LPGA DRIVE ON CHAMPIONSHIP

February 3, 2022

Caroline Masson

Crown Colony Golf & Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Here with Caroline Masson. Caroline, just take me through what it first day was like for you at Crown Colony.

CAROLINE MASSON: Yeah, definitely a good day overall. Fun round. I, you know, got off to a solid start just making a few pars. Only had one bogey today with one bad shot. I actually made a pretty good bogey save, I would say.

And then other than that, I had a lot of birdie chances. Made some good ones; missed a couple. But just really happy about a solid day.

Q. You talk about that bogey on No. 6. What happened there, because after that you just went on a roll for the rest of the round.

CAROLINE MASSON: Yeah, my tee shot wasn't great and I had a pretty long way in, and sometimes the wind picks up a little bit, and I just carried it right in the water. Like I said, actually pretty good up and down from there for bogey.

So, you know, it happens on a golf course like this. I think it was pretty gusty at times. If you don't catch it perfectly and the wind takes it, it can go way off. That's what happened.

It was good to come back with a birdie after that. Always a good feeling. Yeah, overall pretty solid other than that shot.

Q. We've seen brilliance out of you in spurts. When do we think we're going to put it all together and are you close?

CAROLINE MASSON: Well, I've made a lot of changes this off-season, and, you know, didn't have a ton of time to do it. To be honest with you, it's really hard to say.

I think that I'm on a really good track. I feel like I'm improving my golf swing. Wasn't super happy with the way I hit it in the last two years, to be honest with you. I had some good weeks where it kind of worked out, but overall the quality was just not what I was hoping for.

So made some for me pretty drastic changes, I think. It's all about getting comfortable out there. That's why a 5-under round in this wind I think is a really cool accomplishment for me right now with where I'm at, just putting new stuff into play and trusting it.

I did that out there, and so it's more about like the progress and getting better. I think I'm working on the right things, and eventually I hope that it can be more consistently solid.

Q. Without getting a dissertation, what are you working on that you can explain to folks?

CAROLINE MASSON: Pretty easy. My path in my golf swing was just always left, which kind of led a pull which led to me just not aiming very well. I mean, pretty far right. I felt like there was a little bit of luck involved, how it turned you out and just I didn't really hit it that solid, so we just totally changed the path of the golf swing, which is a pretty drastic change.

Feels like a different golf swing, which it's fun to work on it. I enjoy that kind of stuff. I enjoy putting in the work and seeing improvement. At the same time, I have to realize that out here not every shot is going to be perfect and there will be some bad ones.

Overall the improvements that I'm seeing just with like ball start a little bit more out to the right, makes that window a little bit better that the ball comes out. So far so good.

Q. There are different ways you can do that. You can lay it off or you can bring the plane a little more inside.

CAROLINE MASSON: Yeah.

Q. How are you doing it?

CAROLINE MASSON: Yeah, it's more about actually letting that club drop a little bit.

Q. Uh-huh.

CAROLINE MASSON: I think I always have the urge to kind of hit it from the top, and that obviously brings it a little bit outside and steep.

And, you know, just to have that patience in my golf swing and feel a little bit loopy almost and have that relaxed muscle tone to really be able to do that, so that's I think why it feels so different.

It's almost like I cannot hit the ball when I always wanted to hit it from the top. It's different, but it's fun.

Q. We've talked several times. Everybody has been off balance the last couple years with COVID and can't go. You more than most. I mean, you've had a wedding you had to put off and you don't know what's going on. How now are you adjusting to things getting somewhat back to normal?

CAROLINE MASSON: Yeah, it's nice to see things go back to somewhat normal. I think like I've said before, the lifestyle on tour has obviously changed with COVID, and I think myself and probably some other players have struggled with it.

It's nice to be able to do those things that we enjoy being out here, connecting with people that you know, going out to dinners, having a little bit of a social life as well.

I think that's really important, and it's nice to see it go back to normal. I think it just makes the whole mood a little bit better.

Q. How important is it to get off to a start like this in a 54-hole event?

CAROLINE MASSON: Oh, huge, yeah, for sure. Every time we play three rounds you just have to go for it, play aggressive from the start. It wasn't really on my mind to do that, to be honest with you. I'm so kind of into my process I think that I didn't really think about score and what it would take to be up there maybe on Sunday, or Saturday.

So I really haven't thought about it. But now that you ask the question, yes, it always helps. It frees you up a little bit. It'll be nice going out tomorrow afternoon with a good first round and just trying to go forward.