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AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

April 2, 2019

Augusta, Georgia

THE MODERATOR: Welcome, everybody, again. We thought we'd have some fun and invite Alexa Pano and Gina Kim. They happen to be the graduates, or if you will, they participated in the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship and now they have graduated to the Augusta National Women's Amateur.

So we are happy to have you guys here. Thanks for being here. This is Alexa Pano, and this is Gina Kim.

Alexa is from Lake Worth, Florida. And Gina is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina and she goes to Duke.

So Alexa, why don't we start with you. How does it feel to be here in the first-ever Augusta National Women's Amateur.

ALEXA PANO: It's super exciting for me. Being one of the youngest competitors, it's an honor to have been invited and especially to be a part of the first Augusta National Women's Amateur is an honor, and I'm just so excited to get started tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Alexa is 14, by the way. Youngest player in the field.

GINA KIM: Yeah, like Alexa said, it's truly a special moment, not just for me but for the people back home and for the people who have been constantly supporting me since day one.

So I'm truly honored to be able to be a part of something so historic. So I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of this week, whether or not how the scores turn out. So I'm just going to enjoy my time here.

THE MODERATOR: What was the course like today, was that the first time you played it and how was it out there today?

GINA KIM: It was definitely challenging. It really tested my skills and really made me change the way I think about how I play golf. Even though with the weather not being so favorable today, it was looking in great condition, and I'm really thankful to all the superintendents and the people who went out there to make this golf course in the best shape possible, because I can really see how much work they put into it.

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I came out here probably two months ago and played the front nine, and this course had such a quick turnaround.

Like Gina said, we're so thankful to the entire staff here for the amount of work they put on this course. It's in incredible shape, and it's going to be a super challenge in a couple of days..

Q. Can I ask both of you, you both have had a taste of Augusta National, not the full, you know, spread, but at least some of it. Do you think you'll be slightly prepared for that, or not?
ALEXA PANO: Well, I think both being an Augusta before, we're a little bit prepared for like the nerves aspect of it, but I don't think anyone's ever fully prepared for Augusta 100 percent, you know. I guess we'll have to see how it goes when we get out there, and with breaks and learning the course and stuff like that, but looking forward to the challenge.

GINA KIM: Like Alexa said, we only got a little taste of it, but we haven't seen the full thing. So I guess we're trying to be mentally prepared. I guess we're probably more well equipped than other, considering that we've been on the 18th green before.

But I do know for a fact that Augusta greens are much faster than they look, so that part, I am ready for.

Q. In your bio, you said that you were part of a documentary way back in 2012. You must have been, what, seven?
ALEXA PANO: Yes.

Q. And you said that you wanted to be the first woman to compete at Augusta National. Was that for the Masters or something like this?
ALEXA PANO: Just competing at Augusta National in general, because for women, it's never been done before, and that's something I've always really wanted to accomplish. I've always wanted to be super involved with girls golf and women's golf, and growing it as much as possible.

This is just one of the biggest steps that it could have taken.

Q. So it's coming through; how does it feel that you're very close to that?
ALEXA PANO: Unreal. I can't believe that the tournament starts tomorrow and in just two days, I'll be playing at Augusta National and hopefully in three, competing there, which it just sounds so unreal. If you told me this at seven years old, I probably wouldn't have believed you.

Q. My question goes on to that. Even when you guys were here for Drive, Chip & Putt Championship, now knowing you're going to get to come back and compete here, what's that process like and that perspective?
GINA KIM: I guess I knew, after hearing the announcement from Chairman Ridley, I know it was one of my goals to come back, especially knowing how special of a place this was.

So I've been consistently practicing hard, talking to my coach about it, talking to the people who have been supporting me and now that I'm here, I guess all I can do is just trust myself and just stay within the process because everything around here is just so historic and so special. I think the experience is more important than what actually comes out from the golf course.

ALEXA PANO: I think all of us have been putting in months of work for this event ever since we got the invite, even before then. So it's just like she said about the experience and our golf game is either going to show up or it's not. It's going to be an amazing week though.

Q. Alexa, I work here in Augusta media, and we have a feature called High Five For Kids, and we featured a young lady this past week, who you're her hero and she picked up the golf game after watching that documentary. She's going to come out and watch Thursday here. She's going to come out Saturday and watch the tournament. You know, knowing how old you are, you're 14, that's crazy to say; what's that like to hear about girls like that?
ALEXA PANO: That's the biggest honor in golf for me. When I was seven years old, getting involved in that movie, that was the No. 1 goal was to get more junior girls involved in golf, and I've seen so many girls write letters and their parents and even contact me on social media and stuff like that. And it's just so amazing for me to hear. That's why I did everything that I do, and I'm just so honored that anyone would ever think of me that way.

Q. Y'all are lucky to be in a window where you could compete in the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship and this event. When you came the first time to play, could you have had any idea that you would be back again competing in an amateur event at Augusta National?
GINA KIM: I was hoping for something like this, but thinking that I'd actually come back, that was a bit of a stretch for me before, knowing that it hasn't been done before. I definitely had dreams about it, hoping maybe one day I'd be able to play Augusta National. But I was very happy with what Chairman Payne did for the game by doing the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship.

So even just then, I was so thankful for that experience, but now that Chairman Ridley has been able to do something like this, I feel even more honored and grateful to be a part of history.

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, both Chairman Payne and Chairman Ridley brought new and incredible ideas to Augusta National and the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship for us was already an amazing step in golf, and for now to have a woman's event here, even an Amateur Championship, is so unreal and so amazing. It's really nice to see how society is growing and opening up to more women's golf and even children's golf here.

Q. Can I ask you if you guys, both of you, if you have done any special preparation keeping just the Augusta National golf club in mind, and secondly, I know you have had a taste of 18, but of all the 18 holes, if you have to pick one hole that you are really looking forward to play, which one would that be, and why?
ALEXA PANO: I don't think I did anything special to prepare. I mean, I did work with my coaches and go out and see them and working hard constantly, of course. But yeah, I kind of just expected to get here and like work on special stuff like greens and stuff like that.

And far as the course goes, I mean, I'm super excited for the walk up the 18th green. That's super special and there have been so many great players who have like had their name announced on that green, and I'm really hoping for that.

But yeah, I haven't watched a ton of golf on the Masters, so wouldn't really know.

GINA KIM: Yeah, like Alexa said, I haven't really done anything special or unique, I would say. I've been just putting hours of work in just doing what I know I need to do, and committing to the routine that I have in place for me that I know works best.

But I would say, going up on to the 18th green is definitely something I would look forward to. Even just watching on TV, those pros come on to the 18th green and being able to enjoy that experience, I would definitely like to do that.

And also, I did not do well in the putting section for the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship, so I would like to get my revenge.

ALEXA PANO: (Laughing).

Q. Curious how playing against the pros and the Symetra Tour, how that might have driven your confidence for this event and what you'll draw from that experience?
ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I definitely learned a lot that week, as I always do, competing against higher competition, against the pros, obviously. I learned a lot about myself comparing myself to them, and I had a chance to go home and work on that.

So I'm hoping I've made those changes and I'll be even better than I was that week.

Q. Can you tell us what those changes were, what you worked on specifically?
ALEXA PANO: Just a couple of like swing changes. Not big things. And a few things in my mental game just like on the final day, there was some things that were off and working to get those squared away so that I'm good in a tournament for all four days.

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