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U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIPMay 30, 2017Kathleen GallagherKendall GriffinMyrtle Beach, South Carolina Q. How are you feeling? Long day, you're one good day away from winning this thing. What's going through your head right now? KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: I really am just excited to eat and take a shower and get a good night's rest. That's really what's going through my head. But I think after today, I think it's been exciting, lots of up and downs, lots of hours and times and holes out here today, but I think overall, I think we're just really excited and happy to be here. Q. These 36-hole days, they usually become a grind at this point. Would you say that that was an accurate portrayal -- KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Absolutely. Absolutely. We both were just saying like we felt like we got a little tired our last nine holes today. KENDALL GRIFFIN: I showed it, she didn't. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Not really. Team effort. KENDALL GRIFFIN: It's just kind of hard when you're playing match play and any hole can go either way, so you're just always so focused and you've got to focus on every shot because it can be the difference between birdie and -- Q. Were there any big swings like that today for either side where one team was in good position and the other team kind of stole the hole? KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Yeah, so on 12, we both hit bad shots. I hit it in the bunker, she hit it in the hazard, and one of their girls hit it on the front left edge -- I mean, front of the green, had a really -- she had a tough two-putt. And I just completely forgot about the other girl after I hit my bunker shot, and so -- KENDALL GRIFFIN: She hit it to like three feet. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Yeah, hit a good shot, and then their girl had two-putted before that, so I was going to go knock my putt in, and all of a sudden, the girl was like, ooh, I have to chip still, and she makes it right after that, and it was perfect. But on No. 9, as well, we both kind of hit bad shots, and their girl hit the flag, and we weren't expecting her to really get up-and-down, but she did. But I think this morning nothing really happened like that. KENDALL GRIFFIN: Yeah, like you said, we got up on them and then they kind of took it all the way back at 9. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Yeah, it was back and forth a lot this morning. Q. You never actually trailed them. You won the first hole with a par. How much does it help to get the lead right out of the gate against a good team like that? KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: I think it give us a lot of confidence. KENDALL GRIFFIN: Yeah, I was kind of surprised that they started out like a little shaky like they did because I was expecting them to just come out and -- I mean, they shot so well in stroke play, you know. But -- KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Yeah, I think we were expecting them to just birdie every hole, especially when a team shoots 11-under, and we didn't make that many birdies. I don't think we did, the first two days in qualifying. So I think that we were expecting them to really come out firing, and I mean, they're solid, well-respected players, and they played solid all day. But I think that first hole, knowing they aren't normal people, that they hit a shot that wasn't perfection, it kind of gave us a little like, look, oh, it's okay, let's just go play, let's go have fun, we're not going to worry about it, every hole is a different hole, so one shot at a time. Q. You went 2-up with a birdie on 6. What happened on that hole? 359-yard par-4. KENDALL GRIFFIN: I thought they birdied 6. Wait, which match? Q. The afternoon one, this one, the one you just played. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Okay, so we did. KENDALL GRIFFIN: So she hit it kind of a little bit long and left but on the green. What was it, like 20 feet, 25 feet? KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Yeah. KENDALL GRIFFIN: And she had a hill coming down, so she just lagged it up there and two-putted, and then they missed their birdie putts, and I had like a six-, seven-footer, like a slider from right to left, and I made it. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Yes, I remember that hole. KENDALL GRIFFIN: That was this afternoon. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Because Kailyn made the same putt this morning for birdie. KENDALL GRIFFIN: That's why I was confused. Q. And then you guys won the last match, you won No. 8, the par-5? KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Yes, we did, they conceded that hole to us because Kendall literally stuck it a foot, and they both had about 15, 25-footers for par, so they conceded that hole. Q. And then you won the last two, 15 and 16. What happened? You won both with birdies. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Okay, so 15, Rose and I both hit the fairway, and Anna and Kendall kind of pulled it left, and it of course hit as hard left as it could for both of them. They both had to punch out. And so Rose and I had little chips, and Kendall and Anna had wedges in, and they both missed their birdie putts, which Rose lipped out, and then I had about a four to five-footer down the hill coming back, and Kendall two-putted her little birdie putt, so it gave me like some leeway to hit like a good, solid putt and not feel like I had to baby it, and I just made mine after they lipped out. Q. How much have you played together? KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: We really have not played much together, so qualifying for this tournament was the first time we like really played together. KENDALL GRIFFIN: Because we don't live close and she's in college. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Yeah, we're just -- year-wise I'm four -- two years older than you? KENDALL GRIFFIN: Four. