MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 7, 2023

Ben Carr

Quick Quotes

Q. Give us an idea about today, about the round and the conditions.

BEN CARR: Again, kind of not much wind. It was fairly soft, a little firmer than yesterday, but still pretty soft.

Yeah, I mean, I played fine. Just didn't really make a putt. Yeah, it was really frustrating.

Q. It may not have gone exactly how you envisioned, but what's your biggest takeaway?

BEN CARR: My biggest takeaway is I definitely belong out here and can compete with these guys. Yeah, it was a blast, and I'm really honored that I got to play.

Yeah, I just wish it would have gone a little better.

Q. Ben, I don't think you've probably experienced a better ball striking day out here in all your visits and practice rounds. The short miss on 12, 15, the horseshoe on 16, how did you kind of keep it together knowing you were right there close to the cut line, trying to remain patient, but also trying to make a putt?

BEN CARR: Yeah, I definitely felt like I did a good job of staying patient. I really just felt like, if I kept hitting good shots into greens, eventually a putt would fall. I definitely thought I made the putt on 12 off the face. Even 11, I thought the putt 11 was dropping.

Yeah, 15, that was just kind of a slip-up on speed. I honestly thought I hit a pretty good second putt. It just dove. Then, yeah, I'm not really sure how 16 didn't go in.

Yeah, I hit a decent amount of good putts. Just sometimes they just don't fall.

Q. Your early visits here, playing a round with your brother is one of your fondest memories here at Augusta National. But you've been through a week of practice rounds. You've had two rounds here with this incredible gallery. When you look back to your first step on this property till now, how you're acclimating yourself on this, how does this help moving forward?

BEN CARR: Yeah, it helps a ton. Like I said earlier, I proved to myself that I could definitely play with the best players in the world. I don't mean that in a cocky way. That's just how I feel.

Yeah, I learned a lot. From that first time out here till now, I mean, I definitely learned I can play in front of crowds and calm the nerves and play with nerves. Yeah, this was an incredible experience. I hope I'm back one day, but if not, it was awesome.

Q. You got GATA sticking out of your back pocket. Can you speak out about representing the university? How special was it to represent your university?

BEN CARR: It was awesome. I got so many "Go Eagles," "Hail Southerns," "GATA," really for the last four or five days. I got a ton of support out here. That was probably the coolest part of the whole week was hearing everyone just cheering me on.

Just being so close to school and close to home in Columbus, you couldn't write it off any better, playing an hour and a half down the road and getting to come play this tournament as an amateur. So very lucky.

Q. When you look over here and see your whole family, what did it mean to have them alongside you?

BEN CARR: It meant the world. It made it a little bit easier. Kind of like yesterday, just knowing a lot of people out here following me, family, friends, just made the nerves kind of go away for the most part. Yeah, it was great.

Like I said, I hope it's not the last time I'm out here. So we'll see.

Q. You being around here this week helped put Georgia Southern on the map --

BEN CARR: I hope that's the case. I hope so. Like I said, it was cool being out here representing the university and getting to have my teammates and a bunch of people from the school down here supporting. Yeah, hopefully I helped us out a little. I don't know.

Q. Heading back to Statesboro to join your team this next week?

BEN CARR: Yeah, we actually have conference next, in like two or three weeks. So we're moving into postseason, and I think we're still top 25 in the country. Yeah, there's a lot to be excited about in the next two months. I can't wait.

Three more tournaments. Hopefully we're at Grayhawk, and I think if we are, I think we have a really good shot.

Q. Potentially your last collegiate tournament could be at NCAAs. If you win the individual, it gets you right back here if you remain an amateur. Is that something that a lot of the collegiate players are going to keep in mind as they go there? I know you're a fifth-year senior and you have professional aspirations that may complicate things for you. But still all of your teammates, the big collegiate players in the country, that's a target for them, that's a goal for them. How much would that change that, the NCAAs?

BEN CARR: That's awesome what Augusta National and the Masters did with the exemption. Getting another amateur out here I think is obviously awesome for the game and amateur golf. Yeah, I think everybody's going to be trying a little extra hard to win that one knowing what it comes with. Yeah, great for the game.