MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 9, 2026

Tommy Fleetwood

Quick Quotes

Q. That was a bit of an up and down round, would you say or...

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I had a great front nine, didn't I? Felt like I got everything out of the front nine, and I mean, you're going to go through stretches. I don't think it was playing -- well, it wasn't playing easy. It was playing soft.

Yeah, feel like I stumbled a little bit coming in, but it's just difficult. I mean, there are some very good scores. I think everybody is going to go through a stretch of finding it tough to score. Mine came on the back nine today for a little bit where I hit a poor shot on 16 and a poor tee shot on 17.

Other than that, didn't really hit in I bad golf shots. You know, missed a couple putts. Still, didn't do that much wrong to make a few bogeys. Just shows how tough it is.

Q. When you're on 4-under where does your head go? Do you think well...

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: No, I mean, just keep playing. Birdie a hole before you bogey one really. Just keep going. That was sort of the mindset. I was unlucky on 10. In the middle of the fairway, great shot, and my ball of covered in mud. Then I make a bogey from not really doing anything wrong.

But it's a battle really. I think it's a great balance of you -- there are holes out there where you obviously have to hit sort of defensive shots and don't want to back off too much because the course will take advantage of you.

It's always a fine balance out here. You know, like if it somebody ever said you'll shoot under par in the first round in windy conditions with the course the way it is I probably would've taken it.

Obviously feels disappointing after having such a good to start.

Q. How do you come back after bogeying two of the last three?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: That's done now, so there is nothing to do about it. 16, poor iron shot. 18, hit two lovely shots in. It was such a quick putt from the back of the green. First one I leave eight feet short, whatever it is. Then you see that one dribbles down and goes four feet past from eight feet. It's was in a spot. Feel like should get down in two. Of course you should get down in two, but I didn't.

It's done now, isn't it? Nothing to do. Do a bit of practice, go home, get up tomorrow, and go again.

Q. Shane said the course is playing as difficult as he's ever seen it. Said it's going to be the toughest Masters that he's played in. Would you agree with him?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I mean, potentially, yeah. We'll see. They can do whatever they want with the golf course, can't they? That's the beauty of it. I think you never quite know what you're going to get out here until you hit into the first green, see the ball routes on the first.

For sure they're having absolutely perfect conditions to make it as firm and fast as they want. It's up to them what they want to do with it. Yeah, it's an amazing test, and as a major and as the Masters should be I guess.

Q. (No microphone.)

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Not much really. I honestly did so much good stuff throughout the round and I feel like the birdies, it's stupid margins. The three, like that putt was going 12 foot past and it goes in. 4, I hole like a 25-footer.

Holes like 12, or like 10. Don't feel like I hit a bad shot and make bogey. 12, felt like I hit three good shots, made bogey.

18, three putt that. It's like the margins of good and bad just aren't that much. I feel like if you just focus on like controlling what you can control, like I felt like I hit a lot of good golf shots today and actually holed a lot of good putts and did a lot of things well.

Yeah, frustrated with how I finished, but at the same time, I could have shot level par on the front without doing anything different and I could have shot level par on the back without doing anything different. Just is what it is.

Q. You mentioned the balance. What's your process in the moment, good or bad, to manage that fine balance between the shots you want to hit and the shots you have to hit?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Well, yeah, of course. I think just it's such a great golf course in terms of demanding you to think and strategize at all times.

15 is a great example. Obviously deciding to go for that green today, hit a beautiful shot. If that was two yards short and it's on the green, I'm putting. As it is I had an unbelievably tough chip shot two yards off the green.

You wind up being happy with par. You can decide to lay back there if you want. I think, yeah, that's just how the golf course is. I think all you are ever trying to do is make the best decision possible at the time and commit to that.

If you execute or not is a different story. Just go and play the next one and go from there.

Q. Two quick ones for you. Number one, are there certain shots or certain holes you really have to dial in mentally because of the difficulty now or in the past?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Well, I think all of them. I think there is a balance of if you're in position when you can be aggressive and actually trusting that you can be aggressive. There is also a balance of third hole. Third hole is another great example. What, 15 yards short the green today. Couldn't get anywhere near really without being -- you know, if I was playing with friends like I might have taken that shot on a different way.

I'm like it's the third hole of the Masters; 20 feet would be a good shot from a 20 yard shot. End up holing the putt so it's a bonus, but it's just always ebbs and flows where you really got to manage it.

Q. If you could think back to the initial Masters for you, everybody when it's their first time, let's say the NBA, welcome-to-the-NBA moment where they realize, okay, this is a little bit more difficult than I thought it was going to be. This is the real deal. What was your welcome-to-the-Masters moment?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Started with bogey. I think I started bogey, birdie, bogey I think. I mean, that whole first round I think I shot a dreadful first round. You know, I found it very, very difficult. Just made mistakes throughout the day. So that was probably my welcome to the Masters.