MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 7, 2022

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Quick Quotes

Q. Matt, how did you assess that round?

MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: Good. Happy with the start. Didn't play my way out of contention for a change, which is nice in a major, but, yeah, just played solid today. Being honest, probably deserved a little bit more. Didn't really -- longest putt hole was on the last there, and outside of that was three-foot. It was a good day, and just hopefully make a few more tomorrow.

Q. -- obviously, the birdie on 18 because that hole is playing incredibly tough today.

MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: Yeah, I hit a great drive, and kind of a perfect number really . It was like a smooth 6-iron, and so it never felt like it could go long. I always felt like I could get back on top, so, yeah, it was perfect.

Then I felt like I have had that putt a few times for some reason, and I know it's quite quick and moves a lot more than it looks. Obviously, a bit harder given it was almost pitch black as well. Yeah, it was nice to end on a high.

Q. I know you enjoy this place a lot, but maybe you put a little bit too much pressure on yourself. Is there anything you are doing different this week to take the pressure off?

MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: Just trying not to care. Just trying not to care is always easier said than done, but I feel like I've played well all season so far, and to me it's more just building on that. Just keep doing what I have been doing. No need to change anything. Stay patient and the good shots will be there and, yeah, just keep grinding it out really.

It is incredibly hard to sort of try to say it doesn't mean as much because it does, but so far -- I wouldn't say it's working. We're only one round in, but it's just trying to stay relaxed as much as possible. You have a bad hole; you have a bad hole. It is what it is.

Q. What do you feel like has been the key to consistent play this year?

MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: My irons have been much better. You have to look statistically. My irons have been considerably better this year than last year. Much less mistakes.

I think the big thing that I would say is I've kind of played rounds so far this year and getting to 13, 14, 15, and I've not got a bogey on the card. And I've had a lot of rounds like that already this year, and the big thing has been making less drop shots. At the minute, being honest, I'm not playing as well as I know I can, so hopefully one of these weeks it clicks, and all comes together.

Q. Wind was difficult today. Swirling around in the trees. Tomorrow expected high winds and colder temperatures. How do you kind of mentally prepare for a tougher day tomorrow?

MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: I think I've played here enough times now to know kind of what is a good score, what's a poor score, and particularly when it blows, you have to dig in. Every hole is hard. You've got to manage your expectations. You have to manage the way you're hitting the ball and where you are missing the green. It's just really important to pick the right spots and make sure that you play the safe side of the green. The last thing you need is being short-side around this place. It just makes it way more difficult.