James Piot Finds the Good in an 81 First Round Score at Augusta National

Content courtesy of Augusta National

Q. -- the first tee.
JAMES PIOT: They were better than I expected. I mean, Bay Hill I had more nerves. I couldn't even line up a putt on my first hole, and out here I felt a little more calm and just didn't make some great swings today. That's all it was.

Q. I imagine being here for a couple of days, that helped, right? Being in the Crow's Nest and getting a little more comfortable?
JAMES PIOT: Absolutely. It's a cool experience. You are at Augusta National playing in a Masters, and obviously, extremely bummed with how I played. It's going to sting for a little bit, but it's the Masters. It doesn't get any cooler than this. I'm just going to soak in the experience.

Q. You were 3 over after five. I saw you missed that tough putt on 5. I was up there. You calmed down. Then you just have a tough break at 13. Can you walk through it?
JAMES PIOT: It was just a build-up of, like I said, bad swings today. I kept short-siding myself hitting on the wrong side of the hole, which you can't do out here. 13 tried to hit a draw and caught it off the toe on the tee, and then from there it just got a little hectic. Mis-clubbed one and caught it a groove low, and the wind got it. Went in the pond there -- or the creek. It was just not a lot of good shots on that hole.

Obviously, when you make an 8, that's what happens. Just tried to rebound and kept my head level. I was proud of that, and like I said, just soaking in the experience.

Q. How was the pairing? I know, obviously, you are playing in the Masters with the defending champion and J.T. How was that?
JAMES PIOT: It was awesome. It was fun to watch Hideki. I've never seen someone chip the way he did today. It was impressive how he controlled it around the greens. Obviously, J.T. didn't have his best stuff, but it was cool just being out there with him, and he is one of the greats in golf. And so is Hideki. Obviously wearing the green jacket. Playing next to those two guys, where I didn't prove myself today, I still had a learning experience and got to watch some great golf close up.

Q. What kind of things did they tell you? What kind of support did you get from them?
JAMES PIOT: It was more just about enjoying the experience. It's the Masters. There's nothing cooler than this, and every guy is out there grinding, so there's not as much casual talk as you think.

You're out there. It's a constant math battle out here is what I call it at Augusta National, and, unfortunately, I didn't do great at that today, but just laid back. Just guys chatting it up, and it was cool to see. Talking with J.T., and he is a great guy. Really enjoyed the pairing. 

(Note: Piot told the MGJ that due to the severe elevation changes at Augusta, that he didn’t realize where there just from watching on TV for years, caused him to do much more ‘math adjustments’ to get the right yardages.)

Q. Any other things that happened to you in big college tournaments or the U.S. Amateur kind of compare to this at all or not at all?
JAMES PIOT: It's really tough to compare. The U.S. Amateur, obviously the greens were comparable to this today. Obviously with all that rain, it's not the usual Augusta. It's a little softer, but the pins were phenomenal. They were in great spots where you had to miss on a certain side. They were still accessible, but you had to hit great iron shots, and just didn't perform township that today.

As far as mentally getting ready, it's hectic. You step out on that first tee, and it looks like you're hitting it down a shopping aisle with people. It's really cool, but it was just an awesome all-around experience, and it's tough to compare to anything else. It's the Masters. It's the most unique place on earth.

Q. For the people that don't know, there's a reason you are here. Tell us a little bit about your record with Michigan State. I know you have one of the best college averages.
JAMES PIOT: Yes. Winning the U.S. Amateur got me in here, but Michigan State, when I first got there, I was actually the three guy on the team. So over the years just constant hard work and listening to college coaches got me better and better. Improved every year. Now the low-scoring record holder at Michigan State. Something I'm extremely proud of. Looks like it might get beat this year, unfortunately, but it's just constant hard work and trying to get better got me here, and that's what I stick by, and that's what I'm going to keep doing.

Q. What's your goal for tomorrow (Friday)? What's your mindset? In a sense, the thing about a double bogey on the first hole, it does relax you. Do you feel like you kind of can go low tomorrow?
JAMES PIOT: Yeah, it's going to be tough scoring conditions tomorrow. It looks like it's going to be really windy, so it's tough to say a target score today. Just going out there and just hitting good golf shots, making good golf swings, and just playing a solid round tomorrow. Who knows? If you play good enough with all the wind out there, it could make the cut.

For me there's nothing to hang your head about yet. It's not over until it's over. If not, always have next week at the RBC, and so just confidence-builders now and just keep learning. That's what I tell people. That's what it's about.

Q. One more quick question. I was curious what it felt like playing behind that guy? Did it feel like the most people you ever played in front of? Did it feel like they were moving while you were preparing to play? Tiger Woods.

JAMES PIOT: Yeah, he is a pretty good player (smiling). No, it was really cool playing behind him, and the pace of play was awesome out there, so you didn't get to see him much putting and anything.

When you hit a good shot, the roars, I have never heard anything like it, and it's really cool playing right behind golf's great.

Q. Did it feel like the course was leaning in his direction away from you?

JAMES PIOT: You kind of notice it, too, and I made a comment yesterday. Yeah, I'm playing behind Tiger Woods. It's going to be a little tough. It's better to play behind him than in front of him. They're, like, everyone is leaving when he goes through. That's a good point. You kind of notice it even playing with J.T., one of the greatest and defending champion, and still people are leaving because they want to get ahead and go watch Tiger Woods.

It was really cool, though. Just all the people out there and you get in a zone. You kind of learn to block them out, and for me I tell people playing at a public course helped me because I would have buddies throwing stuff at me yelling while I'm hitting balls. I don't notice the background noise and all that stuff as much, but it was awesome today. I mean, it was unforgettable.