|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPMay 29, 2019Maria FassiCharleston, South Carolina THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. It's my pleasure to welcome in Maria Fassi here into the media center at the 74th U.S. Women's Open. Maria is playing in her third U.S. Women's Open. She qualified by earning medalist honors in the Ocala, Florida qualifier and will be making her professional debut tomorrow. Maria, can you describe what you're feeling on the eve of making that pro debut, and what it means to be doing it here at the U.S. Women's Open. MARIA FASSI: Well, I'm super excited to be able to be here, especially at Charleston Country Club. I played here in 2013, when they had the U.S. Am, and I have great memories from back then. I'm excited to be out here. Of course, now doing it professionally, it's kind of crazy how just time flew by. I mean, I've been dreaming about this for 14 years, and it's soon to be a reality. So I'm super excited. I mean, I think there's not a better event to make my professional debut than the U.S. Open, so I'm super excited. Thankful with the way my process has been, and just ready to tee it up tomorrow. THE MODERATOR: And you mentioned you played here in 2013 at the U.S. Women's Amateur. What do you remember from that week when you reached the round of 16, and what have you seen this week that maybe was a little different from what you did remember? MARIA FASSI: Well, my game is definitely different. I hit it further. I have more control over the shots. But the course is the same. I mean, of course, we played some holes differently, but for the most part, they're all the same. Like I said, I just have so many great memories from 2013. We were walking in our practice rounds with my caddie, and I was like, hey, on 15 I holed out for eagle to win a hole. So I was like, hey, this is where I holed out from. Or I made this long putt on 17. So I was just kind of going back to 2013 and just living those moments. But it's looking great. The course is in amazing shape, and I'm excited for the challenge. THE MODERATOR: And your amateur career was amazing. Three-time winner of the Mexican Amateur. You were runner-up in Augusta, NCAA champion. From all those accomplishments as an amateur, what can you now take forward to now being a professional? MARIA FASSI: Yeah, I think everything, in every tournament that I've played until today, has definitely helped me mentally, physically, golf-wise, for sure. They all kind of have worked together to get me ready for what I'm going to see tomorrow. Last few months have been amazing for me, especially with playing in front of like 25,000 people at Augusta. You don't see that very often in amateur golf. And just getting that experience and getting to see how I dealt with pressure and the things I needed to improve and the things I did good at. Then playing at home in NCAA definitely was just the icing on the cake. Getting to win, of course, was amazing. I think it all just got me ready for this week, and I'm excited to see how I do on tour now. THE MODERATOR: Let's open it up for questions. Q. Maria, can you take us through the process of choosing an agent, a caddie, just all the things that you're -- to where you are in sponsorships. All the things that have happened in the last week or so. MARIA FASSI: Well, I started meeting with agents and kind of started to look at that after I got my Tour card in the fall, but it was just like a long process. I met with like five or six agencies and just saw what my options were. Then kind of like narrowed it down to, like, two or three people. And then by dad and I had meetings with them and just evaluated what was going to be best for me. Sponsorship-wise, we're still just trying to work things out as we -- I mean, I just turned professional, and I couldn't really do anything before, but I decided to go with IMPACT point. They've been amazing. They speak Spanish, which is huge for me and my family, and I know a lot of players that are super happy with them. I'm going to be their only LPGA player, which for me right now, that's huge because I might need some sponsors invitations. And if they're just looking for that one spot for me, that's going to be pretty important. So that definitely had something to do with my decision. Now we're, I guess, just trying to weigh our options and see who I go with regarding sponsorships, but we're just open to see what the best thing is for me. Q. Can you tell what maybe the ANWA has done in terms of exposure for potential sponsors and the amount of interest you've had already? MARIA FASSI: Yeah. Luckily, I've had a few people come and talk to me. I know that they reached out to Carlos as well because they're interested in sponsoring me, and definitely the exposure at Augusta was big. And not only at Augusta, but what we did after with Jennifer, and I had the opportunity to go with Sierra to New York as well. The Today show, The Tonight Show, like all those things have been huge for me these last few months. Luckily, my golf has kind of followed with the exposure that I had on TV and on social media, and it's definitely been huge for me now that I'm a professional. Q. Maria, do you feel like with the runner-up at Augusta, with the NCAA victory, do you feel like you're carrying some serious momentum into this week? MARIA FASSI: Yes, definitely. I do think my game is moving in the right direction. I feel very comfortable with the way I'm playing. I like the way I'm hitting my ball off the tee, and that gives me a lot of confidence. I think it's just seeing a couple putts drop in tomorrow, and it's definitely going to keep carrying on. Yeah, I mean, I think being under par at Augusta was pretty amazing. And then from there, I've had a pretty nice run. I've played tough golf courses, which I think that also helps see my weaknesses and my strengths, and I've been working on those. I feel pretty good about this week. Q. What kind of comfort zone do you get from the pairing that you have, being paired with Jennifer again and being paired with Sierra again? MARIA FASSI: It's amazing. I mean, I could have not asked for a better pairing for my pro debut. It's just going to be so much fun. I think some of the nerves or pressure that I might be feeling tomorrow morning are