MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 8, 2025

Nick Taylor

Quick Quotes

Q. How was it playing with your friends out on the first major of the year?

NICK TAYLOR: It was great. Yesterday was a bit of a Washington, but today was beautiful. Going out early, seeing the course, it really wasn't as soft as I expected some of the greens are receptive, especially when comparing to last year's extreme conditions. But yeah, it was great.

Q. Last year was sort of your first regular Masters being able to bring family and everything do you think maybe this year having been there last year with some of the jitters were gone or some of the newness is gone, do you feel more comfortable?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, I think some of the knew necessary is gone, more comfortable. Kind of know what to expect, so, yeah, there was a few factors last year that maybe I underestimated potentially but I feel like I'm more comfortable with this year and ready to go.

Q. Majors have been a little strange for you in recent years because you've been playing so well winning so many tournaments, is there anything you can put a finger on or any philosophy changes you're bring engine this major season?

NICK TAYLOR: I think just getting that belief growing that my game is good enough to compete. Again it's been odd with potentially a couple poor draw, some missed cuts by one or two, so I know I'm not far off, it's just getting through that barrier of probably the belief standpoint and then I've played well enough at a vast majority of golf courses that there's no reason I can't compete out here. So getting that belief is definitely probably the next step and then from there I can shoot some good scores.

Q. What are the new goals for you, you've won so much compared to your contemporaries, when you reset the goals, is the next big goal breaking through at a major?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, competing in one, you know, being up on leaderboards more often, I have the belief when I'm there that I can pull off shots that can win tournaments that I've do not last few years, but, yeah, the bigger the Tournament, trying to be there as much as possible.

Q. Knowing that you're such a -- you have such a reputation as a closer, is it sort of frustrating that you haven't gotten yourself into a chance where you can sort of show that, the best side of your game?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, I obviously want to be in the biggest moments and pull off shots, which I've been able to do, but the biggest moments are the majors, so that is the next step, but competing on being teeing off Sunday with a chance going to the back nine with a chance is definitely the next step in my career that I'm working hard towards and again that belief is growing that I'm able to do that, I just need to do it.

Q. Tell us the best part about the Par-3 Contest, something that we wouldn't know?

NICK TAYLOR: I think part of it is just again this tournament, so much of this tournament, not just the par-3 you grow up watching, and I was a young kid, so at the time you're not really thinking about having a family and that, but as my career went on you start to have children and you imagine it, it's just like it's just whole some almost, I don't really know how to describe it. It's exhausting because you're like you're probably getting judged by about 10,000 people you're parenting with, just chasing your kids around, but it's just a lot of fun for them and it's just memories that obviously a select few are able to have. So you embrace it, tomorrow it's same group at 3 or 3:30, I think, but it's just getting their jump suits, my son's a lefty but he's got a little Spider putter now and he's going to be ripping around out there. He loved filling in the divots last year, so it is a lot of fun. It's a very unique day and activity.

Q. Everybody talks about how important the knowledge of the course here is, how did you prepare this time? Do you think about the last round you played here, what you could have done better or differently?

NICK TAYLOR: That's probably the most that I try to pick Mike Weir, Corey, who have played here a bunch. Angles is probably more important here than any other course. So if there's anywhere from laying up to a certain pin on a par-5, where you're missing greens, where the best situation is to be to get up-and-down. That's the stuff you kind of can get more experience with and then I think on the greens the subtle breaks to Rae's Creek, the areas that you want to be in, that's what you learn over time, I feel like, so you just kind of gain momentum with the knowledge, the more times that you're here. I've said a few times this week, last year I feel like it was so extreme when we played Thursday and Friday that it's hard to take a lot from that year, but I'll take what I can and this year it seems like the weather forecast is going to be relatively normal week with not 30-mile-an-hour gusts or 40-mile-an-hour gusts, so that's what I most take from is the angles, the around the green stuff.

Q. You're happy about the forecast then?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, I didn't really enjoy last year, to be honest, with the conditions.

Q. Is there anything like a merch or food that you sort of when you come here you have to go to a building or get a specific piece of food or something you made a bee line for to make sure you get it?

NICK TAYLOR: I'm not a big pimento cheese guy, but like the egg salad sandwich is probably one of the top ones for me. But just that whole, it's just, I don't know, that's so unique to here, it's $1.50 sandwiches, I feel like every year there's some sneaky thing that they have done without anyone knowing that is not sneaky to anywhere else. Like they built the parking garage with a tunnel out now for to us drive through. But there's no detail that is not thought of and pretty much meticulously done to perfection.

Q. A lot of us find the mystery of the place and fans find that to be such an exciting part, is it no different for the players?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, no different for me. No different for me. It being my only, my third time but still things that it's just remarkable. Again, everything is thought of, anywhere from the patrons all the way to the players, just to make it the best experience possible.

Q. It's an interesting time to be a Canadian working and living or being in America, I've only been here two days and I had a lot ever people come up and apologize or something. Do you have any of that on Tour, have you felt that in the last few months?

NICK TAYLOR: Probably more jokes about being the 51st state than anything. Fans maybe on it. Nothing crazy. Uber driver here or there that if somehow it comes up I'm Canadian may apologize, may not, I don't know. Yeah, it's definitely an interesting situation for us, but I've been down here a long time, it is what it is. I try to ignore it, to be honest.

Q. Do they try to heckle you?

NICK TAYLOR: I wouldn't say heckling, but just trying to be a frat boy funny.

Q. Do you find it funny?

NICK TAYLOR: I particularly don't find it that funny, but...

Q. As a guy who likes, you like to play a lot of shots, you like to shape the ball, when you come here now for the third time have you kind of got it set in your mind how you need to shape shots into certain greens or is it all still dependent on pin position and wind?

NICK TAYLOR: I think it's a combination of both. Off the tee I -- the last number of years I try to get to fall right off the tee. The tee shot on 2, 13, I'm missing a hole here, that I want to -- 10, sorry. 2, 10, 13 that I'm going to try to draw it. Which I've always been comfortable enough to draw it, but that's just not the shape that I have particularly done, so that alone -- and there's definitely, like I said, the angles with the slopes, you have to keep that in mind with the shot that you're trying to hit into the green. Either going with the slope or going against it to avoid trouble or you know 15 is such a wide layup zone with every pin there you might lay it up 50 yards right versus the next day. So that's where you try to gain knowledge on the more times you play it.

Q. Is there any stock approach shots out there where you're just like trying to hit it straight or is everything like I've got to curve it this way or that way?

NICK TAYLOR: There's a lot of holes you're trying to hit in the middle of the green, it's probably whatever your comfort is. A lot of times the lies in the fairway can kind of dictate that too. If the ball is well above your feet it's really hard to fade it off that versus the other way. There's multiple options every time you hit into the green, it's kind of what your comfort level is, and then from there where do you want to hit it on the green or where do you want to miss it. So that's kind of what -- if you can -- the less complicated that is and just commit to a decision the better you'll be.