MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 9, 2021

Brian Harman

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, it's our pleasure to welcome Brian Harman to the interview room this afternoon. Thank you for your time.

BRIAN HARMAN: Yeah, no doubt.

THE MODERATOR: In the second round of your third Masters, you shot a 3-under 69 to go to 6-under for the tournament. You got off to a pretty good start with birdies at 2, 7, 13, 17 and 18. Talk to us a little about after the round yesterday, kind of momentum that you felt and the start that you got off to.

BRIAN HARMAN: Yeah, you know, three weeks ago, I didn't expect to be playing in the Masters. So after a couple good days to be in contention is just icing on the cake for me. It's great. I'm going to try to put two more good ones together and see what happens.

I had some nerves this morning for sure. Whenever you look up on the leaderboard and you see your name up there pretty high at Augusta, it's hard not to get nervous. I was nervous. But it was nice to settle down with a good birdie on 2, and I struck it well all day today.

THE MODERATOR: With three birdies from 13 on, did you feel you were hitting the ball better? Talk to us about the closing.

BRIAN HARMAN: Yeah, really drove it well all day. Made a little bit of mistake that a lot of guys make on 11, hit it right, but played 13 and really played 15 pretty well. Just kind of got a little excited on my second shot. But hit four really good shots on 17 and 18 to get two looks at birdie.

Q. As it relates to the position of the tournament, when you left the course yesterday at 3-under, which is a great score, what were you thinking when you saw Justin at 65, and was there any relief when you got here today and he wasn't 14-under?

BRIAN HARMAN: Yeah, you know, it's one of those deals that if Justin gets playing great, it's a possibility. I knew going to bed last night I could wake up and he could be setting it on fire again.

This place has a way of keeping you kind of from getting going too good, and just every hole has got something that you've got to pay attention to. I'm not worried about what Justin is doing. I was more concerned about just trying to get that first tee ball in the fairway and going from there.

Q. In the fairway?

BRIAN HARMAN: Not hitting the bunker.

Q. Two birdies on 17 and 8?

BRIAN HARMAN: Yeah, 17 was playing down, it was more out of the south and southwest like it was yesterday. I had a little further in. I had 178 yards to that tucked right flag. I hit a really nice 7-iron to the fat part of the green and hit a really good putt that probably would have gone further by than I was comfortable with. So I'm glad that one went in.

18, hit two really, really good shots, driver, 9-iron up there right behind the hole and made a nice putt.

Q. Considering you didn't know you'd be in the tournament a few weeks ago, how do you navigate the emotions of playing with house money to now having a chance to win?

BRIAN HARMAN: You know, you just can't think about it that way. I'm going to go home and play with my kids and try to get a good night's rest and show up tomorrow and do the same thing I've been doing over last couple months. I've been playing some really good golf, and a lot of that has to do with what I've been working on and been working hard on my short game and my putter is starting to come around again. Start of the year, I knew I was playing well and wasn't having any good finishes. I'm glad I'm up there in some bigger tournaments because I feel like this is how my game has been trending. See how the weekend goes, but I'm excited.

Q. Could you describe your relationship to the Masters as a kid growing up in the South and what's the reason for the surge in good play?

BRIAN HARMAN: First of all, I'm a golf fan, and I love watching golf, and all the majors have something special. Growing up in Georgia and obviously getting to play this place as a kid was always something in the back of my mind. You always want to do well at Augusta. You know, everyone that I know, all my friends and family are all reaching out to me.

But you have to realize that it's one golf tournament amongst many more that I'm going to play, and that's about the only way that I can probably calm down and play well this weekend.

Q. What's been the biggest spark of late in your game? What really gets you going?

BRIAN HARMAN: I think I've just been spending a little bit more time with my short game. I knew that I was making birdies and started putting better, but I still had a couple just boneheaded bogeys, and most of them were missed easy up-and-downs or a wedge shot, missing the green. Just stuff inside where I can't really afford to be average.

Q. I'm guessing this is your first time in the big press room, being a big Masters fan.

BRIAN HARMAN: Yeah, well built.

Q. Being a Masters fan you must have seen a lot of these growing up. Was there a golfer you looked up to or inspired you, and how much confidence does this give you to be in this spot you are right now and playing so well going into the weekend?

BRIAN HARMAN: Well, it's kind of a throwback. A guy I looked up to and playing a bunch with was Anthony Kim. I remember he came around Augusta, and he made like 10 or 11 birdies one day out here. I used to always love the way that he played the game. He's bold and took on -- took chances. I'm not as good as he was, but I'd like to think that I try to harness some of that energy sometimes.

Q. Curious if you have a favorite Masters or Augusta National memory before you actually played in it?

BRIAN HARMAN: I think watching Phil win his first one is probably my fondest memory being a left-handed guy and watch him get that monkey off his back so to speak. I watched him play every hole that day. They had it on TV all day long, and I remember watching every shot. And he played beautifully, and he just gives himself a chance on the last hole, wins, and almost jumped in there after he made that putt.

Q. Was it two different golf courses today and yesterday?

BRIAN HARMAN: No, the wind was forecast to be a little bit worse than it was yesterday, and it was forecast to be a little bit less than it was yesterday. I think the wind kind of caught us off guard yesterday. I think everyone knew from the start of the week the greens are going to be a handful, and they are, they are really hard.

If you miss it in the wrong spot on the pins, it's hard to get up-and-down. You have to really think your way around. They had it set up -- I thought they had it set up beautifully today. It was very fair. If you hit good shots, you get it close; and if you didn't, you didn't.

Q. This is a tournament you think about months and months, but when you get in late like you did, is it a mental relief? You're not thinking about it for months or months?

BRIAN HARMAN: Yeah, you can certainly make that point. I know especially my first Masters, I was extremely nervous and I thought about it a lot and I was changing drivers and trying to figure out a way to hit it a little bit further. And I definitely feel more comfortable now, you know, knowing that my game plays around here okay.

Q. College coach Chris Haack told me you're as tough as anybody he's met, especially because you hunt deer and boar with a bow. How would you describe yourself?

BRIAN HARMAN: I love the outdoors, and I love to fish and hunt. Got into bow hunting pretty heavy the last several years, and I feel like making a bow shot on an elk or a deer or something, I feel like I use my golf to train my nerves for that.

I had a buddy that made a bad shot on an elk a year or so ago, and he's like 'Man, how do you....'

I said, 'Well, I've been training my nerves since I was 11.' I don't know if I get quite as shaky shooting an elk as I do trying to make a 10-footer.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much for your time and best of luck this weekend.