MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 10, 2022

Corey Conners

Quick Quotes

Q. So, birdie at 18 to finish. Going into today, you were right at the top -- near the top of the leaderboard, but a long way from the leaders. What was the goal for today, and did you accomplish it?

COREY CONNERS: I was trying to get off to a fast start if I could. Give myself as many opportunities as possible and try and capitalize. I wasn't playing super easy again. The conditions were perfect, but the golf course was still playing quite tricky.

And overall I'm happy with the round. Nice way to finish, making a couple of birdies at the end. Would have been nice to get off to a little better start, but it is what it is, and overall a solid day.

Q. Tell us about the birdie on 18 and sort of how nice it feels to finish like that.

COREY CONNERS: Tee shot, I've hit a lot of good ones in the past. Trying to rekindle some of those feelings. Just pushed it a little bit. It was a little bit right. I was kind of blocked out and had to kind of slice a 7-iron around the tree to get it on the green. Not my natural shot shape, but I know I've got it when needed and hit a good shot right at the hole, and figured it probably kind of collected on the slope and came back a little bit.

That's a putt I've had, I think, pretty much every year I've played here. I remember making one similar to it last year, and, yeah, just put a good roll on it, and it's nice to see it go in.

Q. A lot of top players had the one round that didn't go their way this week. You managed to not have that happen. How did you do that, and what is it about your game that managed to get you around here like that?

COREY CONNERS: I think every part of my game was working this week. I would have certainly liked to make more birdies, but I was able to get myself out of trouble when needed, make the par-saving putts or the par-saving up-and-downs to keep momentum going and not get myself going backwards.

Q. Corey, do you feel like this is more of a pure ball striker's course or one in which there's got to be a lot of creativity around the greens? I know you want both, but if you had to have one --

COREY CONNERS: Ball striking, I think. You have to hit it really good around here. Hit it well off the tee and hit it well into the greens to give yourself chances. Then you can hopefully avoid the spots you have to use a lot of creativity.

Q. And I guess creativity --

COREY CONNERS: I feel like my game is suited well for this course every time I've played it. Right-to-left ball flight, and solid from tee to green.

Q. I wondered what you thought of the changes on 11 and 15.

COREY CONNERS: 11 played tough into the wind today. It was long. I was pounding 4-irons trying to get it to the front of the green. It was a little friendlier today. I like the change on 15. Makes you really think. You really got to hit a good shot if you are going for it in 2. I went for it three of the rounds, and --

Q. You did.

COREY CONNERS: Yeah. Didn't knock it on. It's certainly not easy to knock it on, but it was kind of just on the back right of the green every time. I learned it's very fast from there, but, yeah, hit some good shots.

Q. It played shorter today. What did you hit in?

COREY CONNERS: I hit a hybrid today. Actually, it was closer on the second round. Just think -- I kind of hit it a bit left. I think if you keep it down the right side, it's maybe a bit flatter and runs out a little bit, but you don't want to go too far right where you are blocked out.

Q. Left is tighter now because it slopes, right? So you can't really go for it from there. Is that a good change?

COREY CONNERS: It was kind of like that before, to be fair. If you hit it left down that hole, you had to really hook it to get it to the green. I think that's similar. I love the changes. I think they know what they're doing. It's a fun place to play, and every hole is really special.

Q. Three top tens in a row here. What does that sort of say about your game, and how much confidence does that give you to make it think that this could be the place where you have a breakthrough?

COREY CONNERS: Gives me a lot of confidence, for sure. I've learned a lot each of the last few years and certainly a lot this year. Hopefully I can use to benefit me in the future and keep playing well here.

Q. Any messages to Trevor Immelman for Presidents Cup player this year?

COREY CONNERS: I had a chat with him earlier in the week. I know he is watching. I feel like I'm playing well. Let my game speak for itself.

Q. Towards the end of the second and third round, you sort of looked like you had taken two steps forward, one back. Everyone around here might have done that, but will you be thinking about that after this tournament?

COREY CONNERS: Certainly a few moments like that where make a birdie and give a shot back to the next hole or two. It happened a few times. It is what it is. It's a difficult golf course. Would have liked to play the par-5s a little bit better, the back nine over the weekend. I feel like I left some shots out there both 13 and 15 in the last two days.

Q. What's your schedule going forward?

COREY CONNERS: Playing next week at Hilton Head and a few weeks off.