The Masters is famously known as a tradition unlike any other. But within that grand tradition, there’s a bevy of smaller traditions that make the week one of the most memorable of the golfing calendar. A Russian nesting doll of traditions, if you will.

One of those traditions is the firehose of content that precedes the opening tee shots as fans swarm for information about the first major championship of the year. Augusta National Golf Club leans in, bringing a large contingent of stars into the press center for media, though nearly all 91 players will be stopped at some point for an on-camera interview to provide insight into the week ahead. It’s a lot of to take in, and it can be tough to track who said what and when. So our PGATOUR.com writers on-site at the Masters are distilling down all the interviews and compiling the best bits of information to keep you in the know.

Tuesday

Count Cameron Young among the growing majority of players who will send driver on the short par-4 third hole to all but one pin location this week. Historically a hole that promotes a multitude of options off the tee, a consensus is growing on the best way to play the hole: Hit driver as far up as you can, unless the pin is on the left side.

“I feel like that hole is an opportunity. If you've done your work around that green, I think that all the shots are really doable with the exception of kind of that one scenario," Young said. "If I can't get within 30, 40 yards of the green and it's that left hole location, I probably will lay up on the right.”

There’s one notable dissent to that opinion: Rory McIlroy. With the pin on the left during last year’s final round, McIlroy sent driver and got up-and-down for birdie. Bryson DeChambeau, the other half the pairing, laid up and made bogey, a pivotal turning point in the final round.

- Paul Hodowanic

Tommy Fleetwood was asked about his first Masters memory and recalled a memorable exchange amid a historic 1997 tournament:

"I think I came home from school Thursday or Friday, and we had it on TV, and my dad was like, 'This Tiger Woods guy is going to be unbelievable.' I do literally remember that moment."

Fleetwood's son, Frankie, was in the back of the interview room as his dad took questions from the media. All eyes will turn to the 8-year-old during Wednesday's Par 3 Contest as he looks to hit the target on No. 9 after last year's viral near-miss:

"We've had conversations. Frankie is very set on what he's doing. He's very excited, and he knows what he's doing. ... I think more than anything, the pressure is on me to keep making the Masters until he reaches the green on the ninth."

- Will Gray

Monday

Collin Morikawa on his back injury, which has held him out since THE PLAYERS Championship last month… “The honest truth is I'm taking it day by day. It's not exactly where I want to be, and it's unfortunate, but that's just the body, and I can't push it. It's been a little bit of a mental battle, I think, just trying to trust with where it's at. The back actually feels fine. It's just other parts of the body not cooperating a little bit how I want.”

Morikawa did not hit any tee shots during a nine-hole practice round on Monday, opting only to chip and putt. He did test it on the range, though he only hit a few drivers and displayed noticeable drops in speed and distance. His longest drive went only 284 yards with 171mph ball speed.

- Paul Hodowanic

Chris Gotterup’s confidence was on full display. He’s not brash, but he’s sure of himself, “I don't think anything about the course makes me nervous,” he said. Gotterup is one of 22 first-timers, and arguably the most accomplished. He displayed a clear understanding of how to play the course. He played a practice round with Justin Rose and frequently picked his brain. This writer watched Gotterup flag approaches on the fourth and fifth holes with long irons.

- Paul Hodowanic

Justin Rose was asked plenty about the close calls and whether any scar tissue has built up. That’s not how he views it.

“I'm very aware that I've had tough, tough losses here. I also am aware that I enjoy this place,” he said. So I don't want to sort of like -- I don't want to feel that those three second-place finishes need to create a different sort of feeling for me. I can't control the outcome. I think last year in the playoff, I felt like I learned from 2017, and I felt like I played a much better playoff than I did previously. So I kind of adapted and learned… I did everything that I could do. So I can kind of live with that in a way.I can be philosophical about it, I think. Yeah, of course, I look at it and think those are racking up, they're stacking up, yeah. But someone said -- I think eight players have won this tournament after finishing second the year before, which probably increases my odds if you look at the field. I can look at that and go, okay, that's good. Happy with that.”

- Paul Hodowanic