SHOPRITE LPGA CLASSIC PRESENTED BY ACER

October 1, 2021

Caroline Masson

Seaview, A Dolce Hotel

Quick Quotes

Q. We're joined by Caroline Masson after a 4-under par 67 in the first round. Just start with that. How good did it feel to put a round like that together?

CAROLINE MASSON: Felt pretty good. Going out first this morning you just never know because it's kind of cold, you don't know how far the ball is really going.

Yeah, I bogeyed the first hole right away and I was just trying to pull it together and got a birdie on the second to get it back, and played really solid coming in.

Q. It's been an up and down last few months for you. What have you been working on or what have you gotten in the headspace to be able to find a number like this to start this tournament?

CAROLINE MASSON: Yeah, it's been pretty frustrating I'll have to say the last few weeks and months. I always feel like I'm not that far away, but I somehow couldn't really get it done. Sometimes that's what golf is all about, just doing the right things at the right time.

So I've worked on a bunch of stuff technically. I've started working with Jim Gormley in the middle of the season. The swing feel are the good. It's finally coming together. It's just a matter of doing it out on the golf course and trusting it.

That was definitely a good step in the right direction.

Q. How important is an event like this, 54-holes, to get off to a fast start?

CAROLINE MASSON: Yeah, it helps, especially because I think it's a funny course because there is some very gettable holes, and then there are a few really tough holes.

I thought birdieing the second for me after bogeying the first was huge. I mean, 1 is a pretty easy hole; you bogey that one, you know, 2, likely to make maybe another one.

Then the hole -- it's just a whole different day probably. So just happy to be bounce back, and it's definitely important if you can take advantage of maybe 1, maybe 3, and par-5s, I think you can get off to a hot start.

But every hole has a little bit of trouble here and there. It may seem easy when you hit it in the fairways and hit it solid, but there is a lot of trouble out there too.

Q. And historically for a 54-hole event they've had some pretty good numbers put up out here.

CAROLINE MASSON: Yeah.

Q. What is it about this that has lent itself to that kind of score?

CAROLINE MASSON: I think it's the par-5s that are very gettable. Honestly I think we can normally get to all three and we probably can't get to three par-5s on many other golf courses that we play.

They're gettable and it's a shorter course I think. It's more about precision. I think when somebody is on, you can see some really low numbers.

Q. How different or nice -- different and nice -- is it to see Jason outside the ropes instead of inside the ropes when you see him there at times?

CAROLINE MASSON: Yeah, he's off this week, so really appreciate him driving up. He just got in yesterday. Drove up with the dog from Florida. You know, just nice to have him here. He knows my game well. He is always giving me a lot of feedback. He watches me practice pretty much every day.

Just nice to have him here and give me maybe just a little bit of confidence, feedback.

Q. I think he gets an award for driving from Florida with the dog.

CAROLINE MASSON: He gets the Tour Husband of the Week maybe.

Q. I like that. Thanks, Caroline.

CAROLINE MASSON: Thank you, guys.