MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 9, 2026

John Keefer

Quick Quotes

Q. Just walk me through, what was the day like from your first tee shot through 18 playing in the Masters for the first time.

JOHN KEEFER: Yeah, that first tee shot was pretty nerve-wracking. You know, teeing off first off, you know, it was a lot of fun. Thankfully I hit it good. I hit it in the fairway. Yeah, you know, this course is playing really, really nicely. You can see how it's progressed throughout the week, throughout our preparation and everything. It's a little bit how we expected.

You know, it's a little bit firmer, a little bit faster than how it was earlier in the week. It's only going to get a little bit firmer and faster. But, yeah, it was a great walk and a good time.

Q. I know it was only your first competitive round, but is this course tougher on you physically or mentally?

JOHN KEEFER: I think mentally. You know, there are a few times out there where you have a wheelhouse number and couldn't play to the pin anyways. You know, there were a few tricky, tricky hole locations out there for me as a first-timer. I still have to be patient with and make sure that I don't try and bite off too much at one time.

I think that's the key for me. Going into tomorrow, you know, I've got to make some birdies, but I'm going to try to let the course help me do that.

Q. When you say bite off, you know, too much, are you going to have to be more patient, less aggressive?

JOHN KEEFER: I mean, I think I did a really good job of being patient today. A few things didn't go my way, but that's kind of how golf is. You know, tomorrow I'm sticking to the same game plan, committing to the same shots, and hopefully a few more balls go in the hole quicker.

Q. So no big changes for tomorrow, okay. Columbia is hosting a Korn Ferry event next month. Tell me how the Korn Ferry TOUR prepared you for this.

JOHN KEEFER: I mean, there's not much that a rookie can get experience-wise quite like this. I think this is one of a kind. It's hard to get the preparation exactly that you need and the right way and figuring out my own formula. Again, I think the biggest takeaway from the Korn Ferry was I'm a very good golfer. Good golf is going to make some birdies, and bad golf won't.

I think staying patient is kind of what I did all year last year, and I think that's why it was a great year. I think I'm just going to continue to stay patient and regardless of the level that I get to.

Q. And the success you had on the Korn Ferry, that really had to be a big boost to your confidence and assuring yourself that, hey, I am pretty good at this game.

JOHN KEEFER: Yeah, 100%. I think confidence is never a bad thing in golf. We beat ourselves up probably more than others beat us up. So, you know, just staying patient, staying confident, committing to the plan that we want and executing to the best of our abilities is all we can do.

Nothing else that we can control.

Q. Finally, what can be a fan in Columbia expect when they come out to watch the Korn Ferry TOUR, especially those that are not familiar with the tour and the level of play?

JOHN KEEFER: A lot of really, really talented players. You know, Michael Brennan is here this week as well, and he went ahead and skipped the Korn Ferry. Yeah, I mean, could have just as well not and been on the Korn Ferry as well.

Then you have young guys like Blades Brown. You have young guys all over. I mean, even my teammate Cooper Dossey is playing incredible right now, and it's really fun to watch. I think just overall on the Korn Ferry there's a ton of talent and could be the next superstars.