There’s a lot to learn in that first trip to Augusta National. For fans (no running!) and players (no shorts!).
The entire Masters week can be a whirlwind, especially for Masters rookies. Taylor Moore learned that last year, when he won the Valspar Championship to earn a Masters spot but wasn’t able to fit in a scouting trip before the tournament began just a few weeks later. So he crammed everything in.
“I think I might have gotten there a little bit too early just out of excitement, and then by the time Friday rolls around it’s like, man, I’ve been here for what feels like should be Sunday at this point,” Moore said on Tuesday, speaking at the Valspar, where he’ll defend his title this week. “So definitely learned from that, just trying to figure out how I want to orient my schedule moving forward in weeks like that.”
As for what Moore learned last year that he won’t do this year? That one’s easy.
“One thing I’m going to avoid is that tournament shop,” he said. “That thing is madness there. Everybody is trying to get the gnome and hoodies and all kinds of stuff. That thing is crazy. I think my goal is just to treat majors and elevated events like a normal work week. So I want to go into Monday of that week, go through my normal routine, go through my proper prep, and get myself ready to be in the best position to have a chance to compete on the weekend.”
As for the damage…
“I think we spent quite a bit,” he said. “Which, first time there, I think, you know, you got to take care of your friends and family, for sure, but we spent quite a bit in that shop.”
This year, however, Moore already has the scouting trip out of the way. He stopped at Augusta the Friday and Saturday before the Arnold Palmer Invitational and grabbed a local caddie for some insider knowledge.
“I tried to take advantage of it,” he said. “We had a good couple days there and caught some good weather on Saturday. It’s obviously different than tournament week when everybody’s out there, so it’s kind of cool to feel like we had the place to ourselves a little bit and put in some time.”
Moore tied for 39th in his Masters debut last year, which would have been much better if not for his Sunday 78. He’s 7-for-7 in made cuts this year, with his best finish a T25 at The Sentry.