MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 7, 2022

Larry Mize

Quick Quotes

Q. What happened on 18?

LARRY MIZE: Larry Mize. Yeah, I made a nice save on 17, and the wind was gusting on 18 and I just didn't quite hit the putt hard enough. You know, there were definitely some positives out there. Disappointing, I hit some poor shots on 4 and 5 that made bogeys there, then 11 is just a hard hole for me. Then bogey on 14 was tough. I made a few bogeys that I really didn't need to make, and I've just got to make some more birdies.

I just birdied 13, gave myself a good birdie putt on 8, good birdie putt on 15. Hit a really good putt on 15, just didn't make it. But just got to get some more birdies.

Q. That up-and-down for birdie on 13, just talk about that.

LARRY MIZE: Yeah, I kind of laid it up a little farther right than I thought. I don't know if there was mud on the ball or what, it just never came back. Hit a really good pitching wedge in there. Gave myself a relatively simple putt for birdie.

I was glad to make birdie there because I'm going to make some bogeys, unfortunately. So I've got to make some birdies.

Q. How hard was the course today with the wind?

LARRY MIZE: It was nice to be out early because once the wind picked up right around -- I guess it started blowing on 11, 12. So the front nine was really nice to have nice conditions, pretty benign conditions on the front. Then it picked up on the back and got gusting a little bit. Makes it play tough.

If it keeps up like this, it will be a tough afternoon.

Q. It seems like recently the last three years there's been a lot of first-time players play well here. You were one of the few first-time players to break par in all four rounds before. What do you think the reason is -- what you did was rare. Back then it didn't happen a lot. Now it's, I think, three in 2020, three in 2019. Both runner-ups the last two years have been first-time players. Why?

LARRY MIZE: Well, first-time players are good, obviously that's the number one thing. That's a good question. I don't know whether it's -- you know, the Masters has televised all 18 holes. I don't know if that's got anything to do with it when they can see the entire golf course where years ago you only got to see the back nine. So maybe that helps them a little bit.

Obviously, the length some of these kids hit it obviously is a big asset around here, when you're hitting the short irons into these greens. Because that's the whole thing about this golf course is put the ball in the right spots on the greens.

Other than that, I'm not sure. Take your hat off to them. It's fun to see guys come here and play well. There's always surprises, which is fun.

Q. How many times did you play here before '84?

LARRY MIZE: Twice. I did get on when they were changing the greens in '80 or '81, but it was like 8, temporary greens, 10 was down just below the bunker. So I really didn't see much, it wasn't the same. But after I got in, I came over in March of '84 and played a practice round. That was really the first time I got to see the course playing it.

Q. Do you think that has anything to do with it? There's a lot, especially the college guys, come here once a year, twice a year, get the nerves out of the way.

LARRY MIZE: That's a very good point because a lot of the guys, I know Georgia, Georgia Tech bring the kids over here to play it and guys coming in early to play it. That could definitely play a role. That's a good point. You don't need to ask me. You've got all the answers.

Q. I need to hear it from you.

LARRY MIZE: I'm agreeing with you.

Q. Any thoughts on No. 11 this year?

LARRY MIZE: It's a bear, and it didn't need to come up and start blowing in my face when I played there because it's hard enough. Then it's playing -- well, when I played there, it was pretty much into us, a little out to the right, mostly into us. Really hard hole, but they did a great job with it.

You miss it to the right, you can still get it up and down, it's just a harder up and down now. So I think it looks really good.