MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 9, 2021

Victor Perez

Quick Quotes

Q. I just had a question for you about players putting back to back really low rounds together. Obviously, Justin Rose comes out yesterday and shoots 65, struggled a little bit early today. What's the psychological dynamic of trying to put -- why is it so difficult? Traditionally, not just here, it's very hard for -- guys rarely go super low two days in a row, so to speak.

VICTOR PEREZ: Yeah, I think it's difficult from the matter that you're playing really well, and I think to a degree you don't really know why you're playing so well when you're playing well. I think he was 2 over through seven and shot 9 under in his last 11. Based on the conditions, I don't think anybody would have put five bucks on it for him to shoot 9 under par in the last 11 holes.

So there's an element to, just as much sometimes you struggle and you don't really know why you're playing so bad, sometimes you don't know why you're playing good either. There's an element of realization when you come the next day and things aren't necessarily clicking, maybe your awareness is a little bit off than it was the day before. It definitely is complicated.

I think there's an element of expectation as well that's being brought up. You've had a great round. Now you're coming up. Don't you expect it to be the same, but you surely want to play as well. I get it, it's difficult, and it has been something difficult for everyone.

Q. As your round was unfolding today, obviously, you see the scoreboards and you see him kind of coming back to the pack. Is that something -- I don't mean disrespectfully, but maybe you don't expect anybody to just run away with a major championship, certainly here in these conditions. Is that something that you didn't feel you were out of it by any stretch just because he's 7 under after the first round?

VICTOR PEREZ: No, for sure. The tournament wasn't completed yesterday. There's just so much golf yet. Nobody's really out of it, and nobody's really so much safer than they might think they are. The course put such a test that you need to be on for the majority of the tournament.

You can have -- obviously, there's going to be a stretch of holes where you might not be as comfortable and you might have to grind out maybe an even par through five, six, seven holes that are going to be difficult. But, yeah, I think he definitely could have run away. It seems like he's got it back to 7. But based on the conditions, I don't know what the weather is supposed to be like this afternoon. I think they predicted some rain, so it might make the course a little bit softer and allow some guys to come back on him.