MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 12, 2025

Charl Schwartzel

Quick Quotes

Q. How did it go out there?

CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Today I played better than yesterday. A lot of just bad mistakes. Made a lot of bogeys from the middle of the fairway with short irons, and it was costly.

The course is difficult as it is, and it was just bad mistakes from the middle of the fairway.

Q. You've been getting quite a few birdies.

CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Because I'm playing well. I'm driving the ball well, putting myself in great positions, but I bogeyed 10 from the middle of the fairway with a 9-iron, 17 with a 9-iron. I'm missing a lot of greens. A lot of hesitation with distances.

Q. What do you base that?

CHARL SCHWARTZEL: You're getting Augustaized. The flags are all three, four yards from disaster, so you're constantly -- if it's a back flag you're trying to play short but I'm playing too conservative.

Sometimes you just need to hit for the flag and rather hit a good shot than get a bad result than hit a bad shot from the beginning.

Q. Is that going to be the way you go tomorrow?

CHARL SCHWARTZEL: You know, yeah, I've got nothing to lose. So tomorrow might as well fire at it and try to play a bit more aggressive.

Q. There seem to be scores out there.

CHARL SCHWARTZEL: 100 percent. You can shoot 6-under. Today 6-under was in the cards all day. But you need to make less mistakes.

Q. How important is it for you to be able to play this major, because obviously given with LIV and your rankings, you're kind of out of most of the majors.

CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Look, the rankings don't really matter to us because it's the only way that I'll play in that got rankings.

Q. But the opportunity to play the majors is denied to you guys --

CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Oh, look, it's a privilege to play in this one. It always will be.

Q. Is it important for you and really enjoyable to play against the guys that you generally don't play against? Is it nice kind of seeing them?

CHARL SCHWARTZEL: It is. You know, for me, I just love playing golf, whether it's -- I don't really care who I play against. It's nice to compete. I like to hit -- challenge myself. I'm upset because I'm playing badly. I'm not really worried about who I'm playing against.

As I know, if I play decent, I can compete in any tournament.

Q. Have you chatted, say, to Louis who doesn't have the opportunity to play majors?

CHARL SCHWARTZEL: This is the one he misses. He came close here. I think he would have loved to have played, but also in the same breath he said the course is getting too long for him. Augusta has definitely become a golf course that you need length.