MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 8, 2022

Seamus Power

Quick Quotes

Q. I saw a little celebration on the 10th green.

SEAMUS POWER: It was my first birdie. I was delighted. It was tough there today, like my patience on the front were running thin.

I made -- I don't know how many, but I'm making bogeys, and you're like I'm not really sure what just happened there. It's like you think you've hit a good shot, just hits the wrong slope, it comes up four or five yards short, four or five yards long, and you've got four or five feet.

It's tough down around the lower part of the course, like 12 was the perfect example, I heard guys talk about it, how the wind swirls. Patrick Reed in front of me hits an 8-iron. We hit irons similar distance. He hits his 8-iron about 135 yards into the water. It was like, okay, I guess I have to flight it down a little bit. Straight over the pin, carried straight into the back bunker, make a 4.

It's tough going out there. On 11, hit good shots as well, gets a weird gust and pushes it right of the green. All of a sudden you're chipping back towards the water. It's tough going out there.

Especially when I got to plus-6 -- I was delighted to get in at plus-4. Obviously I'm a long ways back, but hopefully, I'd say it looks pretty good to be here for the next couple of days. Overall can't be too upset considering the way I was struggling out there on the front nine.

Q. Was there a change of mindset around the 10th tee?

SEAMUS POWER: I mean, you want to, but then you stand there, and I hit a really good tee shot on 10. 195 to a pin three from the right with wind, 15, 20 mile an hour winds off the right, and I'm not sure. But I hit a really good shot, and the wind didn't move it, and I ended up getting closer, so that was nice.

It's just tough because you want to be, but it's tough. 11 with a good tee shot, and you've got 200 yards into strong winds gusting all over the place. 12, you want to be aggressive, but you have no idea what's going to happen to your ball once it gets out there.

It's just tough going. I tried to stay aggressive on the par-5s. 15, I thought I hit a very good second shot, a perfect example, like into the wind. Wind dies on its way to the green. I was about 40 yards over the green. I can't hit my 3-wood that far even on a calm day. It's one of those days that's just tough.

I hit a good shot on 16. I kind of got the wind right. I hit a couple of good shots on the last two holes. So it was nice.

Q. What did you hit into 16?

SEAMUS POWER: 8-iron.

Q. I saw you getting very frustrated on 8. You teed up and hit that wedge, and you're like that's good, and it ends up 40 feet or whatever.

SEAMUS POWER: It was strange because we didn't think there could be any hurt based on the compass of what we've played. In the air you're watching it kind of getting stood up. All it takes, if it's two yards short but it's on that slope, spins 50 feet, slope up the ridge, leave it short, and hit a pretty good putt again from 70 feet and you get bogey. You're scratching your head and you want to be mad at everything, but it's just tough going out there.

You're trying to hit accurate shots into small areas with winds gusting up near 20 miles an hour. It's just tough. So you're kind of doing your best hanging in there. I was able on the back nine to pick up -- finally made birdie and made three in the end. So hopefully that will just enough.

Q. Of all the 74s you've shot in your life, where would that rank among the good ones?

SEAMUS POWER: Pretty good. The whole back nine, I slightly came out of a tee shot on 13. Besides that, I only missed one shot, and I was lucky to shoot 1-under. That's the test it is out there today. It's just tough. You're trying to do your best to commit to lines, but then the wind does funny stuff.

You see the guy in front of you doing weird, different things. You just do your best and kind of hang in there. But it's up there. There just isn't a lot of margin for error.

Q. Do you feel your birdie is a positive way to kick in tomorrow?

SEAMUS POWER: It is. I feel very comfortable. The tee shots all kind of suit me. It's just I probably need to work on flighting a little bit. A couple times a little lackadaisical, not going to hurt straight across, so just hit it up in the air a normal shot. If it is a tiny bit hurt, it comes way back.

Maybe hit the little flighty ones to take a little degree of guessing out of it, and that will be my key going into tomorrow.

Q. Your birdies have been pretty short putts. Have you been trying to figure out the greens still at this point? Have you made any?

SEAMUS POWER: Yeah, I feel like I have a pretty good handle on them. I didn't have a ton of opportunities today. It's hard to get yourself -- a good look on this golf course is maybe 20, 25 feet from below the hole. Your percentage of making those aren't that high because you don't want to risk hitting in the spot above it where you just don't have a chance at all.

So it's an interesting balance. I haven't hit the par-5s well enough, and that's kind of killing me. I feel like I'm even-par for the eight par-5s. Yeah, I think even-par. I haven't been able to get 2, which is disappointing, and even 8, I've been in that fairway bunker twice.

I think that's where your chances, especially when it's gusting like this. If the wind is as much over the weekend, maybe a few chances here and there.

Q. How much are you are looking forward to getting in the weekend and getting two more practice days?

SEAMUS POWER: Absolutely. Obviously any week you hope to make the cut, but this week it would be even more special. It's just such a fun course to play. There's so many different shots, like so much imagination required. It's a blast. I'd love to play two more times.

Q. The most intimidating or exacting or challenging shot you played?

SEAMUS POWER: It's somewhere down about -- I would say 11 or 12 today because 11 is into the teeth, and the pin is like it's a narrow section on the front. Obviously anything turned over too much is in the water, but then you miss it right, and it's just a tough shot.

It's the same at 12. I watched guys and heard guys talk about 12 for years, and you're like, nah, it can't be that bad really. Then you're standing there today, and it was this bizarre sequence of events. Patrick stood up and hit a shot that got hammered by a gust, and it went only 135 yards. I'm standing here with the same club not really knowing -- you still have to commit to it, and I hit one of the best shots of the day, and you watch it fly straight into the back bunker. Then you've got a shot you can't land on the green.

So that's probably the one because of the penalty, if you get it wrong, the par-5s, even 15, I got it wrong, but at least they're still on dry land, and I was able to make a par. If you get it wrong on 12, you could be looking at a 5 or 6 quickly. In this soft of wind, it's hopefully 11 or 12.

Q. (Indiscernible)?

SEAMUS POWER: Yeah, Michael and Lila, they've been coming here for years. I've met them down here a few times. It's great to be playing and have them here. I've known them a long, long time.

Q. They were like will he make the cut? I think he will.

SEAMUS POWER: Hopefully I will, but we'll see what happens in the afternoon.