MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 8, 2023

Sahith Theegala

Quick Quotes

Q. Sahith, not the finish that you wanted, but you must be happy to make the cut and expand your Masters week to the weekend.

SAHITH THEEGALA: Yes, absolutely. I've been playing well. I played really well the last two days. I hit it really good. I just didn't get anything up and down and didn't make any putts really, which is -- you know, it's hard out here.

I got it over a lot of short game shots that I usually feel like I hit really close and didn't get them very close. Like 17, 18, I didn't hit -- 17, I hit a fine bunker shot, probably two feet from going all the way near the hole. And 18, just tough shot.

Yeah, I'm very happy with how I'm driving the ball and hitting it. I'm excited to play the next couple days. I know the weather's going to be bad. Just people aren't going to go crazy low or anything.

Q. Just give us an idea of how the conditions were this morning.

SAHITH THEEGALA: It was brutal this morning because it was just so cold. 17, 18, I hit two really, really good drives. I had 200 hole, which is usually 7-iron or 8-iron. And I had 212 hole on 18 but playing more like 235. I hit 4-iron and didn't even get to the middle of the green, and I hit a really good drive. And the other two guys hit hybrids in. It's just playing long.

Even 16 as a hole, I usually have 9-iron, 8-iron in, and I hit 6-iron. It's just playing really long. It's -- the greens are soft, though. So I think, if you miss it in the right spots, getting up and down will be a lot easier than the first two days.

Q. I wanted you to talk us through the 7th, where you overshot the green.

SAHITH THEEGALA: Oh, yeah, from the first round? I hit it right, but I had a gap to scoot it into the bunkers, and I just hit it as hard as I could because I thought it would land either in the rough or in the fairway, and it like somehow just missed the trees, and it started rising.

I was like, oh, no, that might miss the bunkers. It flew like -- from my angle, it looked like it went into the lip, but it flew just over the lip, and it like speed skated over. I'm just happy it didn't hit anyone because that would have really hurt.

Yeah, it landed just short of the green, I think, in between the bunker and the green. I had 62 yards. I pitched it up to the green. I was just happy to make bogey there. I made a really good shot just to hit it on the green.

That just shows you -- I don't think anybody's ever hit it there before. It might be the first time.

Q. The second round, you were saying club changed significantly. Why is it playing so long?

SAHITH THEEGALA: Well, the last two days it was probably mid-80s degrees. First day probably high 70s, then yesterday mid-80s most of the round. This morning it's 48, but feel temperature of 40 with the wind. It's just a combination of our swings not being as long and fluid right now and then just from the cold itself.

So I was thinking my stock iron shots are 10 to 12 yards shorter. So pretty much one club longer. Like stock 8-iron for me is 175. Stock 8-iron now is 64, 63.

And that's with no wind. Any sort of wind -- and that's not including the side hills. 18, you're hitting off an uphill lie, so you have to add another extra ten yards there. To trust hitting a 4-iron from 210 yards is hard, but you just have to do it out here. It's fun, though.

Q. How's been the week? What's your appreciation of the week?

SAHITH THEEGALA: It's been incredible. I got here Sunday late afternoon. I knew it was going to go really fast. So I just tried to take in the moment.

I have some of my best friends here and all of my family. It's been fun. I just don't want the week to end. I'm just going to enjoy these last two days no matter what the weather's like and how I play.

The game feels good, and I'm a competitor. Once I get out on the golf course, I'm fully focused and all that. Yeah, I just want to soak in the last two days. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day weather-wise. It will be fun. Just battle the conditions.

This place is so special. You have to be here to really -- you guys have been here a lot, but it's really special.

Q. Top ten within your reach now?

SAHITH THEEGALA: Yeah. I'm not even thinking about it, but I would love that. I'd love it. I think the way I'm hitting it, just got to be crisper around the greens. I'm feeling good, though.