Wednesday and ask him some stuff about the back nine and any information he's got on the front nine. I'm sure he's got plenty.

Q. Are you the fastest guy on TOUR?

MATT JONES: Honestly, I wouldn't know. I know I am fast, but there are fast people out there, too. I know that. Sam and Every, they're definitely fast. But I was out there today, and people said, don't take a practice swing. But if anyone watched, I take two or three practice swings every time before I hit a shot. Once I get the feel I want in my body, then I'll step in and make the shot. I'll take multiple practice swings.

Q. The five-stroke lead at the Honda Classic got you your first PGA TOUR title in seven years and $1.6 million in prize money and obviously a place in the Masters field. How does it feel to be back at Augusta?

MATT JONES: It's awesome. Yeah, it's a long time between drinks, but it was worth the wait. I wasn't sure if it would ever happen again. I've won a couple of Australian Opens in between, but winning on the U.S. Tour is always another level, and the competition is always every week, anyone could win. To be able to do it on that golf course and hopefully have a chance out here.

Q. Just the one start back in 2014. What do you remember from that particular week, and can you take anything from that week?

MATT JONES: Honestly I really can't remember that much. I won the week before, flew in that night, had nowhere to stay, stayed on Kevin Stadler's couch. I think he had a house here. Monday was a wash-out, so I didn't get to go out on the golf course, and then I got to see the golf course -- 18 on Tuesday, nine on Wednesday, and then I've got the par-3. It was a blur.

I do remember having a hole-in-one on the par-3, and that was probably one of my fondest memories in golf, having my 2-year-old daughter get the ball out of the hole. That was probably one of the best memories I have in golf.

Q. A course record tying 61 at the Honda on the Thursday, and then you sort of drafted back on the Friday but then you regained your form on the Saturday. How impressed were you by the way in which you regained your composure, especially on the Sunday? You played brilliantly on Sunday.

MATT JONES: Well, that golf course, it would be one of the top five, top three toughest golf courses we play all year. So to follow a 61 up -- following a low round up is always tough. But to do it out there would be very difficult.

But I mean, I got off to a tough start. I had to play the second round starting on the back nine, which is always the tougher nine, but eagled 18 which probably turned my day around, and then I played really solid on Saturday and Sunday.

Q. You won by five strokes, obviously. You said there were some tough times in between your win at the Houston Open in 2014 and of course the win here in 2021. Can you describe how tough those times were?

MATT JONES: It's just tough on the golf course. Kind of losing your status -- I mean, I never really lose status being a past champion, but not having a full card to pick and choose your schedule, not getting to play a lot of golf courses that you love to play, which is a tough part, where you think you can have a really good chance to contend in a lot of tournaments on certain golf courses.

And I had to go back to the Korn Ferry finals, I think -- I don't know, once or twice. I was lucky enough to get the card back through that, but you've still got to play well out of that category to keep your card for the following year.

Q. Your winning assured an Australian has won every year on the PGA TOUR for 33 years now. How does that feel?

MATT JONES: It's great. Hopefully I'm not the last this year, and I'm sure I'm not going to be the last for many years to come. We've got a lot of great Australians coming up. Cam Davis is really going to another level, I think. Cam Smith, of course, and Adam. Jase is turning it around. There will be more wins, and hopefully we continue that streak to 50 or 60.

Q. For those watching at home, just describe how special this place is.

MATT JONES: It is tough to describe. It's amazing how tough of a walk it is. It's very hilly. The greens are very undulating and very fast. But the greenness, the vastness of how much green there is amazing.

When you walk out for the first time -- I remember walking out for the first time in '14 and seeing -- because I'd never seen any of this and I had no idea there was so much green, you could actually see so much of the golf course out there.