MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 11, 2021

Tony Finau

Quick Quotes

Q. Give us a summation of the week, the good, the bad, the ugly.

TONY FINAU: It was a grind out there today for sure. It was one of the better 72s I can remember. Any 50/50 drives I had, I ended up in a bad position where I either had to pitch out or had a really tough shot into the green. I was getting up-and-down from everywhere. I probably should have shot 76 today, but I turned that into a 72, so at the moment I'm actually quite happy with the way I finished on a day like today. Just didn't have my best stuff on the weekend.

To grind out it looks like what's going to be a top 10, I'll take it.

Q. Another week where you find yourself on the leaderboard at a big tournament like this. Can you take some positives out of this?

TONY FINAU: Yeah, no question. Again. I struggled the last couple days just off the tee. I've become an elite driver of the golf ball, and that wasn't the case these last two days. It was the case on Friday, and that was about it. It was the only time my driver decided to show up. I can definitely take some positives from this week in that I didn't have my best stuff, and a lot of times my putter is the one that lets me down, and that wasn't the case this week. For sure short game stuff was there, and again, after the way I hit it off the tee today, I was actually quite happy with just shooting 72 today.

Q. You've been close in so many majors; what do you need to do to break through?

TONY FINAU: Yeah, I hope I just need to continue to be patient. I just keep -- I think a lot of these tournaments just keep reminding myself how good I am in these moments and that I think I have what it takes. I have to keep believing. There's no quit in me, and that's just how I am. I'll keep trying to persevere and just get after the next one.

Q. Do you think distance makes a difference here? What is the key here?

TONY FINAU: This week was about accuracy. The way the golf course played this week, firm and fast, so it didn't -- I don't think distance was as big a key as it would be maybe if Augusta played a little softer.

Distance is always a big advance, but it was about hitting it straight this week. I wasn't able to do that three out of the four days, so I grinded out I feel like as good a score as I could with the way I drove it. But the guys that are at the top of the leaderboard right now are hitting it in the fairway, so they're finding themselves making some more birdies.

Q. I asked you about the good, the bad and the ugly. You had a fun moment yesterday during the delay. Do you want to share that story? Was it a phone conversation or a FaceTime conversation?

TONY FINAU: Yeah, it's pretty cool. I had a special moment yesterday with Tom Brady on FaceTime. That was quite cool. I have great memories here. Every time I come back to Augusta National, I have great memories. I have great vibes, no matter how I'm playing, what my form is coming into this week. I think I have the same sentiment as a lot of guys. I heard Jordan Spieth say it earlier this week, I feel the same way. When I come down Magnolia Lane, it doesn't matter what the state of my game is. This golf course seems to bring the best out of me, and major championships seems to be my sweet spot. I hope to continue that type of play here.

Q. On a separate subject, we're doing a story on caddie-player relationships. Does the division of work change here because it's Augusta? Do you ask your caddie to be different, more here as opposed to every other week on Tour?

TONY FINAU: You know, I don't ask more from him here. I think we spend a little more time preparing before the round. I'm usually about an hour -- 45 minutes to an hour guy before getting on the range and things. This week I've gotten here two hours before my tee time to go over the course. Just more in detail, where the pins are, where we can hit it, where we can't hit it. I ask him maybe I think for more of his time before I play but not more work. It's a golf course that I continue to learn about, but I feel like I've got a pretty decent beat on it having played it in different conditions, so hopefully one that I continue to learn.