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: I'm two years older than you, and really I think us qualifying together was a challenge because we didn't know each other's game. We only played one practice round together, and even coming to this tournament we had two practice rounds and we got more comfortable. KENDALL GRIFFIN: Yeah, we didn't really play against each other in junior golf, either. I think there was like one tournament. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Yeah, we knew we were good solid players, but like what her short game was like or how she hit the ball, because we never see each other, see each other play even. So it's been neat getting to like kind of just do all that together. Q. How did you meet, just through recruiting? Did you meet her when LSU was recruiting her? KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: I was committed when I was going to be a senior, and we were at the Bubba, and I had just finished, and my mom was like, Kathleen, there's this cute little girl that really likes LSU that you really need to go meet because she may be your teammate one day, and I was like, let's go, and I went over there and her and her mom were talking to my mom, and we met then, but it was about five minutes. Do you remember that? KENDALL GRIFFIN: Yeah, I remember that. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: She walks over with her cute little accent, and I was like, hi, I'm Kathleen, nice to meet you. I was like, oh, my gosh, you're so cool, I want to be your friend. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Yeah, and then my official visit she was with me, and now that I've been in college, I've been recruiting her. Q. Tomorrow you get two Georgia girls. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Oh, yeah, is that who we're playing? Q. SEC. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Sammi Lee and -- Q. And Mary Ellen Shuman. They both just finished at Georgia. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Yeah, I've known them -- I played with Sammi in a practice round one time. She may not remember that. I was young. Q. Do you play a lot of match play because your mother has won so many -- KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Yes, our state am every summer is match play, and I've played in it since I was 13. I've at least played one match play event since I was 13. Q. Because they don't play a lot of match play in junior golf. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: No, we don't. Q. Is it different when you do play it here? KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: I would say. I think match play is so much more fun and exciting. It makes the game just way more competitive. I just think it's way more competitive. It can go either way. You don't feel like one hole is going to kill you. It's neat to get to like compete against one or two people. I love that. Q. You kind of get to attack the flags? KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Yeah, you can risk it. KENDALL GRIFFIN: I've definitely noticed with my game I make more birdies in match play than in stroke play. It's kind of like, man, I'd like to make more in stroke play. But yeah, I think I'm definitely more aggressive in match play. Q. You almost qualified by yourself for Bandon Dunes, right, in the four-ball last year when your sister got hurt? KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Oh, yeah, my sister decided that she was going to go get on a little inner tube about a week before we played, like literally four days before our tournament, and dislocated her thumb, and it was two days before the tournament, and we went to qualify anyway, and I mean, she picked up on 80 percent of the holes, and I missed it by a shot. Q. That's impressive. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Yeah, a shot or two, I think. KENDALL GRIFFIN: I think one. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: But it was really unfortunate because the one hole that I did really bad on, she did really bad on, too. But it was fine. I mean, it was neat. Good to do that. Q. So you guys will be the champions of the women's four-ball if? What do you have to do tomorrow to win it? KENDALL GRIFFIN: Play our own game, I guess. Get some good rest and then go out tomorrow, play our own game. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Have some fun. Enjoy it. I think just getting to play together for a little longer before she gets to school, I think that's just been something that's really exciting and fun, especially for me because I'm just so excited for her to get there, you know, to be my teammate. Just get to enjoy the little time she has left before. Q. What have you liked about playing with her? KENDALL GRIFFIN: With Kathleen? Like y'all said earlier, it's so nice, like she's such a good driver of the ball, she goes first, and I'm just -- every time right down the middle and it gives me a little bit less pressure to hit down the middle. She's great in every part of the game, so it's definitely good to have a partner like that. I have a lot of confidence in her, and it's just been -- like she said, it's really fun to play together before I go to college just so we have that bonding experience, and she has so many friends at college, I know she's going to show me around. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Word. KENDALL GRIFFIN: Yeah, I'm really excited about it. Q. What about turning pro like your dad? KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Yeah, so it's been in consideration. You know, you always think about that being in college and playing. I think I definitely want to try it out. I love golf, but I don't think I will do it too long. I think just depends on how things go. If it doesn't work out, it's okay. Q. What advice has he given you about turning pro? KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: We don't really talk about it much. I think that he just wants me to like make my decision, and when -- I have two years until then, and when the time comes, we'll sit down and we'll discuss it with everybody, my mom and dad. Q. Maybe he'll caddie for you. KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Maybe he will. I'd love that, if he's done talking on The Golf Channel. When he gets done doing that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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