Q. Took him down, 3 and 2. How do you feel?
MASON HOWELL: Feeling good. Happy to make that putt on 16. Glad I didn't have to walk up the hill on 17 and 18. Overall, it was a good day. I knew the pins were tucked again. It's not really scoring weather.
I knew if I made a couple birdies, three or four, that would put me in a good spot. Hitting a lot of greens today was big in match play, especially out here.
Q. Kind of touching on the weather, did that play any factor? It was probably the foggiest and rainiest we've seen all week.
MASON HOWELL: Yeah, absolutely. Especially the first three holes, the rangefinder was not working at all. I had to play a little old school. My caddie and I, we stayed patient all day and took our opportunity to pounce when we had a chance.
Q. Speaking of your caddie, we heard he's your high school golf coach. This isn't your local course. Throughout the week, how has he been helping you through? It's a lot of golf.
MASON HOWELL: It is a lot of golf. We always have something to talk about. He's really good at making me commit to my shot, trust my line. Before I get over a ball, make sure I have a number in my head. He's just calming me down. Somebody to talk to, somebody to laugh with all week. We've had a good time. Tomorrow should be fun.
Q. What are you going to do to prep for tomorrow when you get home?
MASON HOWELL: Go home and sleep, probably, yeah.
Q. You mentioned yesterday that you felt like you wanted people to see your game a little bit, especially with John Daly and the focus was on him. Did you have a bit of a chip or take that same energy into today, where you're like I want to show people what I've got?
MASON HOWELL: I know I'm playing good golf this week, and match play is just different than stroke play. I don't think the seed number matters at all. I knew, if I played the way I have been all week, I'd have a great chance today.
Putter woke up a little bit. It's been kind of lacking, which has forced me to go to some extra holes and to 18, but I was just really glad I made that putt on the last.
Q. At the U.S. Junior, did you learn anything about the format, maybe in that loss, that you took into today and applied this week?
MASON HOWELL: I had been in a kind of a match play funk honestly. I knew, if I got past the first one this week, I'd be in a good spot. It's been a fun ride and ready to go tomorrow.
Q. What were those adjustments you made? Was there anything specific?
MASON HOWELL: You never want to get too aggressive. If an opponent gives you an opportunity, you have to take it. You don't want to make a mistake on top of their mistake.
Q. I just want to go to Wednesday morning, the 20 for 17 playoff. Did that give you any confidence going into match play? That was high pressure early in the morning.
MASON HOWELL: Yeah, it was super high pressure, but obviously the odds are in your favor. After I made bogey on my second playoff hole, I knew I was heading to another hole. I knew the guy in front of me made bogey or worse. He ended up making double, so I didn't have to go through the stress of another hole.
Yeah, it's been a long week. I feel like I've played a lot of golf. I've played maybe more holes than most people, but it's been fun.
Q. At the U.S. Open, was there anything you took from that experience watching the best players in the world? Yesterday you mentioned maybe not short-siding yourself as much. Was there anything else you've applied to your game since then?
MASON HOWELL: I feel like my driver off the tee, I've been really good at finding a fairway finder, a consistent ball that I know hitting fairways, especially with thick rough like this, there's got to be a tee shot you can rely on. Yeah, playing from the fairway helps all day.
Q. I wanted to ask you about your growth spurt. You said recently you felt like you've grown into your swing a little bit now that you're much taller. Walk me through that process. Anything specific you changed in your swing or your clubs? How has that adjustment been?
MASON HOWELL: I'm fortunate to have a really good coach back at home, Bill Connelly in Thomasville. I feel like he's always worked on my swing. I have a unique swing, and I feel like he has never tried to make it perfect. Golf isn't a game of perfection. My body has grown into it, and I've kept it consistent. That's the name of the game.
Q. Did your clubs change at all?
MASON HOWELL: My arms got a little longer; I had to play the club a little flatter. That's just little things. I have such a great team at Ping that helped me out with that.
Q. You're going to the Masters, U.S. Open, The Open, how does that feel?
MASON HOWELL: It's unbelievable. I don't think it's sunk in yet. That's something that me and my family will really celebrate tonight for sure.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports