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U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 11, 2015Mariel GaldianoPORTLAND, OREGON Q. You were 2-under today? MARIEL GALDIANO: Yes. Q. Can you just talk about your day and how you've been playing? Obviously you're at the top of the board. MARIEL GALDIANO: Yeah, actually I'm all over the place, to be honest. When I started off, it was drives -- I've been struggling with my drives lately, going right, tendency to go right, and sometimes just duck-hooking it left. Q. So you're missing both ways? MARIEL GALDIANO: Yeah, but I've sort of -- like I have them in the fairway sometimes, and when I am, I'm able to get it within good reach and just -- putting really saved me, making those like 12-foot birdies and everything. Q. Is this a new thing with your driver, that you're -- MARIEL GALDIANO: Yeah. Last week I was doing fine. This week, I don't know, this is my fourth straight week, so I've been kind of -- I'm pretty tired, obviously. But it's taking a toll on my game, but I've been trying to work on it. Q. I know you were in a playoff at the Junior PGA. What's been your four-week stretch? MARIEL GALDIANO: U.S. Girls' Junior at Tulsa, the Canadian Women's Am, Junior PGA, U.S. Women's Am, and then next week I have the Canadian Women's Open. Q. I know you won one, playoff the second, how far did you get in the Girls'? MARIEL GALDIANO: I lost in the first round. Q. To who? MARIEL GALDIANO: Her name is Aneka Seumanutafa. She was originally from Hawai'i. She moved to Maryland. Q. How much did those two weeks after that in Canada and then the Junior PGA, how much confidence did that give you even though you're a little bit tired coming into this week? MARIEL GALDIANO: It definitely showed me that I can play. It'll just -- I just have to dig deeper, play a little harder, work harder, and I don't know, this summer and year has been pretty good so far. I haven't been trying to win anything, it's just been coming lately. For a while like last year, it's kind of been like a slow trek, but this year I've been able to slowly climb up, so that's been nice. Q. Is that your dad on the bag? MARIEL GALDIANO: Yeah. Q. Did he teach you how to play? Is he a golfer? MARIEL GALDIANO: He just played for fun, but I did -- like there was junior golf when I was really young and then I did private lessons, and he knows how to help me with my swing, because it isn't major like swing changes, it's just minor stuff, so he just coaches me. Q. So you don't have a swing coach? MARIEL GALDIANO: No. Q. Just your dad? MARIEL GALDIANO: Yeah. Q. What's your dad's name? MARIEL GALDIANO: Roger. Q. And you go to Punahou? MARIEL GALDIANO: Yeah. Q. You and the President? MARIEL GALDIANO: Yep, and Michelle Wie. Q. Tell me, you're going to SC; is that right? Where are you going to school? UCLA, I was close. MARIEL GALDIANO: Close, yeah. Q. Tell me about your tape here. What's going on? MARIEL GALDIANO: I played the U.S. Women's Open I think two weeks before the U.S. Girls', and over there I think I did four practice rounds, but they were only nine holes, and I made the cut, so I was able to make it here. But on the third day -- wait, let's go back to the second day. Q. We're in Lancaster? MARIEL GALDIANO: Lancaster, yeah. We had to play like 20-something holes because the first round was delayed because I teed off in the afternoon, and just by the third week, it's super tight right here, and I had to get a massage and that really wasn't working. So I went back home and just bought some tape to try it out because I heard it kind of works. At first my dad was like, why are you buying it, that's just for display. Q. Michelle Wie does it. MARIEL GALDIANO: I know, I just wanted to try it out, and I've been wearing it for like four weeks now. It's been -- it's fine. Nothing is bothering me, and I have a tan so I don't think I want to take it off. These I've been using for like two years already, the wrists. They're just for preventative measures. Before I landed on this left one. I was working out for -- I wasn't doing soccer or anything, I was working out and I slipped and I used it to brace myself, and so I was worried about like injuring myself and just decided to wrap this one and eventually this one started hurting, so I wrapped this one. Women's injuries tend to be like wrists and arms and elbows. A lot of my friends were getting injured and their careers were kind of slowly heading down, and I'm like, if I have to look like a fool with tape all over me, I will. Q. So it doesn't hurt, though, when you hit shots? MARIEL GALDIANO: No, it's just preventative, and it feels normal with them on. I probably look ridiculous, but I try to match my outfits with them. Q. You match most of the LPGA actually to tell you the truth. How tall are you? MARIEL GALDIANO: 5'3", 5'4". Q. How far do you think you hit it off the tee? MARIEL GALDIANO: 260, 270. Q. So obviously not a problem? MARIEL GALDIANO: No. Q. Did you play other sports? MARIEL GALDIANO: No. I just started when I was five, that's why. It's been a long time. Q. How did your family get to Hawai'i? Where are your parents from? MARIEL GALDIANO: My parents were both born in the Philippines, and my dad's dad, so my grandfather, moved my dad's family to Hawai'i, and my dad met my mom in the Philippines, so he brought her over, too. I don't know, they didn't decide to move to the mainland or anything, so that's our home base. Q. So when was the last time you were there, right after the Open? MARIEL GALDIANO: Yeah. Q. Do you know Michelle? MARIEL GALDIANO: I mean, I talk to her sometimes, but not really. Q. When you're having issues with your driver in the middle of the round, what are you trying to do to fix that? MARIEL GALDIANO: Well, my dad has a lot of -- we call them swing thoughts, and we just try to hit it like as if I would just bomb it down the fairway, take that little precaution of aiming maybe -- I have to aim a little bit more left, so just in case it fades, I have that extra lenient room. And I don't know, sometimes like on this last hole, I hit a really good drive, but like on the second hole, I like just Wang it right, and that's when I get the bogeys and everything, but when I hit it down the middle and stick it to the pin, that's when I get the birdies. Q. Do you think iron play, wedge play or putter has bailed you out the last couple days? MARIEL GALDIANO: Definitely putter. There's some putts that on a regular day I don't think I would make. They would be like those 10-footers for par like on a slope or something, and even more birdies, too, like downhill -- I think yesterday I had a similar putt for birdie and I was able to make that, too. Q. Right now you're tied for the lead. How important is it for you to get a top seed? MARIEL GALDIANO: Not really important. I actually prefer being on the bottom. But medalist is nice, but I've had too many experiences where -- I think at the U.S. Girls' Junior last year I was third seed and I got knocked off. I'd rather be like a decent player and be in the lower bracket and just work my way up rather than being knocked down from lower-ranked people. Q. And how does your mentality change from stroke play to match play? MARIEL GALDIANO: You have to toughen up, definitely. Stroke play, I kind of favor it more because I play it way more often than match play, and I'm able to make up in the future if I have to, but during match play if I'm like 4 down with like -- I don't know, like five holes to go, it's just like what are your chances, and you're probably not feeling as confident as you should be. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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