MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 10, 2025

Viktor Hovland

Quick Quotes

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Q. Tell us about your day today.

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, it was a good day. It felt like I played pretty well throughout the round. But had a couple of mistakes, especially on No. 9. That was kind of a big one today.

But really happy with how I was able to fight back and get the round under par.

Q. You used the word "disgusting" to describe of your shots a few weeks ago in the wind. Would you say there were some shots today that you were able to recover from?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Less so. I hit one of the -- big push slice on 13 today, so that's kind of been the big miss that I've had in there.

But I haven't really seen it the last week. It's an uncomfortable tee shot. You don't want to go left, so I think you're just kind of reverting back to old habits. That was about the only one.

I hit a lot of good shots today, and I feel like even if I hit a bad shot, I know exactly what I did to made that happen, and I believe the next shot I can correct it right away.

It's not like a mechanical fault that's in there for the rest of the day that I can't really fix, if that makes sense.

Q. Can I ask you about 15; how do you find that approach shot in particular?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, I had a full 4-iron in there today and I pulled it a little bit, landed middle of the green, and it bounced a good -- it was probably a good 10 steps over the green almost.

It's just really difficult. I hit a really nice pitch shot and I made sure to aim it really far left away from the pin because you can easily hit a nice pitch on that green and it just rolls in the water, which I'm sure a lot of guys did today.

So I made sure to hit a high soft one and just keep it really far left, and even then it came trickling back and hit a nice shot in there. I was really happy with my birdie.

But you don't have to be far off to make a double or hit it in the water or whatnot.

Q. How tough can this course be when 15 is playing like that, and I think 13 played almost the toughest it's ever played, if you take two par-5s out of the equation like that?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, really brutal. It's like you have No. 2, that's a birdie hole, but even that's no joke with that left pin. You have to hit a good tee shot and a good second shot and probably still scramble to make a birdie.

Then 3 with that pin placement, that's also a fairly easy hole. But other than that, you don't really -- there's really no reprieve after that.

8, but you've still got to hit two really nice shots.

You don't make birdie on those, you've got to step up and do something special. You have to hit a great iron shot into some of the harder holes, even though on paper they all play over par, I'm sure.

Q. And yet Rosey shoots 65 today --

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Ridiculous. That's nuts. Those greens are so firm. I remember a few years ago, I can't remember what year it was, but he kind of did something similar, I think.

I think this one is probably a little bit more impressive because out of all the Masters I've played, this is probably the firmest it's been since I've played, on a Thursday. It's definitely no joke out there.

Q. Do you feel that firmness Monday to Tuesday to Wednesday into today? Does it increase?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: So I showed up Sunday night so I didn't get to practice on Sunday, but I heard the greens were pretty firm on Sunday, but Monday obviously with all that rain it got really soft, and then it progressively got a little bit firmer but nowhere close to what it is now.

Talking to some guys that have been here for a long time, they kind of say that's usually how it goes. Plays kind of nice and gettable Monday to Wednesday, and then Wednesday night it kind of changes a little bit.