MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 9, 2021

Marc Leishman

Quick Quotes

Q. Three straight birdies to start the round. How important was that for you to get some momentum?

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, I think it was really important, particularly after my finish yesterday. I got off to a good start yesterday and kind of stumbled home, given the tough conditions. It was obviously disappointing to finish the way I did yesterday, but walking off with easy par, I was pretty happy with. Mixed emotions, but to get off to that start today, get myself a little closer to the lead early on, and then kind of knew you'd have to get the scoring done early.

I knew the greens would firm up, or I thought the greens would firm up, and they did. So, yeah, I was happy with the start and was able to continue it today.

Q. How would you compare the conditions from yesterday to today?

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, fairly different. The wind wasn't up quite as much. Greens not quite as firm or fast, but they were very firm and very fast yesterday. I think they did a really good job putting the right amount of water on it, not -- it wasn't soft by any means. My tee time is three hours earlier than yesterday too. So that 14th, 15th, 16th greens, they're all really, really firm.

I think, yeah, I think I did a good job with how much water they put on.

Q. How much are you paying attention to the board, even though it's just Friday, when you're seeing Justin come back to the pack a little bit as you're getting hot? Just kind of seeing that as opportunity? Obviously, it's still early in the tournament, but what was going through your mind when you kind of saw that?

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, it's probably too early to look at it as opportunity. I'm a leaderboard watcher. I like to know where I am. Even on Thursday, I'm always watching to see what the leaders are doing. Not sure, I guess some guys do it, some don't.

As I showed yesterday, so much can happen around here that, no matter where you are on the leaderboard, as long as you're somewhere near the top, anything can happen, whether you're leading or five back. You go to that back nine, and it's game on.

Q. Justin comes out with a 65 yesterday, and it looks like he's around even par today. What's the dynamic, why it's so difficult to put two super low rounds together? Not just here, but anywhere. It seems difficult, when you have a crazy good day one day, to back it up the next day. What goes into that psychologically?

MARC LEISHMAN: I think on difficult golf courses like this, when it's firm, you can over attack, I'll say, go a bit too hard, and then put yourself in some really bad spots. This place, I've done it around here, attacked a bit too hard. If you get off to a good start -- I think in 2014 I got off to a really good start on Friday and ended up missing the cut.

So I think it's finding that mix of aggressive but not reckless -- not saying he was reckless at all. I didn't see any of his shots. It's just hard to play good two days in a row, particularly with how precise you have to be around here. A foot here or there can mean the difference between 30 foot on the green or whatever.

Q. Marc, you've admitted that you're a bit flat at times over the last year. Clearly this place is bringing out the juice, right? How excited are you for the weekend and the opportunity it gives you?

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, I couldn't be more excited. This is why I came here. This is the position I wanted to be in. My game's finally feeling good. It's the Masters, so yeah, I'm excited for the next two days, but there's a lot of good shots that have to be hit and a lot of good putts made to give myself a chance going into the back nine on Sunday.

So hopefully, I can have a good day tomorrow and put myself in that position.

Q. Marc, you put yourself in this position through two rounds before at this tournament. What did you learn over the weekend in those situations that you think might help you this time around?

MARC LEISHMAN: I learned that the course can change overnight either way, from hard to soft, soft to hard. So doing that work on the practice -- particularly practice putting green tomorrow morning is going to be important, whether we have rain or not, getting the speed of the greens. I remember in 2018 I was either leading or one back going into Saturday, and I didn't adjust to the speed of the greens, and I barely made a birdie all day. Hit it as good as I probably ever hit it around here and couldn't make a putt.

So I think I've learned that you have to take each day as it comes, and because the course can change. So that's what probably is the main thing.

Q. Do you feel like going into the weekend it's going to take two low rounds to win?

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, for sure. I mean, there's so many good players. Geez, I mean, if you're even par a chance, more than that probably. Anyone who makes the cut has a chance if they have two good rounds. Yeah, you're going to have to have two low ones and hope no one goes silly.

Q. Marc, in your mind, how large does the 12th hole loom on the weekend and getting through that without trouble?

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, it's a great hole. We've played it the last two days with minimal wind, and it's pretty benign when it's like that. You get a bit of wind, and it's a tough hole. Again, you have to be so precise. That green's not very deep, and the wind can swirl, and there's not many great places to miss it round there.

Yeah, you think about it, but you don't really think about it until you walk off that 11th green, I think.

Q. Marc, a second round 5-under 67 has you 5-under for the tournament. You must be absolutely rapt with today's play.

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, really happy. Got off to a good start today and kept it going today. It was a disappointing finish yesterday, but still a good score on a tough day and really happy to be able to shoot 5 under today.

Q. You birdied those first three holes. Talk us through that birdie blitz to start the day.

MARC LEISHMAN: I hit a good tee shot on 1, which is key. Then that area where that pin is on 1 there is very small. So hit a really good 9 iron in there, made the putt. Birdied the par 5 2nd, got up from the greenside bunker. And hit an aggressive tee shot in 3 to get down in front of the green. It was about a 60-yard pitch and pitched it up to about two feet. So it was a good way to start the day.

Q. You handled the back end of Amen Corner brilliantly as well with birdies at 12 and 13.

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, it was good to get through there, particularly birdieing 13, I think. I bogeyed 11, bounced back on 12, and then to follow it up with another birdie on 13, I didn't birdie it yesterday and kind of felt like I lost a shot there. So to do it today, I was pretty happy with that.

Q. A few players are struggling yesterday and today, but how much did you get to enjoy today playing out there?

MARC LEISHMAN: I think you enjoy every day out here to be honest. I think you have to. It's very tough, but you have to enjoy the challenge. I certainly enjoyed it today, made a few good putts. I had a good round.

Q. This is your ninth Masters. You said that experience counts for plenty. How excited are you to get to the weekend, get on to the weekend and play well?

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, I'm just happy to have a chance and be near the lead going into the weekend. You don't really want to be nine or ten back going in and have too much work to do, particularly when the greens are the way they are. But, yeah, happy to be thereabouts.

Q. Your 9-year-old son Harvey was watching you yesterday. Was he out in the gallery today? Was he giving you a few fist bumps, any tips?

MARC LEISHMAN: No, he wasn't out there today. He's probably going to be out on the weekend, I would say.