MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 6, 2023

Jordan Spieth

Quick Quotes

Q. Are you satisfied with a 3-under par start?

JORDAN SPIETH: I made seven birdies, so I wish I posted a lower number. But I just had two swings I would like to get back. It's okay, given the conditions that are coming. Trying to get off to a good start tomorrow will be important because it might blow in when we have maybe four, five holes left, and obviously, the guys later in the day may have it a little bit tougher. But some of those good rounds were actually in front of us in our wave, and you imagine that those guys are going to push it even further.

So, yeah, after the front nine, I wouldn't have liked 3-under, but still a nice last four, five holes there.

Q. I would assume that the two shots are the approaches on 11 and second shot --

JORDAN SPIETH: 11 wasn't that bad. 11 was about a foot from being right where I wanted it. 13, I struck it well. I just -- it was a really bad decision. Instead of lining up to cut it to the middle of the green, I lined up to cut it to the pin from the middle of the green hoping it would come out flat and straight and just trying to kind of feed one in for eagle versus just being okay with having an inside 10 feet for birdie. Just a mistake I don't normally make out here that was really frustrating.

The other one, I hit a bad drive on 5. It cost me a shot. 11's 11. I ended up in an in-between number and you can't hit it over that green, so I tried to hit it in the fat section and it just got in some breeze and was about a yard or two from being perfect.

Q. Have you ever hit a shot from over there on the other side of the water there on 11?

JORDAN SPIETH: I don't think I've ever been in the drop zone -- I don't think I've ever hit it in the left there water before. I've bailed so many right. But to the back pin, you know, it's -- you can't really chip it close if you get it middle of the green and right of the green there. So they have done a good job in changing that hole to where when you miss it right, it goes further and further and makes it harder. So it makes you have to commit to the second shot more and I over-committed by a yard today.

Q. What was your number one 13?

JORDAN SPIETH: I had 230 hole but like 198 front. So the effective front to that pin's -- like 15 on is where it gets wider, so what is that, 213. So it was -- lie was clean, stance was good. I had a great line on it. I couldn't have asked for anything better after the tee shot. Obviously, if I was stymied, I would have made a lower score. But I just should have made a better decision in playing to the fat part of the green.

Q. How gettable was it today out there?

JORDAN SPIETH: It felt like kind of the 2015 tournament where if you were in the right spots you could birdie most every hole, with like 11 excluded. I felt like the rest of the golf course was very gettable. I guess we've had some rain, I've been a bit surprised at how soft the greens have been all week. When they have the SubAir. But the fairways have gotten a lot firmer over the last four days. I hit less club into holes hitting the fairway, like two less clubs most every hole than say Sunday or Monday. But I'm shocked at how -- you start to see some areas, like 9, when you get the ridges, they start to brown on tomorrow. But for the rest, I mean, for the most part you could fly mid irons in close to holes. So I imagine tomorrow morning it will be a little firmer and then the rain will soften it up again.