"For the first time in about a month and a half, I was happy to be on the golf course", Day said after getting to Augusta. One question that is often asked around this time of year is who you would love to play a round of 18 with if you had the opportunity.
Jordan Spieth walks to the 15th green with his caddie during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament Tuesday, April 4, 2017, in Augusta, Ga.
He looked as though he didn't care, perhaps because a crushing loss didn't appear to bother him as much as it should have. "They are all great players, and they are all guys I have to beat".
"The winds look like they're going to pretty gnarly, and that's a section of the course that gets really tough, especially if the wind swirls".
Johnson is not one for conversation.
Third-ranked Jason Day makes an emotional start two weeks after withdrawing from an event to be with his mother as she battled lung cancer while Jordan Spieth tries to bounce back from a back-nine collapse in last year's final round when on the verge of a second consecutive Masters title.
As for the additional pressure he faces being such a favorite?
"I mean, I don't know", he continued Tuesday at a news conference. "I think because of television, you probably know a little bit about the tournament, the style, the pin placements than you did 50 years ago".
For all his power and athleticism, Johnson had never been in contention at Augusta National until a year ago. He had a 36-hole lead at the Mexico Championship until a 70-71 weekend.
Typical of his career, the rise began with a fall. Obviously you can end up in all kind of spots.
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That's when he finally bought into what the Harmons - Butch Harmon and his son, Claude - had been suggesting. This should come as no surprise, seeing as how he is the all-time leader in major championships and captured six green jackets in his prime.
If nothing else, he figured that trip in 2014 as a spectator would keep him from being in awe when he did make it as a player. And it didn't take long for players to notice. "Past couple of years, I think I've been in the top 10 for a while". There was spin. There was trajectory control. He also won the Genesis Open in February.
And he really hasn't slowed since.
As hot as Johnson has been this season, the only thing that might equal his success is collegiate athletics in his native state.
"I'm hoping to pick up some tips from Justin", he said. I played good there the last two years.
Still, a smiling Fleetwood said he does not expect that Johnson was running scared. Keeping his mind clear might be his greatest asset. It's a really special thing with the small field, as well as it's the hardest one to get into. "Like three-putting from 12 feet".
"He's the only (modern) one that has won the first time so I thought that might give me some vibes", he said. As with anyone who's never slipped on a green jacket, nerves, well, they tend to creep up on you.
Not since Zoeller's 1979 triumph has a first-time Masters player won the title.
And he certainly has the talent to win golf's first major after coming close the past two years. According to Murray, McIlroy said the M2 3/5 woods "were best suited to Augusta on grounds of shot shape and ball flight". "It doesn't matter how good you're playing, you can still not win".
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