Michigan State men's golfer James Piot said he's just trying to be a kid this week.
It's probably been hard to do that since he came upon Tiger Woods in his practice round on Monday, was paired with Bryson DeChambeau on Tuesday morning and will open The Masters on Thursday (Group 15, 10:45 a.m. tee time) paired along with defending champion Hideki Matsuyama and major champion Justin Thomas.
Piot, who qualified for The Masters after winning the U.S. Amateur last August, arrived in Georgia last weekend, winning The Georgia Cup, a matchup between the winners of the U.S. Amateur and the British Amateur.
This last week has been awesome," Piot said in a zoom with local media ahead of The Masters last week. "Just getting down to Georgia ahead and getting some practice rounds at Augusta before the week of the event and getting a feel for the course. Getting the (Georgia Cup) match in (last Sunday) was awesome and a great confidence builder.
It's tough to put into words what it means to be playing in a Master's. I try not to think about it too much, but I'm just focused on the moment and being ready to go. I want to make sure my swing mechanics and everything are all there and by the time the first tee shot goes up, I'll be feeling good about my game."
This will be the second appearance in a professional event for Piot, who made his PGA Tour debut in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando.
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