Michigan State University Athletics
Piot Completes First Round of The Masters, “It Doesn’t Get Any Cooler Than This”
4/7/2022 6:40:00 PM | Men's Golf
East Lansing, Mich. – What Michigan State men's golfer James Piot won't ever forget is the experience of playing in The Masters on what he referred to as "holy ground" for golf.
Playing in The Masters at Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia, Piot teed off at 11:15 a.m., alongside defending champion Hideki Matsuyama and major champion Justin Thomas.
Piot's Masters Scorecard
Piot finished with a 9-over par 81 in the first round. It certainly wasn't the score he would have hoped to post in his first round, but the experience was something he won't forget.
"It's a cool experience here at Augusta National, playing in a Masters," Piot said afterward. "I'm extremely bummed with how I played and it's gonna 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."
When he stepped to the tee box at the first hole, Piot said afterward he felt comfortable.
"They were better than I expected," Piot said of his nerves. "At Bay Hill (in the Arnold Palmer Invitational), I had more nerves and I couldn't line up a putt on my first hole. Out here, I felt a little more calm. I just didn't make some great swings today, that's all it was."
Piot knew his pairing would put him would place him with two great names in golf and while he was disappointed with his round, he also came away with something.
"It was awesome," Piot said of the pairing. "It was fun to watch Hideki. I've never seen someone chip the way he did today. It was impressive watching the way he controlled it around the greens.
"Obviously, JT didn't have his best stuff, but it was cool just being out there with him. He's 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."
Piot said the experience of playing at Augusta National was like nothing he had before in golf.
"It's really tough to compare," Piot said of playing in The Masters. "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 up to 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."
His first round out of the way, Piot planned to get out on the range in the evening and prepare for Friday's second round, when he tees off at 1:52 p.m.
"I'm going to relax for a bit, grab some food, and talk to my people here," Piot said. "It's cool having my friends and family out here. Obviously, like I said, it stings shooting that 81, but it's Masters week. You've got to just enjoy it, and that's what it's all about this week. Like I said, I would have loved to have played well today, but there's still golf to play tomorrow. Got to keep going."
Playing in The Masters at Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia, Piot teed off at 11:15 a.m., alongside defending champion Hideki Matsuyama and major champion Justin Thomas.
Piot's Masters Scorecard
Piot finished with a 9-over par 81 in the first round. It certainly wasn't the score he would have hoped to post in his first round, but the experience was something he won't forget.
"It's a cool experience here at Augusta National, playing in a Masters," Piot said afterward. "I'm extremely bummed with how I played and it's gonna 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."
When he stepped to the tee box at the first hole, Piot said afterward he felt comfortable.
"They were better than I expected," Piot said of his nerves. "At Bay Hill (in the Arnold Palmer Invitational), I had more nerves and I couldn't line up a putt on my first hole. Out here, I felt a little more calm. I just didn't make some great swings today, that's all it was."
Piot knew his pairing would put him would place him with two great names in golf and while he was disappointed with his round, he also came away with something.
"It was awesome," Piot said of the pairing. "It was fun to watch Hideki. I've never seen someone chip the way he did today. It was impressive watching the way he controlled it around the greens.
"Obviously, JT didn't have his best stuff, but it was cool just being out there with him. He's 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."
Piot said the experience of playing at Augusta National was like nothing he had before in golf.
"It's really tough to compare," Piot said of playing in The Masters. "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 up to 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."
His first round out of the way, Piot planned to get out on the range in the evening and prepare for Friday's second round, when he tees off at 1:52 p.m.
"I'm going to relax for a bit, grab some food, and talk to my people here," Piot said. "It's cool having my friends and family out here. Obviously, like I said, it stings shooting that 81, but it's Masters week. You've got to just enjoy it, and that's what it's all about this week. Like I said, I would have loved to have played well today, but there's still golf to play tomorrow. Got to keep going."
Players Mentioned
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