Q. That is your first time taking part in at Doral. What are you hoping to get out of this week in preparation for Augusta?
Properly, I haven’t seen the course, but. Not a lot I can say in that regard. I’ve seen this match right here many occasions on TV, and I understand how a lot of a problem it may be. I believe having a high-quality golf course, a high-quality difficult golf course earlier than a significant is usually a great point to get your self prepared and possibly work on a few of the photographs that you could be want the week after like they have been mentioning.
Simply merely having to execute these photographs in competitors setting earlier than you go to a significant will be actually useful.
Q. So now we have 13 LIV gamers which might be taking part in subsequent week, final 12 months, first, second, third, and fourth place have been Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, all LIV Golf gamers this 12 months. What do you guys assume the percentages a LIV participant profitable this 12 months?
That could be a very arduous query to reply. However you realize, there’s fairly just a few main champions in LIV, and there’s a few which might be Main Champion high quality golfers. So simply pure numbers, in case you go together with math, wouldn’t be the best, however I’m assured that one in all us can get it performed this 12 months.
Final 12 months it was such an odd couple of days for you guys, at one level, you have been 5 behind Brooks, and coming again and having to play so many further holes on Sunday. Simply what do you recall from that? What’s your largest takeaway from that victory?
I believe essentially the most you’re referring to, I believe it was on 7 once they referred to as it. I’ll was 4 again. 5 minutes into the subsequent day, I used to be two again. It’s very arduous to say as a result of with the cease web page and all of the climate, it was a really totally different Sunday. It was very a lot about coping with the weather and going about your personal enterprise. You had to consider it’s the top of the third spherical and deal with ending robust after which taking part in effectively the remainder of the 18 holes, proper.
So in my thoughts, I needed to actually separate these two days, put your self in place, after which Sunday spherical, within the afternoon, attempt to get it performed.
My largest takeaway, it’s arduous. I preserve going again to a few of the up-and-downs that I made. I imply, Phil was mentioning it. It’s a golf course that the place you might be allowed to overlook — I do know he’s explaining it means too simply, in the proper spots. However in case you’re in sure spots you would possibly get these up-and-downs.
There’s two moments: The up-and-down on 6 to get the lead for the primary time, and the second shot on 14 from the timber, which like he defined, you will have room. You continue to should execute, and there’s hassle lurking all over the place. However hitting that shot to 4 ft and hitting that birdie putt to take the four-shot lead with two to play have been the 2 keys to the match in my thoughts.
Q. Rory yesterday mentioned he doesn’t imagine golf in its present state is sustainable. Do you agree with him, and do you assume that the circuits should be reunited?
I believe I agree with that assertion, yeah. Each time I get requested a query like this, I say the identical factor. I believe there’s room for each. It’s so simple as that. I believe now we have the chance to finish up with a fair higher product for the spectators and the followers of the sport, slightly bit extra selection doesn’t actually harm anyone. So I believe — I believe correctly performed, we will find yourself with a significantly better product that may take golf to the subsequent stage worldwide, and I’m hoping that’s what finally ends up occurring.
Q. I believe that is the primary time since 2017 that you simply’ve performed the week earlier than Augusta. Have you ever modified any of your strategy this week?
Is that true, ’17? The method has been the identical. On the finish of the day, it’s the way you benefit from the scenario and the way you put together main into this week. I truly was glad to have a match this week as a result of going into Augusta defending is admittedly the primary main championship I’m relying on the venue. Being at dwelling this week may have been slightly tougher attempting to manage these ideas. However having competitors, you simply, you realize, you’re right here to do your job and it’s nice practise in the direction of subsequent week. I believe in any means, it’s going to assist
Q. Once you did your convention name for the Masters a pair weeks in the past, you clearly had put lots of thought into the menu. You wore a tie, which usually folks don’t try this for the media. However clearly you cared so much and I’m wondering in case you can simply communicate to that and the way a lot it has meant to you to be the Masters Champion, how a lot you mirror on it, and if it’s form of weighing on you or in case you’re excited about it so much going into subsequent week?
I put — I wouldn’t say lots of thought as a result of I believe for a very long time I knew the thought of what menu I used to be going to serve if I have been to win. I needed to showcase slightly of the place I come from and to be honest, Chef José Andres was lots of assist however like an excellent head chef, he took over instantly. So you realize, he did lots of that.
However the primary factor why it was so emotional was that precisely. Like one in all my grandma’s dishes was going to be served on the Champions Dinner and it’s just a bit little bit of me and the place I come from, which is analogous to possibly José — Ollie and Seve, possibly not Seve, though we grew up shut to one another, there’s sure variations.
It’s simply an honor to have the ability to try this, proper. It’s a practice in contrast to some other like many issues that week. To be a part of that choose group of people who received that match and put on that inexperienced jacket with satisfaction and be accountable for the menu is kind of unimaginable. Undoubtedly one of many highlights of the week however for some cause positively one thing I’m nervous about. I do not know why. Nevertheless it does appear slightly daunting having to face up in entrance of that group and provides a speech though I do know each single one in all them has been in my place, a few of them greater than as soon as. I don’t know, simply appears — you’re going to be in that room with the legends of the sport, nonetheless energetic and nonactive, and that’s one thing actually cool to have the ability to say and be capable of share.
Q. Have any of you guys been to Augusta this spring and in that case, are you able to simply speak about what it was like, any adjustments, something, or was it only a enjoyable spherical or was it extra to attempt to be taught one thing?
I’ve been there, yeah. I needed to return at the very least as soon as earlier than Masters week. I didn’t need the primary time again at Augusta Nationwide to be match week, proper. I needed to get lots of these feelings out of the way in which, and likewise see the golf course, see if they’ve performed any adjustments. You already know, fairly rapidly when the rating man got here out, I received 1,000,000 texts saying that it was 35 yards longer. Properly, we’re going to see what they added and what they modified.
It’s a little bit of each, proper. I’m attempting to see the golf course and be taught just a few new issues and be taught what they’ve modified and simply attempting to have enjoyable. I used to be capable of — a member who hosted me, I used to be capable of deliver one in all my greatest good friend and share that have with them. It was a little bit of each. In my thoughts, it was attending to expertise these feelings of being again, going to the Champions Locker Room and seeing my title up there, and many others.
In comparison with a 12 months in the past, how do you come into this? Do you are feeling more energizing? Do you are feeling sharper? Do you are feeling in any means totally different, and do you are feeling totally different? Rather a lot has occurred to you over this 12 months. Do you are feeling a distinct individual in some methods as effectively?
No, I don’t really feel totally different as an individual in any respect. I don’t assume I ought to, proper. It’s slightly totally different. I received so much early on final 12 months after which I went on a little bit of a month or so the place I didn’t play my greatest. Went to Bay Hill, performed poorly. Went into Match Play, performed poorly. I really feel totally different in that sense.
At the moment I knew I used to be able to taking part in actually good, proper. Clearly I had performed all of it 12 months however that month was a little bit of a hunch, which in a bizarre means helped going into that Masters. I used to be an amazing favoUrite, however Scottie was nonetheless extra of a favorite than I used to be.
This 12 months I really feel like I’ve been taking part in actually good golf however not over that hump of profitable but. I’m assured now, and I’m equally assured on my sport just about any given day of the 12 months. I believe that’s how any competitor needs to be. However that is that distinction of how I’ve been taking part in the previous few months. I’m snug. A bit more energizing, if something, going into these subsequent few weeks, so wanting ahead to it.