MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 8, 2024

Nick Taylor

Quick Quotes

Q. Thoughts on the golf course?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, it's great. I played the front nine yesterday, back today. Greens are definitely have some firmness to them. It seemed like they actually cut the grass a little bit today, at least around the greens, so it was a little easier to clip it, get some spin, which is nice. But it's a great shape. It's honestly a brand new experience from what I had in 2020. Not that I feel like I'm learning a whole lot, but it's just the slopes that I kind of always saw on TV, I'm now experiencing versus in 2020 it wasn't quite the same.

Q. How much are you looking forward to playing in this Masters compared to then with all the trappings that come with --

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, this is essentially my first true experience, so I was really looking forward to it, Wednesday. The par-3 contest I'm really looking forward to.

I get to play with Weir tomorrow, which is fun. Actually in 2020 I played with him in the practice round and the tournament, so that was really cool.

But yeah, just having patrons out and stuff, that's something I've not experienced. Even the locker room is a different spot now than it was when I was here, so I'm getting the lay of the land as the day is going.

Q. Did you use solar glasses today?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, I got a pair of those. I checked the eclipse out, which was neat. I think we peaked at 80 percent or something, but it was cool.

Q. You mentioned a little bit, what's been the biggest thing this year versus when you were here before, less about kind of the golf course but more so just the checking in, the people, the this, the that?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, like you said, when I looked out here three and a half years ago, there wasn't a soul on the property.

Hearing the roars from the skipping throughout the back nine, it's just you get the true experience of hearing the roars throughout the golf course, which obviously I didn't have. I think the golf course, I'll be able to adapt somewhat throughout, again, with not having much experience. Hopefully I can learn it relatively quickly. But just the whole experience outside the ropes is something that's really neat.

Q. Obviously it's been a great year for you. How important is it for this major season to do something at the majors this year?

NICK TAYLOR: No, that was even before the year started. The elevated events along with obviously the other events that I play, but elevated and the majors were where I wanted to play better than last year. I felt like the three majors that I played in, I think I missed all three cuts. A lot of them I was coming off odd circumstances. The first one my daughter was just born. The week after the Canadian Open and then the British wasn't, but didn't particularly play great there.

It was an emphasis where I want to play well but also not put too high of expectations or too much pressure on playing well, but my game is in a really good spot, so I feel like if I just play golf, hopefully that'll take care of itself.

Q. Did you skip it on 16 today?

NICK TAYLOR: I did. I got it on the green, actually, so that was fun. I did it in '20. Nobody was out there to care. But yeah, that was fun.

Q. You've long talked about doing the same thing over and over again in terms of your efforts before you play. Is that kind of the game plan again this week, just to try to keep doing the same stuff?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, we've talked about around the greens it's easy to get trapped on hitting 100 different shots and trying to be perfect around the greens. There's definitely shots you're going to have -- you're going to have probably hopefully 25 to 30 short game shots, including third shots into par-5s. Putting too much emphasis on them is not really necessary.

I feel like I know generally where to miss. I'm going to pick Weir's brain again tomorrow on certain holes, but like I said, putting too many high expectations or too much pressure is not going to help anything.

Q. Where did Masters rank for you growing up? It's a special tournament for a lot of golfers at the beginning of the season --

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, no, it would rank No. 1 growing up. It still is, I think. It kind of has this majestic or just this aura, at least for me now getting on the grounds. It's just everything about it. There's not a blade of grass out of place it seems. Every detail is thought about.

It's one that it feels like if you ever won that one, it's one that you definitely want to win out of the majors. To lead the year off with that would be great, obviously.

Q. Is that something you'd want to share with family members who are here this week?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, that's the other part of the experience. My wife and kids and my parents, my brother, my in-laws are here, as well, a couple really good friends and family friends. That was a part, too, that I missed out. I remember FaceTiming -- which probably might not have been allowed, but FaceTiming driving in on Magnolia Lane with my family the first time I was here because just the experiences that I knew they weren't going to be able to have. They were out here today, so getting the whole week experience is really fun for them, too.

Q. Aside from golf, what is something else that -- did you have a wish list growing up?

NICK TAYLOR: Not really. Usually it's just the golf course and back to the hotel regardless of we are. Honestly the biggest thing that we've circled is Wednesday afternoon. We've got a 1:15 tee time so that'll be a lot of fun. But yeah, other than the golf, it's probably just that.

Q. Is it just the four of you staying in one house?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, we got two places. There's a bit of family in both. But yeah, we kind of set it up that way.

Q. Even standing up and seeing all of the people, is this almost like a little bit of a pinch-me thing going on?

NICK TAYLOR: Totally. To be able to see my dad, my brother, my mom out here, that was obviously very cool. They took a red eye. They're exhausted but they're on cloud nine type of thing. It's fun for everyone, for all of us to experience it together.

Q. (Indiscernible)?

NICK TAYLOR: Happy Gilmore 2? It's funny, watching the first one again, you're like, it is so wrong with so many golf things he does, but obviously it's a classic. I don't know. I feel like it's probably got to be Happy Gilmore's son somehow steals the gold jacket or something.