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PURE SILK CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY VISIT WILLIAMSBURG

May 23, 2019

Austin Ernst

Williamsburg, Virginia

Q. (In progress.) ...played pretty well in this tournament.
AUSTIN ERNST: I have, yeah. Last year had a good chance the last day. Even though we only played 54, had a really good chance the last day. I've had a few Top 10s here. I really like the golf course. Suits my eye and I feel like -- I grew up on a course similar to this.

I think it really puts a premium on iron play. Really need to be in the right part of the green. Typically my irons are my strongest part of my game. Today with the wind especially you really had to have control of it. Then I rolled in a few putts when I did hit it close.

Q. You've won almost $3 million.
AUSTIN ERNST: I didn't know that.

Q. Not today, but in your career, which is a considerable sum of money. Seems to me that you're not a household name or anything on the LPGA Tour. Is that odd do you find for someone who has been successful?
AUSTIN ERNST: Yes and no. I'm around a lot. I just don't necessarily get a lot of attention all the time. I kind of fly under the radar. Yeah, that's pretty -- I just fly under the radar for the most part for whatever reason.

Q. Well, is that okay with you?
AUSTIN ERNST: That's fine. I just need to win more so that I get a little more attention I guess. (Laughter.)

Q. Have you found here that the first two days have been very good to you?
AUSTIN ERNST: Probably the last few years they have. I remember last year I played really well the first couple and then we ended up it being a 54-hole event.

I remember I was in the last group on what ended up being Sunday, but I couldn't tell you exactly why or anything like that.

Like I said, I really like the golf course. Probably one of my favorite places we play year in and year out.

Q. Is that part of the deal? People sort of look at golfers and say, They're so good; they don't realize half the field doesn't make the cut. Is a lot of it how your game fits the course, how you're playing that week?
AUSTIN ERNST: A little bit of both. I think you get a little bit of confidence when you can look back and draw on past years and say, Oh, I've played well here. I shot way under par, that kind of thing. You can always draw back to memories. I was 3-under through 4 this year, and in the last round last last year I was 4-under through 4.

That kind of stuff you get confidence and you know that you can keep going low I think. I think you know you can finish off a round at a course, and obviously when you're playing well, doesn't really matter where you're playing, you're fine. You're going to go make a bunch of birdies no matter how the course is set up or how the conditions are.

Q. This is an odd juxtaposition. You left LSU after two years; is that right?
AUSTIN ERNST: Yes, yep.

Q. When a basketball player or football player leaves after two years everyone notices. Everyone says, Oh, should he do it? Should he do it? Do golfers leave sort of unnoticed?
AUSTIN ERNST: A little bit. I think part of that too is you have a lot of girls come out that never go to school. You look at Nasa, Nelly; Jess did it, Korda. It's more of a regular thing for us to do.

Now the odd thing is honestly to stay four years and go to school. Got two coming out that did it I guess next week, but that's rare to see. Probably part of that is if you feel your game is ready you're going to go head and kind of strike when the iron is hot.

Now people are just better when they're younger. I wasn't good enough when I was 18 to come straight out. When I went to school, (indiscernible) my freshman year, and then had a good summer the next year and felt it was my time to just go ahead and come out.

I think that's kind of a personal thing, too, for everybody. Even you take Alison finished school and came out after one year.

Q. Once you get out here it's pretty hard, isn't it, with the level of competition?
AUSTIN ERNST: Yeah, it's tougher. You know, you're playing against the best players in the world week in and week out. It's a lot harder to win than it used to be. You got way more people that can win.

I'm much better now than when I won in 2014, and I haven't won since 2014. I've been close a few times and haven't quite finished it off.

But the level of play out here has definitely gotten much stronger in the last two to three years. A lot of really good talent, young and older.

Q. Yeah, I was listening to a Podcast and Cristie Kerr, who is 41, she said she feels like she's still got it. She still wants to compete and compete to win.
AUSTIN ERNST: Golf is one of those games, too. You don't necessarily have a shelf life. If you're a basketball or football player, if you're 40 you can't move with those guys anymore. I guess except for Brady.

You know, you would never see a 40 year old runningback, but out here you can play. I mean, we saw Juli play well and she's still playing pretty well. Her and Laura. I don't know how old they are. I'm not going to take a guess at that so I don't offend them.

Even they still have game. I think a lot of it is your will to want to be good, too. Got to be able to put in the hours.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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