Q. Can you assess the last two days?
JON RAHM: Not good. I mean, I grinded and got a lot of good up-and-downs to be able to break par and hopefully make the cut. But just a lot of bad swings and then a lot of mistakes when I was in a good position.
I must say, yesterday and today, there was quite a few iron swings that I thought were good that just -- whether we got the wind wrong or just other things that happen at Augusta that didn't end up either on the green or close enough for it to be a birdie chance, and then after that, I just feel like I hit a lot of good putts and nothing went in.
Just little things like that that at major championships can set you back quite a bit. I have a pretty big mountain to climb to have a chance tomorrow or to have a chance come Sunday.
Q. Talk about the tee on 13. Did you hit driver?
JON RAHM: 3-wood. Yeah, 3-wood, and I just didn't hit it good enough. I could have gone for it, but I had to start it just right of the green, very long shot for a 4-iron that wasn't very comfortable. Hit a lay-up to a perfect spot.
This is one of those examples where I should have given myself a birdie chance and I hit it over the green. That's just mistakes that you can't afford.
Q. Does the game feel close?
JON RAHM: It feels very close. I wish I could explain it. There's a lot of good swings that I just haven't gotten the reward I thought I was going to get, but it feels a lot closer than the score reflects.
Also, it's a heck of a golf course we're playing out here. It's not easy. It's very difficult, especially with the wind. It's always going to be harder to minimize mistakes.
Q. Does it surprise you how well those guys at the top of the leaderboard are doing?
JON RAHM: No.
Q. The score is out there?
JON RAHM: Yeah, it was out there. Our front nine -- for the better part of 12, 13 holes, there was wind, but wasn't a lot. For the most part greens were fairly receptive. I absolutely saw somebody going out and shooting 3-, 4-under on the front and keeping it going on the back. And even on the back you can give yourself chances, which many people did. Wyndham played with me today; made a fairly easy 4-under on the back playing really good golf, obviously.
I'm not surprised. I would be surprised if with the wind they have right now and this afternoon somebody comes in and shoots another 4- or 5- -- not 4-, but 5-, 6-under. It's a lot harder to play a really good round of golf, but it's possible.
Q. Does your mentality have to be, I have a tee time, I have a chance?
JON RAHM: I think I can let myself try to somehow make a positive out of that, enjoy it, because looked rough there for a little bit. You made it to the weekend. It wouldn't be the first time somebody teeing off on Saturday morning posts a score, and if the weather gets a little more difficult in the afternoon has somewhat of a chance going into Sunday.
What I mean a score, it's going to take something around 66 or lower to probably get close enough to attack on Sunday.
Q. It's a Ryder Cup year; does that come into your mind playing a big event like this, and how much is it on your mind throughout the season that that's coming up in September?
JON RAHM: In what sense?
Q. In terms of are you going into this thinking you really need to capitalize on these weeks and making the most of them?
JON RAHM: No. No. I think I've said it before. Good golf takes care of everything. Qualifying for the Ryder Cup is the result of good golf, period. Now, I understand I have less weeks that count, but I can't be out there thinking on the Ryder Cup.
This week is big enough as it is. It would be a bad frame of mind to be thinking that many months in advance.
Q. Is there a time in the past where you can look to where you're real close and then you came through and the scores came?
JON RAHM: Yeah, I don't think that's happened in a lot of people's careers. I mean, I'm not going to start thinking about every time that it might have happened, but yeah.
Q. I meant yours.
JON RAHM: No, I know you meant me. God, I mean, it's hard to draw similar moments, but even 2023, the month leading up to the Masters, I played really bad golf, besides the first round of Arnold Palmer. Played bad at Arnold Palmer, played bad at Match Play and then came in and won.
I know I played good early in the year, but that would be a perfect case, even though I was in a much better position through 36.
I think it's happened a few times going into the fall where I didn't have a good year and then in the fall I played good golf. But yeah, it's close. Golf can be such a momentum sport that one hole, one swing, one nine, one good stretch of golf can be the spark that starts the fire.
So I know I'm close, so going to keep that in mind and keep trusting the process.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports