MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 8, 2026

Brandon Holtz

Quick Quotes

Q. Brandon.

BRANDON HOLTZ: Yes, sir.

Q. I mean, after three days of practice here, how do you feel?

BRANDON HOLTZ: Well, I feel good. I feel great being here. Got some things to figure out still, but, hey, that is part of being the mid-am. Just happy for the chance to be here.

Q. If you had to talk about the things that impressed you the most coming here.

BRANDON HOLTZ: It's a well-operated machine out here. Fans are great. Golf course obviously magnificent. The best by far golf course I've ever played.

And it's got a lot of teeth to it. It's not just come out here and swing away. It's 18 holes of concentration. It'll be a good week.

Q. For being an amateur, how have the players received you?

BRANDON HOLTZ: Good. I'm the old fat guy out here. It's been great. I've met a lot of guys, talked to them, just trying to understand their story a little bit.

Played with Tommy Fleetwood yesterday, played with Jordan Spieth today. Talk about two icons of the sport. Just learned some things from them. At points in time I was just sitting back and watching them play.

So it's been great.

Q. What did you see about their practice and how they practice and how they like strategize about this course that you can learn from?

BRANDON HOLTZ: I mean, they rarely miss and their wedges are just incredible. Just the action on the ball, the control they have with it, it's far in between mid-ams and big time players.

Q. If you think about what part of your game got you here, do you think is that part of your game?

BRANDON HOLTZ: Yeah, the driver got me here. I've been kind of struggling earlier in the week with it, but hoping to dial it in for tomorrow. Only got half a day left, but sometimes you just got get out there and play. Shut the brain off and tee it up and hit it and go find it and hit it again.

Q. What part of your technique and mental game is going to get you to Saturday here?

BRANDON HOLTZ: You know, I'm taking one shot at a time, trying not to get too far ahead of myself. You don't know what you don't know. Obviously I've been out here, but hasn't been tournament time yet. So one shot at a time and see what happens.

Q. You mentioned you're struggling with your driver. Do you have a special delivery coming today?

BRANDON HOLTZ: I do thanks to the USGA and one of my buddies who kind of made the call. Yeah, I got my old driver from the Mid-Am coming back today. Should have it this afternoon. Again huge thanks to them. I talked to Scott Langley, one of the directors over there, and he was a huge help in making this all happen.

Pretty special for sure. Shows you what the USGA does and will do for you.

Q. Are you tracking that?

BRANDON HOLTZ: I'm not. They basically said, hey, just enjoy your day and we'll get it to you at some point. So no, I'm not tracking it, but I have faith that they'll be here.

Q. Doing this for the people of Peoria.

BRANDON HOLTZ: Nice.

Q. Pretty surreal to play with Jordan in a practice round. How was that?

BRANDON HOLTZ: Like I said I wish I had my camera. I see all those people taking photographs and I'm wanting to take a shot or two myself. He's a great guy. Just got a lot of information off him. We just talked. Talked as people talk. Learned a little bit about his family and he was asking about mine. So it was just really, really fun to play with him.

Q. How have the guys welcomed you?

BRANDON HOLTZ: Yeah, the same. Overall it's been pretty good. I mean, like I said earlier I played with Tommy Fleetwood yesterday -- two days ago, another just genuine great guy.

It's just cool to see those guys in a different element. You see them on TV, but being able to have those personal communication and those conversations is fun. It's special.

Q. Have you had to pinch yourself the last 72 hours? Tell me what that's been like?

BRANDON HOLTZ: Yeah, I feel like -- we got here Saturday and I feel like we just got here. Just flies by. Yeah, it's definitely a surreal moment, just this whole thing.

It was unexpected to play with Tommy two days ago and unexpected to play with Jordan today, and just made it more special. Not only for me but my fans that are here too. My family, they got to watch two of the game's icons, so it was fun.

Q. What's it like having your dad on the bag? Obviously some history.

BRANDON HOLTZ: Sure.

Q. As a father and son to be with him out there that's probably just something probably hard to believe.

BRANDON HOLTZ: Yeah, no, it's an unbelievable moment and we're ready. He won badges back in 2004, so he's been bringing us out here for 20 years. About time I get to return the favor.

Q. You regret -- I am sure you have been asked this - not trying to play golf and ISU and just sticking with basketball?

BRANDON HOLTZ: No. We can all -- hindsight is 20/20. We can all sit and dream and wish. Just take life as it comes to you and live in the moment.

Q. As a real estate agent what would you be doing now? If you weren't at Augusta would you be sitting in an office, showing houses?

BRANDON HOLTZ: A little bit of both. Be in the office with the TV ready to go for the par-3.

Yeah, it's going to be hard to go back to work after being here all week.

But, no, real estate gives me the flexibility to keep playing golf and kind of making your own hours really helps.

Q. What do you say to the people back in central Illinois and Bloomington all though this journey?

BRANDON HOLTZ: Just a huge thank you. They been a huge support. The whole town of Bloomington has been incredible. Just the phone calls, texts, emails, overwhelming at times but super grateful.

I wouldn't want it any other way for push.

Q. Did you ever come here as a patron?

BRANDON HOLTZ: I did. I've been coming here since 2004; about 15 times I've been here probably.

Q. What is your average -- if you had to create a perfect day, what does it look like? What time you getting here? Food you're eating? What are you buying?

BRANDON HOLTZ: I got here Saturday and I feel like every day is the perfect day. When I come as a patron we're racing to the entry door, racing to the pro shop to get our merch, racing to the course to get our spots.

It's nice to just be here and again be in the moment and do things as you want to do them.

Q. When you say race to the merch, are you a hat guy?

BRANDON HOLTZ: Honestly me personally I don't buy a lot for myself. More for just family and friends. But my wife, that ticket price in there is not always that fun to see. I don't even ask anymore really.