ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS

April 25, 2026

Mac Meissner

Matt McCarty

TPC Louisiana

Press Conference

Q. A 63 today. Matt, we'll start with you, if we can get some comments on your play?

MATT McCARTY: Yeah, I mean, it was solid. Would have been nice for both of us to make one of those at the last, but a solid day. I think we wanted to hold ourselves to double digits at the beginning of the day, so one short of that. Nothing to hang our heads about, but good spot going into tomorrow, for sure.

Q. Mac, your thoughts on the day?

MAC MEISSNER: Yeah, I mean, it was great. Definitely a sour finish, but for the most part, I thought we didn't get a ton out of our rounds, but still finished with a pretty good number and kept ourselves in contention-ish.

Yeah, we'll look to go put a little pressure on the Fitzy boys tomorrow.

Q. Five back tomorrow going in at the alternate shot format. What will be the key, Matt, just in terms of can you be aggressive in that format?

MATT McCARTY: Yeah, I mean, I think you got to be. The goal is to try to win, but alternate shot is a tough format. Anything can happen. Honestly, like, just kind of keep doing what we're doing. We're hitting a lot of good shots. We haven't really made much the last three days, to be honest. So if we can get in some putts to go tomorrow, I think we'll be in a good spots on the back nine for sure.

Q. Your friendship with each other has been well-documented on the Korn Ferry Tour. Talk a little bit about how much fun it's been playing this week.

MAC MEISSNER: Oh, it's been great. It's been great vibes. I think with kind of all that we've been through through the Korn Ferry and to now, it's been really fun to be able to pair up and kind of complement each other's games well. We've had a great time.

Q. Likewise, Matt, how has it been?

MATT McCARTY: It's just a fun week. It kind of breaks up the monotony out here of the tour in a sense. Just a different format. You know, kind of when you hit a bad shot and your partner has got inside 10 feet for birdie, you don't really beat yourself up too badly, so it's nice to kind of just give yourself a break out there and lean on each other a little bit.

When you have another really good player doing that, it makes golf a little bit easier sometimes, so it's just a lot of fun.

Q. We obviously know about the road dogs and the gravel cats. Have you been able to keep that together in practice rounds or anything like that?

MAC MEISSNER: Yeah, I mean, we play most practice rounds together when we're playing the same weeks. I think our schedules have kind of converged -- or I guess have gone a little separate ways, but I'm hoping that can kind of start making my way back towards the signature events and playing a couple more practice rounds.

MATT McCARTY: Yeah, we stay together on the road and play on Tuesdays. It's been a lot of fun.

Q. Mac, can you kind of describe the conditions out there today and where it ranks in terms of getability from what you see week in, week out on the PGA TOUR?

MAC MEISSNER: Yeah, I mean, it was gettable today. Greens were a good holing speed. Obviously playing lift it in place makes it about as easy as it can for us. Yeah, being in the fairway gave you the opportunity to attack a lot of those pins.

They had a couple of tough ones out there, but if the most part you could get at them. 5-iron, 6-irons were laying it in and kind of stopping. Makes it a little bit easier for us.

Q. Matt, is there a moment tomorrow where you start to think more about points if the Fitzpatrick brothers open with a few birdies and foursomes and it's kind of, like, all right, I might have to play, like, more aggressive than is good for me to catch them? Is there a point where you start to think about not blowing up?

MATT McCARTY: I don't know. I mean, I guess we'll see. Alt shot anything can happen. You hit a couple of loose balls out here, put your partner in some tough places, and three, four shots can turn into nothing really quickly.

I mean, play as aggressive as we can. Controlled aggression out here. I think you never want to short-side your partner, but if you got a green light, you got a green light, and you got to try to make birdies for sure.

I mean, we're going to go out tomorrow trying to get after it early and just kind of see where we're at with nine holes to play, for sure.

Q. Who is more likely to take their shoes off and get in the water next to an alligator to hit a shot out of the two of you?

MATT McCARTY: I don't know. I guess it depends who is more desperate for points.

MAC MEISSNER: Probably me I guess then (laughing).

MATT McCARTY: I don't know. I think nobody should have to take their shoes off. If the other person needs to, it's the other one's fault. We've made it three days. Now it's on the other one, so we should be all right.

MAC MEISSNER: Yeah.