Q. I guess I should ask you first about the black tape on your right arm.
ZACH JOHNSON: Just preventative.
Q. No issues?
ZACH JOHNSON: Age.
Q. How long have you had to deal with it?
ZACH JOHNSON: It peeked its head probably late summer, mid to late summer. I didn't play but one event in the fall because I have a senior who played high school football.
So I didn't do much, and I thought it would get better by doing nothing for the most part, but it really didn't.
It's actually gotten better since December, which I'm encouraged about. Got a good team that really helps me. So I'm encouraged.
Q. Two birdies to begin with, two birdies at the end. Want to start with that?
ZACH JOHNSON: Sure. I got off to a good start. Created a lot of opportunities early, couple decent saves early. Well, one. I guess one save early.
Then 8 through -- really 8 through 11, just I don't know what happened there. Kind of got out of sorts. Hit two great shots on 8 and tap-in for a bogey. It was just poor golf there. Actually executed the shot kind of how I saw it. It was just an improper execution, I guess, on the third shot on 8.
You're trying to get it close on a par-5. I put the ball where I wanted to on the second shot. So that was poor management -- it was poor management, not execution -- well, yeah. Poor management.
Q. Both?
ZACH JOHNSON: Probably both, yeah.
I three-putted 10. I actually hit two good putts but --
11 was probably going to be a bogey from the start with the tee shot, so you get what you get there.
14 chapped my rear end a bit.
Man, I hit a great putt on 15, 16.
Obviously a nice little pitch on 17.
Then obviously I hit a really good shot on 18.
It was a nice way to cap the day.
Q. With some of the -- the lack of some trees that are gone, did you find that the course played any differently with the winds when there's trees not to block the wind as much?
ZACH JOHNSON: I have not. I guess there could be some logic in that.
This place is unique in the sense that regardless of what Mother Nature does, number one, it's still going to be an amazing championship. Number two, the golf course is still the purest and most predictable place you'll ever step foot on.
And I say that, but it still requires every shot to be extremely precise. That's what they created. That's why it's the best. It's regardless, again, of what Mother Nature does -- I know they've had to work a lot. I'm not going to dismiss that. Actually, I don't know. I probably don't know half of it; but given the treachery behind Helene in this community.
However, what they've done, if you've never seen this place, you would never know. If your eyes have never and your feet have never been on this premises, you would probably never know what happened.
There's still a lot of trees. It just used to be a little more dense, kind of like my brain.
I mean, hat's off to them. I know they probably planted some here and there. There's probably some on 1 that was planted. It's just a matter of time before it's going to look pretty normal on 1 and 9 again.
Chairman Ridley said it best Tuesday night. He's like it was disastrous here, but it was a pretty quick mind shift from the membership, from the community -- from the club itself -- on going to the community rather than Augusta National, and that's very evident.
They knew they were going to get this place in a position for members to play obviously and then for us, but they -- their time and energy and motivation was not inside these gates. I'll just say that. That is very admirable to say the least.
Q. What are you working on today for tomorrow?
ZACH JOHNSON: A lot of rest, 49-plus years of age. A lot of rest, a lot of food, a lot of recovery, cold, heat. Rest the mind too a little bit. I had a late day yesterday and an early morning today, which I actually don't mind because it just kind of goes into it.
Typically, I would probably -- my wave of tee time preference is always late/early -- excuse me. It's always dictated by weather. You want the good end of the weather wave. However, if they were both neutralized, I'd like a late/early. I feel like I had a late/early yesterday to today.
I will treat tonight -- the beauty -- sorry, I'm rambling here. I teed off at 8:00-something today. I don't tee off late tomorrow, like 11:21, which I think is spectacular. I'm excited to get back out here tomorrow morning.
Q. Why do you think the early/late wave has been so successful for winners of the Masters?
ZACH JOHNSON: Really? That's a data stat there, whatever you call it?
Q. The only year was, Scheffler, right?
Q. Yeah, 4 of the last 5 have been early starters.
ZACH JOHNSON: So last five years. I don't know. Forgive me my age. I don't remember all of the weather situations the last five years. Well, I do remember 2020. It was very soft and very humid. We'll just say that.
There may be some truth in that the less amount of traction on the greens, you know, maybe more aggressive you could be putting. You could argue that, around the pin placements, in other words.
My point is maybe getting off early on Thursday is -- I don't want to say it's advantageous because technically it's not, but it has been as of late. My guess is that's a cyclical thing or circular, and you can slice and dice it.
You've probably got to go back more in time than just the last five years to have a really good indication. But that's interesting.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports