MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 9, 2023

Sahith Theegala

Quick Quotes

Q. As far as just pure enjoyment goes, where does that rank among the rounds of golf you've played in your life?

SAHITH THEEGALA: Yeah, it was up there, if not one of the most -- probably the most so far. I think once I get some time to look back at it, I'd say it's the most enjoyable round of golf because I played really well, and the energy was so good, and it's so nice to get off to a good start here. It just feels like you're a little ahead of the game, and yeah, that was a really, really cool back nine to say the least.

Q. Right after you chipped in they showed the Tiger chip. Was that in your mind before you hit the chip?

SAHITH THEEGALA: Oh, my God. You should have seen how many people said, Do it for Tiger, Tiger chip-in, and all that stuff when I was over there. I just wanted to get it anywhere on the green because I had kind of a muddy lie, and yeah, it was gross over there. But yes, I can't wait to watch the replay because I don't know what I did. I don't even know the angle the ball took. I was just blacked out when I hit the chip because I was just so happy to get it on the green.

Q. His tumbled in, yours kind of ran into the side, but it was the same exact line.

SAHITH THEEGALA: Yeah, I think it had more speed for sure. It probably would have ended up a couple feet right if not more, but it was just madness when it went in.

Q. Did you think that it should stop on the lip for a couple seconds?

SAHITH THEEGALA: I wasn't sure because it seemed like today balls were stopping in places where it normally wouldn't. It's just playing soft, and maybe the greens are a touch slower, but I thought it was perfect because normally you throw it up the hill and it has no chance of stopping. That's what makes Tiger's chip that much more incredible.

Was the flag maybe further back this year? Was it the same?

Q. Pretty similar.

SAHITH THEEGALA: Okay. Yeah, I thought it was perfect because I couldn't get it too high. I was never worried about going too far right. So yeah, I actually thought it might not reach the hole, but halfway down the hill it was definitely going to reach.

Q. That's your first memory of the Masters, too, right?

SAHITH THEEGALA: Yes, for sure, that's my first memory of the Masters is that chip-in, '05, yeah.

Q. On Thursday if somebody had given you (indiscernible) would you have taken it?

SAHITH THEEGALA: Yeah, I haven't even thought about places or how I wanted to do this week. I just wanted to put my best foot forward because I've been playing so well, and we did so much good prep with my coach and trainer and my caddie and everyone. I was just -- really wanted to make sure I felt like I got the most out of it, and I really did. I played really well, I just didn't putt great the first couple rounds, but yeah, I didn't have any expectations. I don't even know where I'm at on the leaderboard right now. I'm assuming close to top 10. But whatever it is, it's just cool to finish how I did today.

Q. Are you going to go watch the ending?

SAHITH THEEGALA: Oh, yeah, we're going to go back to the house and watch it. I love that we finished so early; I have two hours of Masters coverage to watch.

Q. Was top 12 kind of like a secondary goal for you this week?

SAHITH THEEGALA: Yeah, I was telling my girlfriend that -- we were going through the field, and Cameron Champ I think came in ninth or tenth last year and that's how he got in the field, and I was like, that's obviously really cool. Hopefully I keep playing well enough that I stay in the top 50 or qualify some other way, but you can never take anything for granted, so it's nice to -- I don't know what the leaderboard situation is, but that would be really, really cool to know that I have it on the schedule next year.

Q. You've obviously had a great PGA TOUR career so far, but did this week further prove to you anything?

SAHITH THEEGALA: I think so. I think so. It just gives me a little bit more confidence and just makes me a little bit more comfortable with the best guys in the world, and I know I still have a long way to go to kind of get to that level that I think I can get to. It's just going to require a lot of work and a little bit of luck.

But yes, it's just another step forward. There's going to be a lot of steps back, but this is just a big step forward for me in terms of confidence because I feel like my game is getting better and better and that's all I'm focused on right now.

Q. You've got three more majors this year --

SAHITH THEEGALA: Crazy, yeah.

Q. Does that raise your expectations?

SAHITH THEEGALA: No, not at all. We were talking about the schedule, that I've played more than half my events for the year already, but I still have three of the biggest tournaments and the majors ahead. I'm just really excited to play because two of them -- I guess I've never played a PGA Championship and I've just played the one Open and two U.S. Opens, so it's all new to me still. I'm just going to be excited to get there and play.

Q. (Indiscernible).

SAHITH THEEGALA: Yeah, yeah. Again, I sound like a broken record, but I don't really think about that. I just want to make sure I'm getting the most out of my game and just keep getting better.

I know if I keep doing that, I'm going to put myself in position come back nine on Sunday. I definitely have confidence from my previous times in this situation. I feel my game getting better. I really do. Just as long as I keep building that confidence.

Q. Would you like to come to India and play?

SAHITH THEEGALA: I would love to. I've been saying this for a while. I would love to when the opportunity arises. Maybe when I'm -- yeah, I would really love to, and hopefully the timing and all that works out. I'm looking forward to it, whenever I do go.

Q. In a recent podcast you said you don't still feel that you should be in the position that you're in. Does this week change any of that belief system?

SAHITH THEEGALA: Yeah, it was definitely --

Q. Or was it just one of your self-deprecating statements that you make?

SAHITH THEEGALA: It was like half joking for sure because I have the belief now that I am, at least on the Tour, and I've obviously done really well the last year and a half, and I have that belief. But I still feel like I come off a golf course and I'm like, I did so many things that I can just get better at just from working on it, and golf is just a game where you're never going to get perfect at it, but you have to strive for that perfection in order to get better. I just feel like there's so much room for that, and sometimes I just hit so many -- I hit bad shots that I feel like other guys don't really hit, and that's where those comments kind of come from. You never see guys lay the sod over a 7-iron off the tee or hit a drive 60 right or something -- I don't know, I'm hard on myself and I think a lot of these guys are. That's kind of where those comments came from.

Q. Can you take us through today's round and especially the start, birdie-birdie start; how important was that?

SAHITH THEEGALA: Honestly, I played pretty similarly to the first two days. I hit it -- I drove it great. I hit my irons relatively well. A couple bad iron shots, but overall I hit my irons really well. I just made the putts today.

I felt like I made a lot of 10- to 20-footers that I wasn't making at all the first three days even, and I actually missed a couple four-footers for birdie, but that's to be had out here. You're just not going to escape this place without missing a couple of those.

I just putted really well, and that gave me even more confidence with my ball-striking. I feel like I didn't have to fit it into the tight areas and freed up my swing a little bit. It was so nice to get off to that start, and that birdie on 10 was big for me, just getting that momentum into 11 and 12 because those are two very, very dangerous holes. Once I got past that, I felt pretty good.