MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 4, 2022

Stewart Hagestad

Quick Quotes

Q. What is this like compared to the first time so far?

STEWART HAGESTAD: They're both obviously very special. I was in tears on a few different occasions kind of thinking about it. I remember when the letter came. It was pretty surreal.

I think the biggest difference is the first time around you don't really know what you don't know, and this time you have a little bit better understanding of what it's going to feel like and what sort of moments or shots your adrenaline is going to be up.

Obviously, the way that the course plays playing in front of crowds. At the time, I'd never played in a major. Now I've played in four or three since. Well, four if you count that year.

I think there's a lot less of the unknown, but at the same time, it doesn't guarantee future results or anything like that. So you need to go out and prepare the best you can.

Q. This is your fifth major? This one will be five?

STEWART HAGESTAD: Yes. I tied Nathan.

Q. When you mentioned tears, this one or the first one?

STEWART HAGESTAD: In what sense?

Q. You mentioned some tears, being emotional.

STEWART HAGESTAD: Oh, yeah.

Q. You were talking about the first go round or this one?

STEWART HAGESTAD: This one too. This one too. I almost think I was more emotional for this one than for the first one. For the first one, like you look back and you don't really understand or know the impact that it's made on your life. For this one, I got to two semis in the Mid, and I got to quarters, and I lost to Tyler.

There's just -- I don't want to say you don't know how many bites at the apple you'll get, but I'm not getting any younger and everyone's still getting better. There's a few things I'd still like to accomplish, but my list is getting pretty low, and I've got a timeline in my own head.

Yeah, just the opportunity to come back here and be with friends and family and to compete in this event, it's just -- not to throw all the adages at you, but it's truly an honor and a privilege to be here. No, there's been a few times where I've been in tears, both privately and publicly.

Q. And not just when you won the Mid-Am, just when you're thinking about it?

STEWART HAGESTAD: When I got the letter around Christmastime, I was in and out of tears for around two hours.

Q. For somebody who's done it before and made the cut -- oh, by the way too, right?

STEWART HAGESTAD: Well, yeah. That was a great year. Hopefully we can go out, and we can play well this week. As I said, it's just a really, really special place. I think all of us, you look up and down the country, there's still snow on the ground in some parts of the world -- some parts of the country -- well, world too, but country in this case. This is just kind of the kick starter of the golf season.

You hear Jim Nantz's voice and the piano and the music and you see it on TV, it's just a really -- whether you're playing or you're a fan or a patron or whatever, it's pretty significant.

Q. Now what are you doing work-wise now?

STEWART HAGESTAD: I get done with my MBA in May, and then I've got to finish up one class over summer, but I know where I'm going to be working after school. It's a private equity firm based in Chicago.

Q. But you're not coming back to New York?

STEWART HAGESTAD: So actually, they want me in Chicago for six months, and then they want to put me in New York for six months. After that, if it all goes well, they'd put me in Palm Beach permanently.

Q. I can't remember where you're doing yours?

STEWART HAGESTAD: USC Marshall, Southern California.

Q. I know we talked about it at sectionals at some point.

STEWART HAGESTAD: It's all good.

Q. You know Cam obviously?

STEWART HAGESTAD: I know them both, yeah. Will and I were on the Walker Cup team in 2017, a bunch of studs on that team. Just lucky to be a part of that. Cam, we went up against each other in a couple of Ikes in the Met area. His dad Dave and his mom Barbara, and he's obviously great. He's a total kind of titan in that golf association in that region. Yeah, it was good to be with those guys.

Q. Obviously your background, you played so much with Jordan.

STEWART HAGESTAD: Sure.

Q. It's funny I remember because, when you were here the first time around, you seemed like you were less wide-eyed because you'd been around these guys who had success on the TOUR or were in the midst of it. So that was unique to me.

STEWART HAGESTAD: I think you look at them as friends and as peers, and obviously you kind of go back to the compensation or some of the titles that they've had and won, but I still look at them as just friends. I hope that they see me in the same way.

I'm lucky to have had a lot of those experiences, but it's kind of the same thing with Cam and with Will. Again, I think their bank accounts have changed much more significantly, but we still -- I think there's just kind of mutual respect and a lot of love and appreciation. It's so much fun to kind of watch what they've been able to do and the success that they've been able to have.

Q. You are the only Mid-Am to make the cut, am I correct? As far as you know.

STEWART HAGESTAD: Playing under that exemption. Jay Sigel made it under the U.S. Am, Bobby Lewis did too. I think there's a contingency there. If you want to build me up, I'll run with it.

Q. Somebody actually mentioned that to me, and I thought I think that's true. I think I remember writing that when you did.

STEWART HAGESTAD: I know Sigel and Bobby Lewis both made it, but I think it was under a different exemption.

Q. You mentioned Vinny played a lot. Who were you talking about?

STEWART HAGESTAD: Vinny Giles.

Q. That was kind of before my era.

STEWART HAGESTAD: Vinny Giles. I think Buddy played in two. We could go down the list. Johnny Harris turned pro. He played in a bunch. Spider Miller played two. Trip Kuehne's played at least one.

Q. This was a topical conversation. When somebody is as good at this as you are, I'm fascinated by the strength of the pull to do this for a living versus grinding your ass off in grad school.

STEWART HAGESTAD: That's what makes it fun though. Like I was on the Walker Cup team in the spring and made dean's list, and I won The Mid-Am in the fall and also was on the dean's list. I went through 23 -- 23 or 25 -- I think it was 23 interviews in the spring getting ready for this. It's just when you're busy, you prioritize, and you're more efficient. I think that's what makes it a lot of fun.

Q. Has there been any moments that where the pull's been enough? Not enough, but strong enough where you kind of think maybe I'd like to give this a go?

STEWART HAGESTAD: I just watched the second best ball striker in the world for 18 holes, and the other kid who almost beat Joaquin Niemann when Joaquin decided to shoot nothing in L.A., no, I'm all good.