MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 7, 2026

Nick Taylor

Quick Quotes

Q. Nice round with your Canadian friends. How was the day, and what's it like playing with those guys at this golf course?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah. It's always great. I feel like that's kind of the tradition. You get the text from Mike a month or two out and schedule it in.

So, yeah, it was a lot of fun. The weather is awesome. The golf course is somewhat receptive, but knowing the forecast, it's going to only get firmer.

Yeah, it's always just a great stroll around Tuesday morning.

Q. You now have some experience here. Is Mike still giving some tips on these rounds?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah. I'll pick anyone's brain and take anything. So any advice I'll take. I was lucky enough to play the weekend last week with Jordan Spieth. So I picked his brain on a few different strategies that he might have, or if it's changed over the years.

Yeah, any little thing you can have that will help you out in this scenario is always helpful.

Q. Is there anything from today?

NICK TAYLOR: You know, it's just, honestly, like checking up on things. Like the bunker on 7, where do you, like, if you're out of position, which one is best for certain pin locations.

I find a lot here like par-5 strategies where to hit it is consistently with certain pin locations, what gives you the best chance at making 4.

13 is so much longer now, it's where am I going to lay up for the right wedge shot with the pins. Went over that yesterday. That's the kind of stuff you go over.

Q. How much have you evolved from your very first Masters, which was, of course, in the fall, so it doesn't count in the same respect as like the springtime one. How have you evolved from that first one to now as you approach this golf course?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah. I think you just learn over time that, especially when you're out of position, the cliché is like taking your medicine, but really you don't even attempt to hit, quote/unquote, the hero shot. It's where can I put it in the best location for this pin position to get up-and-down for par. I think maybe that's what, maybe with experience, you learn over time. Because other golf courses you can try to hook one around, if you overhook, you might get lucky and hit on the green and have a chance at birdie. Here, the likelihood of that is pretty much zero, but you only get in more trouble because you're trying to force things a little bit.

That's kind of, I feel, like the nuances of that you kind of pick up over the years, because most shots in the fairway, when it's a good number, like, you kind of know what to do, but it's when things don't go to plan, how do you kind of play the golf course from there.

Q. Do you feel like anything has changed out there from year to year?

NICK TAYLOR: We'd heard 4, 11 and 14 were resurfaced. It seems like some of the areas the slopes have changed minorly.

To me, not being here enough, I couldn't really tell from the naked eye, but maybe a few putts you could tell a little selfies. Not really. Not much has changed.

Q. How would you describe your season as a whole to this point?

NICK TAYLOR: You know, close. Obviously a lot of made cuts, a lot of like top 30s, but nothing great. I feel like I'm turning the right direction.

Excited about where -- we've narrowed down probably what is probably causing a few shots here or there. But it's close. Like a lot of weeks are two shots away, I feel like, from really, really good weeks.

And it's hard, finished 28th last week. You feel like it's just an average week, but it's closer than it probably seems.

So, yeah, I'm happy with somewhat the consistency. Just would like a little bit better makes it obviously a great start to the year.

Q. When you're talking about narrowing down what's kind of troubling you, what's that process like for you?

NICK TAYLOR: You know, to me, it's not be one part of my game necessarily that's been like holding me back. Iron play and around the greens have been quite good for the year.

I was driving great the first five, six events. The last few hasn't been as good, but that's definitely turning around.

The putter will be nice for a couple days, and I'll have a down day and an average day.

Like I said, one or two shots you can lose your mind looking over how to gain those, but all I know it's close, and I feel like I'm in a good mindset of knowing that I'm kind of going the right direction that I'm happy for it.

Q. Augusta is a special place. What's your favorite spot out on the golf course for you to sort of soak it in and are happy that you're there?

NICK TAYLOR: It's probably different in competition versus like a practice round. 13 is obviously probably the most peaceful spot for us, spectators aren't back there. You're in your kind of little like cave almost.

12 green would be one. But, yeah, there's not a bad spot out there.

Q. What was it like the first time you were back there on 12 green in the back and 13 there, finally being in the place you've seen on TV but nobody gets to be?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah. It's eerie is probably too negative of a word, but it's so quiet compared to the rest of the golf course. You kind of hear some birds chirping. It's just peaceful back there.

But it's also kind of the most intense part of the golf course when you're in competition.

So it's like, yeah, it's an interesting spot to be in. But once you're on the 12th green, hopefully putting for birdie, you're in a pretty peaceful head space.

Q. You talked about that stretch. A lot of famous stretches in golf are just known for how difficult they play, but Amen Corner can be that or it can be the place that turns around positive. What is it about that stretch in competition that's so interesting?

NICK TAYLOR: Well, you look at just from the scorecard perspective, like 12 is 160 yards. Most places it's going to have a lot of birdies, but there's disaster waiting around the corner. I think most guys, on that hole in particular, probably play more conservative than most golf courses.

11 is a very difficult hole that you're happy with a 4 there every day.

Like I said, 13 I think has changed over the years where there was probably more equal opportunities in the past, but, again, there's fun slopes on that green to spin a wedge back or have the angle. Where the crowd is on the right, a lot of times we are laying up over there.

So it's a dramatic few holes that you go 5-5-5 pretty easily. You can go 3-3-3. A lot can change.

Q. You just talked about 12 and how fun and unique those are. Talk about 12 and 16 how unique those are and how many you guys got on tour with the par-3s and how much fun is it to do here?

NICK TAYLOR: It is. It's a great collection of par-3s. Huge elevation change on 6 and 4. I wouldn't say huge. But down. All the par-3s you're happy with par.

I would say 6 and 16 maybe with certain pins you can use the slopes and you can definitely have birdie opportunity.

Yeah, you gotta hit a great shot those holes, and it can be a yard from using a slope down to inside five feet for birdie or you can miss the slope and have a virtually impossible two-putt. That's the great part of this golf course.

Q. You're sort of known for what you can do late on Sundays, and this golf course is obviously known for what it provides on Sundays. Have you allowed your mind to think if those two things could overlap what you could do here on a Sunday and what that mindset would be like?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah. I have to get in that position on Sunday.

That's the part -- I'll worry about Thursday's tee shot and kind of go from there. I've gained some experience over the last few years, and it would be in a comfortable situation that I can have some comfort in.

But, yeah, it would be a different animal than what I've realistically been in, but I can definitely draw on past experiences to help me on that.

Q. Do you think it will be different than like (inaudible)?

NICK TAYLOR: It's hard to know, but like I said, there's parallels, but the Masters, a Major, it's probably a level up, yeah.