MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 8, 2021

Marc Leishman

Quick Quotes

Q. An even par-72 to start your 2021 Masters. How would you describe your first round?

MARC LEISHMAN: It was tough. I mean, got off to a really good start, made some really good putts, and then kinda hung on coming in. It got pretty firm. It was tough. It was tough all day. To get off to the start that I did, I would love to have shot 4-under on the back nine, as well, or the last 10, but to get off to that start -- it wasn't the finish I was after, but also I didn't throw it away, either. To shoot even par on a day like today, I was pretty happy.

Q. You birdied four of the first six holes, made some big putts as you said. Talk us through the one on 4.

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, that was a good one. I actually hit a good shot in there. Wind switched a little bit on us and went over the back of the green. I've got this little 5-iron shot bump that I play all the time actually, and pulled that one out of the bag and pulled that one out of the bag. (Laughter.) That was a nice one. I was just really hoping to get that somewhere within five feet, and to get it in the hole, that was nice.

Q. Were you playing with Matty?

MARC LEISHMAN: Not Harvey. He was right behind me, so I gave him a thumbs up when we were walking up on to the green. Yeah, I knew he'd be pretty pumped so I was pointing at him.

Q. You made an absolute beauty on 6, as well.

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, that's a good one. 6 is a pin you can't really attack, so I hit it right where I wanted to off the tee, and again, just trying to get that putt within sort of -- you're trying to make it, but you just want to leave yourself a tap-in, and went one step better than that.

Q. Tuesday you said experience counts for a lot around Augusta National. How tough is the course playing at the moment?

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, it's tough. The fairways are firm, greens are very firm, very fast. It takes a lot of experience, I think, to know where you've got to miss it if you are out of position. Yeah, played tough. It was really tough.

Q. Would you be surprised if I told you you made the only birdie at 1?

MARC LEISHMAN: Really? I mean, first tee nerves, all that. I don't get nervous very often, but that's probably one of the only shots of the year where I feel a few nerves. Yeah, it's an easy tee shot if you lay back, but that green is --

Q. Did you hit 3-wood?

MARC LEISHMAN: I hit 3-wood. I kind of mis-hit a 3-wood but it went somewhere straight.

Q. Going over is --

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, that's almost a -- you just don't want to go over. I hit a good shot in there. Wind didn't quite the affect the ball like I thought it would. I was hoping to just get it to the middle of the green there, and again, leave myself a 30-footer to try and give myself an easy par on the 1st, and ended up having 10 foot for birdie straight up the hill.

Q. What did you hit in there?

MARC LEISHMAN: I hit a 9-iron in there.

Q. When did Harvey split off?

MARC LEISHMAN: On the 9th.

Q. So it's his fault?

MARC LEISHMAN: You know, he saw the 9th, so I won't it's his fault, but it was tough coming in. You know, I didn't hit my tee shots in position on 9, 10, 11, 13, 14. I mean, I was out of position. So even just to make bogeys on those holes, not that you want to make bogeys, but on a day like today you just don't want to be making anything worse than that because you can start racking them up pretty quickly.

Q. Were you able to keep 14 out of your mind because you had that roller coaster there, as well, and I would have thought keeping your head on would have been a big part of this today.

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, it was. I've missed that exact putt I reckon about four times in my nine years coming here, 10 years coming here. That exact pin placement. It's just hard to read. I actually hit a good putt and it missed.

Q. I mean 2014.

MARC LEISHMAN: Oh, 2014. I thought you went on 14.

Q. Like going up and then coming backwards but not letting it spiral --

MARC LEISHMAN: Oh, no, yeah, I learned a lot from that and tried to throw that in the bin.

Q. So you would have stayed mentally --

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, I mean, I don't know how many I missed the cut by that year, but I did lose my head a bit this year, and I think I only still missed it by a shot or two, so I know that if you just keep your head on for every shot here, there's holes you can birdie and eagle and there's also holes you can rack them up on. But if you hit good shots, it offers birdies even when it is like this.

Q. When it's firm and fast like this, is it reminiscent of Sand Belt Australian golf would you say?

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, it is, especially Royal Melbourne. You have to -- I love actually what Augusta National have done on a couple of holes, like on 3, where they've widened the fairway there. You can get an angle there whether you lay short of the bunker or get over it, they've widened that fairway up to get angles, and it's the same at Royal Melbourne. You have to get the right angle and then you've got to hit a good shot into the right slope with the right shape and spin and all that, then you have to know where all those slopes are. That's why it's gettable, I think, because you can do that and use the slopes on the greens to get at pins that you probably -- if you go straight at you've got no chance. Yeah, it reminds me a lot of the Sand Belt, particularly when the wind is like this.

Q. If it's firm and fast, right?

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, definitely. If it's soft, then that's just Mother Nature, I guess. They can't do a whole lot about it.

Q. Both MacKenzie courses.

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, they're both great golf courses, both in my top two. (Laughter.)