MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 9, 2021

Joe Long

Quick Quotes

Q. I think you might have had the best turnaround from first round to second round in the field today.

JOE LONG: Yeah, for sure.

Q. What was the difference for you out there today?

JOE LONG: To be honest, it was alignment. I checked the app last night, and my alignment was way off aiming left, and I've not seen coaches for about probably half a year, so I'm in some bad habits. So today kind of looked at that online.

Q. Putting?

JOE LONG: No, just with the tee shots and iron play. I mean, I don't think I missed a fairway to be honest with you. Still didn't really get any putts to drop, but it made it so much easier, kind of less mistakes from there and was hitting it in better spots.

Q. What did it feel like to go around here almost under par?

JOE LONG: Yeah, it felt great. Yeah, it was a great feeling. It's nice to kind of just rectify it and played some solid golf out there today.

Q. Does it give you a lot of confidence putting together a round like this?

JOE LONG: Yeah, yeah, definitely. It's helped a lot with kind of experiencing what it's like at these events, and when things aren't going your way, you've just got to deal with it, be your own best friend out there. It's only you and the ball at the end of the day, so kind of learnt a lot from that yesterday, and I kind of just struggled -- I thought it was kind of a mechanical issue, but it's just purely setup. I've just got to stay on top of that and get enough to go and compete for sure

Q. What do you have coming up in the next few months?

JOE LONG: I have the Walker Cup in about three weeks, which is exciting. And then the U.S. Open in June and then the Open in July. Yeah, a lot to look forward to definitely.

Q. When have you had time to reflect on this week, what are you going to remember beyond the shots you hit? Will you have any special memories?

JOE LONG: You know, probably my shot into 18 yesterday was quite cool. Kind of after the round, that was quite special. And you know, just some bits of advice from the world's best golfers, that kind of sticks with me. The amateur dinner, like that experience is just so special. The Crow's Nest, all those things, they're memories for life. At the end of the day, you can tell your family about it, and that's pretty amazing.

I think that's what I'll be taking away from this week for sure.

Q. Souvenir shopping? Did you get some merchandise?

JOE LONG: I probably will -- I already picked up a few hats when I came a few weeks ago, but I'll definitely be going back in and getting a few hats. I like to collect them, so I'll go and have a look.

Q. Was the golf course much different today than yesterday?

JOE LONG: It was a little -- the greens were a little slower, and it was a little softer. But I just -- I had confidence in my swing. Like yesterday my mechanics were off with my setup and I was just aiming left and hitting it left or hitting it right, and today I just trusted it. I don't think I missed a fairway. The iron shots were a little better. Still a little bit loose in places, but I could kind of just trust it and hit shots at the end of the day.