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MARATHON CLASSIC PRESENTED BY OWENS CORNING AND O-I

July 20, 2017

Gerina Piller

Toledo, Ohio

Q. You must be really thrilled with the position you put yourself in.
GERINA PILLER: Yeah, I feel like any time you shoot 8-under is pretty good. Got off to a good start and got the putts rolling. To be honest, my ball-striking didn't feel as great coming into this weekend, and the week after a major it's always tough just because you're so exhausted mentally, and I just went out there and really trusted what I had and just brought it together, and my game feels really good right now.

Q. At what point did you realize you had a pretty special round going?
GERINA PILLER: You know, I birdied my first three holes. Any time you can start off three in a row, it's pretty good. Just kept hitting it close and had some close birdie putts here and there, and I did make a bogey, but I just told myself like I'm doing great things and just keep doing what I'm doing.

Q. When you have a day like this, does it change the mindset for the rest of the tournament at all?
GERINA PILLER: No, not at all, because you know what, tomorrow is a different day, and I'll just kind of do the same thing as I did today, go out there and take one shot at a time, as clichÃ© as it sounds, but you're not going to win it on Thursday, Friday or Saturday, so it's going to take all four rounds.

Q. Have you had any other first rounds this good before, at least recently?
GERINA PILLER: I don't believe so. I just felt like everything was kind of clicking. I made a long putt on 15, which kind of propelled me there because I missed a couple short ones. I missed a short one on 14. It always helps to make those long runs. Makes the round feel better.

Q. How important do you think it is to get off the first day and shoot such a low number? It's not like you shot 68, you shot 8-under.
GERINA PILLER: Definitely. I mean, the course is in phenomenal shape. The greens are firm, and they're rolling as pure as I've ever seen them. There's going to be some low scores out here, and you can tell already the scoreboard is pretty bunched up. To get out there and get a good number, I think it's huge going into tomorrow and hopefully it can carry into the weekend.

Q. Golf has made such great strides introducing girls to the game. How important is it for there to be more American stars going forward?
GERINA PILLER: You know, I think it's important, but at the same time, it just says a lot about golf and how much it's growing around the world. Before there wasn't many Thai girls out here or girls from Taiwan or China, and look at it now. I think we're doing a great job of growing the game, and no matter what country you're from, that's kind of what our goal is, to get golf global, and we play global. It's pretty cool.

Q. As far as the conditions today, virtually no wind. Was it pretty much perfect conditions?
GERINA PILLER: It was. I looked at the weather and it said it was about 12 to 13. We had a little wind on the front nine, and then it looked like there was a storm coming, I think it might have passed us, and then the wind just kind of stopped. You can't get better than that.

Q. How does it feel to be playing so well with Solheim Cup coming up here?
GERINA PILLER: It feels good. I feel like my game has been pretty good at year. I just haven't been able to put four rounds together. Just hopefully I'll peak at the right time, and I feel like my game has been good all year, it's just trying to put it all together.

Q. Your striking ability and your consistency today, impeccable. What other attributes did you like about your game?
GERINA PILLER: Definitely my putting. I read some putts. Usually me and my caddie read every putt together, and sometimes I tend to get a little -- fall too much in love with a line or speed, so at the beginning of the day on the first green, he's like, do you want to just read them and call me in when you need them, so I kind of felt my feet and kind of did it by feel and not so much being so mechanical with my reads and putting. To get a lot of putts to fall, especially the downhillers, you can get some pretty tricky putts out here with the slopes and all. I'm really pleased with my putting.

Q. After a strong first day, how do you carry this momentum into the next few?
GERINA PILLER: I think just kind of reset and just go back to dumbing it down and just hitting one shot at a time. I know as clichÃ© as it sounds, just how great can I hit the shot that's at hand and focus on the process and not the results.

Q. Do you like finishing late, easier to carry over?
GERINA PILLER: I don't allow myself to like it or hate it because I never get the choice. If I play late, I love it, and if I play early, I love it. It's better to have that attitude.

Q. During Solheim Cup years, is that like No. 1 on your list of things to accomplish?
GERINA PILLER: For sure for me. To represent your country in International Crown or an Olympics, I think that's one the greatest honors. Any time I can put the stars and stripes on, I feel so proud, and I feel like I can just conquer the world. It's pretty special.

Q. Have you played the Marathon Classic before?
GERINA PILLER: I have.

Q. 18 is a little different; was there anything special about -- I believe you parred it so you were fine, but some people have been struggling with the new 18. What was it like for you?
GERINA PILLER: It's definitely a risk-reward. It's not a long hole, being a par-5, but if you do want to get a little greedy off the tee, you're going to have a downslope, and the green kind of sits away from you, so it's hard to get an iron or a wood high enough to get it to stop, and especially with it being a new green, it's going to be firm. It's definitely not a walk in the park, even though maybe the number shows that it's really short, so you've just really got to think on your second shot.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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