MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 11, 2021

Paul Casey

Quick Quotes

Q. Nice way to finish it off.

PAUL CASEY: Yeah. Frustrating, but there you go. Yeah, played much better today. Still fun being here, isn't it?

Q. You're one of the first few guys coming off that we can get a chance to speak with that has the perspective of playing the whole course. What are the leaders in for this afternoon?

PAUL CASEY: A really -- I think maybe one of the best setups we've seen in years and years, mainly just because Mother Nature has allowed it this week. That's not criticizing any previous years because it's always truly first class around here, as you know. But some classic pins, some feeders. No. 2, No. 14, No. 16, a couple of others, No. 7, you might see some hole-outs, and then some where you just have to stand up and hit fantastic golf shots, none more than maybe down the stretch on holes like No. 17.

So it's got everything today. But the firmness is there in the greens, and the greens are rolling from start to finish, from Thursday through to today, I've never seen these greens roll this well consistently a week. There is no excuse for guys not making putts today. They'll be firm, they'll be fast, but look, it could be everything today, which is what you want.

Q. If you had to guess, what do you think the best score out here would be today?

PAUL CASEY: Look, I've just walked off and I've shot 69, but I'm a guy who started four and a bit hours before the leaders went out, so they're playing much better golf than me. There's no reason why a guy can't -- look, I've been on a tear on a Sunday before. Somebody might throw in a little 67 or better, which would put the cat amongst the pigeons. It's a stacked leaderboard. I'm going to get out of here very quickly and get the popcorn out.

Q. Hideki shot 65 yesterday. Do you think that's out there today?

PAUL CASEY: Yeah, that's certainly possible. The wind is swirling a little bit, and if you get the right places and you get the right yardages, you don't get between clubs -- some of these pins you do -- it's beneficial to have a full shot in so you've got 100 percent of that spin that you can use and get the ball close, and if you get a lot of half shots, it can be difficult.

Hideki, not only is he at the top, he's a classic guy. We've seen it not just here and in his display yesterday, but he's a guy who's played all around the world and can turn in amazing numbers on some of the toughest golf courses in the world. To be honest, there's a lot of guys, but he might be the top of the list. Even Spieth, Spieth has had a habit of going very low here, that could turn a 65 out there without blinking.