MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 8, 2021

Brooks Koepka

Quick Quotes

Q. Can you give us an update after playing one round on that leg, how it felt, how things went?

BROOKS KOEPKA: It was fine. I just didn't play good. Didn't hit -- birdie 13 to shoot even par on a tough day, you feel all right, but just a bad swing there, and then it's blowing. You can get caught with -- it can go from blowing 15 to 0 pretty quick out here, and I just got caught in some of the middle of those, and yeah, it can get pretty dicey out here if you put it in the wrong spot, the way these greens are.

Q. On 12 you looked up at the trees after you hit your shot. Is that a case where the wind got you on 12?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I could have used that wind dying two years ago. That would have been nice. (Laughter.)

Q. What did it take for you to get ready today?

BROOKS KOEPKA: We were up at like 6:00 this morning. Just keep going and working on it, and just taking care, same stuff we've been doing the last couple days or the last couple weeks I guess you could say. But yeah, it's fine. Feels all right.

Q. A lot of comments about how firm the greens are. Have you ever seen them this firm in the times you've played?

BROOKS KOEPKA: I haven't. Maybe late Sunday afternoon you see them this firm, but I've never seen them on a Monday that firm. Monday it kind of looked like what it does normally what it does on a Saturday, late Saturday afternoon, Sunday. But definitely not -- there's not much grass on a couple of those greens. On the back of 6 there's no grass, and 9, I don't know if there is grass.

Q. Have they let it go a little too far or is it because they think we might get some rain?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I think rain will definitely help. I mean, I don't think grass is going to grow on 9 just overnight, but it's -- the thing is, it's tough because you're hitting it right of that flag and then the way the wind direction is, too, you're kind of putting downwind so it makes it kind of tough. If you're not on that right shelf, I two-putted it, but it can get away from you pretty quick, especially if you put it just above the hole in some of these spots, and you can struggle.

Q. I know you're not looking to make excuses, but just curious did that leg have any effect on what you did today?

BROOKS KOEPKA: No, I just didn't swing it great. It's tired right now, I'm not going to lie. But just got to play better.

Q. When you talk about you were worried about it swelling up, did it swell up today?

BROOKS KOEPKA: No, not as far as I can tell.

Q. Is there any chance of doing further damage to it by playing this week?

BROOKS KOEPKA: No, I can't hurt it. I can't hurt it. What Doc did in the operation, he wouldn't have cleared me. Heather wouldn't have cleared me. Mark wouldn't have let me go. So I've got three people saying you can't hurt it any more. The problem is it's just all the neurological stuff from your brain to there, firing different muscles. After surgery it takes some time, and it's just -- the legs are just not strong enough.

Q. You've obviously been playing really nicely here, winning, high finish in Bradenton. What's the frustration level of having this come up at this point, knowing that your game is so good?

BROOKS KOEPKA: I don't know, I just take it one day at a time. There's nothing I can do. It was a freak accident, and just kind of move on and take it day by day. It's not getting any worse, it's only getting better each day with everything we do. It feels a hell of a lot better than it did a week ago, put it that way.