MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 8, 2022

Collin Morikawa

Quick Quotes

Q. Collin, are you at all surprised at how high the scoring is?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: No, the wind is not playing making it easy. It's a lot of guessing, a lot of just trusting what you are going to do, but it's weird. Yesterday I probably felt the most comfortable I've ever felt at Augusta National, which is, obviously, nice. Today just kind of kept fighting and posted a nice round.

Q. You mentioned feeling more comfortable. People always talk about no one has ever won here in the first Masters. Do you now see why it takes some years to learn this place?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: I think my issue is I listen to everyone else rather than trusting myself on how to play this golf course. That's the hardest thing is that you hear all these things about this course, and you really don't know how to play it until you actually show up, and I just thought I could listen to everyone and play that type of game, but I've been feeling comfortable over a lot of tee shots, which is a big part out here, and then just kind of making my way through. Just got to get rid of a couple of mistakes that I have made over the last few days.

Q. What's an example trusting -- you said listening to someone else. What is an example that you can think of?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Hearing and talking about hitting draws, right? 2, 7. Those are just two holes that my first two years I was practicing trying to hit a draw. Like a five-yard draw rather than just hit a five-yard cut. That's a big difference out here when I know where a five-yard cut might miss versus a five-yard draw. I could just kind of make that work, and I can play from my misses and play kind of just knowing where I might start the ball.

When I hit these draws, I really sometimes don't know where they're going to be, and that's just where I'm at right now with hitting draws.

Q. Just kind of coming here and being more yourself and trying to be -- trying to play a similar style?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Exactly. So far through two days it's worked. There's really not a lot of change in my game plan for the next two days.

Q. The second is how good was that 17 today?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: It was pretty good. It was tough. Billy on the first seven holes on the back nine I think had birdie putts inside 15 feet, so it made the back nine seem a lot easier than maybe it's actually playing. But, yeah, if I said I was going to shoot 70 out here earlier today, I would have taken that. Hopefully we'll just be within a few of the lead come tonight.

Q. How was 15 playing differently this year than last year?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: I think last year wasn't as windy, so where I was after my tee shot today, I definitely would have thought about going for it, but in no way and in no circumstance was I going to go for that. Green is a little too bouncy. I just didn't trust my chipping, especially today. It was going to be a nice wedge pin, so hit your wedge, take your 10, 15 feet and see if you can make that putt.

Q. Are you feeling more and more comfortable being in this position in big, big tournament?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: I enjoy them. It's nice. I thought back to what Webb told me when I first turned pro. If you just give yourself a chance come Sunday, come the back nine, and I really hadn't thought about that for a while. It's been a lot about winning, and that's nothing wrong against that, but sometimes you have to put things in perspective and just give yourself a chance and just let things kind of fall out from there. Hopefully by Sunday we can do that.

Q. Looks like Horschel will probably be the only one to break 70 today. How impressive is that 69 by Charl?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: Yeah, it's really good. Like I said, if you are hitting your irons well and you're striping it, it's possible. Billy started off really poorly, but the back nine he could have been -- he legitimately could have been 7-under through 7 on the back. That's really impressive.

In terms of under par and shooting the 70s -- or shooting in the 60s, it's hats top of him, but watching Billy play today just on that back nine, it's possible.

Q. Forgive me for one Tiger question. What were your thoughts watching him shoot 71 yesterday?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: It was impressive. I've never heard roars like that. Especially at Augusta when everything kind of echos a little bit more. I think we were walking down 6, and D.J. and I heard that Tiger I think made birdie, and you can hear that. There's nothing like it. It was a very impressive 71 by him, and we'll see what he shoots the rest of the week.

Thanks, guys.