kind of going to go away since I'm playing with two old friends, and it's just going to feel like another college tournament. So it's exciting that we got that pairing, and we're lucky that we got that pairing. I know I'm going to enjoy it a ton. Not only I know them, but I know we're going to be playing great golf as well, so it's going to be fun to see them hit good shots, and hopefully I can make some good ones too. Q. Have you had a chance in the last couple months to kind of reflect on what happened at Augusta and just being -- you and Jennifer being the right golfers in the right place at the right time to take advantage of this whole new horizon that opened up for women's amateur golf? MARIA FASSI: Yeah. I mean, honestly, it just doesn't feel real yet. It was just so nice to get the opportunity to compete at Augusta and to represent women's golf. And to do it the way we did was pretty amazing. Just days go by, and I hear from people that I haven't heard in a while. They're like, hey, I saw you at Augusta, like that was amazing. Or friends from school that I haven't talked to in like five or six years, and they're like, hey, I was watching The Tonight Show, and you were there. I don't know, it was just crazy to see the impact I had. And like you say, we were just the right golfers at the right time and very fortunate that we were able to be out there to play the way we did, to represent ourselves, and it's just been really exciting to see the impact and the respect that we've had on people and, yeah, how much everyone has -- I don't know. It's just crazy to see how big it was. I'm like, okay, yeah, that was huge. But then days go by, and more people come and start saying more stuff. So it's just -- I don't think I still know how big that was. It just keeps impressing me day after day. Q. Maria, you've been in some incredibly high pressure situations the last three months, in the spotlight at Augusta National and then in the NCAAs on that final day, knowing everything that was at stake, and now what happens tomorrow. How do you think that you will compare the pressure of tomorrow to what you felt that final day at Augusta National and then that last day at The Blessings for the individual? MARIA FASSI: I think it's a different kind of pressure, especially with NCAAs because, I mean, it was the individual title, but I was still kind of in the team environment and basically just playing for Arkansas and not really that much for myself. But definitely Augusta, I know I had never been as nervous as I was on the 1st tee at Augusta National. I think being able to hit a good, solid shot off that 1st tee and then playing a really solid round definitely helped me just see, like I said, my weaknesses and my strengths. Playing with Jennifer really helped me just to learn a lot of the things that she did better than me at Augusta, and I was able to kind of put them into practice at SECs and the other couple tournaments that we played with the team. And then coming to NCAAs, I felt that I was more prepared to handle pressure. Playing at home wasn't super easy. I guess people had the expectation of me winning at home. And even myself, I mean, I know that golf course pretty well, and I knew I was going to have a good shot at winning the individual title. So kind of Augusta really helped me to see my weaknesses and then just work on them. And NCAAs just kind of -- I tested them out, they worked, so I feel very prepared for tomorrow and for this week and the weeks ahead. Of course, there's a lot of things I don't know about the Tour because I've never been here as a professional, and I'm going to keep learning and just seeing how people handle things and how they go about the things that I need to know. But I feel pretty good about my mental game. Q. It would be really easy to talk about your strengths, you know, 108 mile an hour swing speed, 165 mile an hour ball speed, which is ridiculous. But you talk about the things that you're working on. And as you know your own game, obviously, in some of these moments where you think that you can improve, as you watch these other players, the best players in the world, where do you think your weaknesses are, and how you can get to the level. Because I know your competitive desire to become one of those best players in the world. MARIA FASSI: Yeah, I think -- well, one of the things, it's just them being out here longer than I have. The experience is a huge thing out here. And just being comfortable with playing week in and week out, I think that's going to be something that I hope it doesn't take me long to get used to, but it could be one of the things that -- because I'm not used to playing, I don't know, three or four or five tournaments in a row. I might have to do that this year especially. I think just getting used to those things is going to be pretty important to me. I guess the main thing is that they just miss it in better places than we do as amateurs, I guess. I think that's one of the main things that differentiate professionals to amateurs, in my eyes. It's just not that they make more birdies, not that they hit it further, not that they hit it closer. It's just that when they miss, they miss where they know they can get it up and down from, or where they have space and they can still hit a shot from. I think just that, like, learning how to do that is going to be big for me. And luckily, I have an amazing caddie. He's been on tour for like 20 years, and he's caddied on the PGA TOUR for the most part. He's kind of used to long hitters and stuff like that so I think he's going to be key for me in those situations, where we just have to be okay with the middle of the green and two-putt and just get out of the green with a par. Because I know in my head, I might try to sneak it next to the hole, but sometimes you've just got to be okay with a 40-footer. And I think just being disciplined with those things, it's going to be important. I think that could be one of the things I need to work on in the next few months. Q. Have you watched the ANWA final round, a replay of it, or the NCAA championship, either one? MARIA FASSI: No. I watched clips and kind of what people have sent me, but I haven't really had the time to watch it all. My dad's like, You need to watch how you played at Augusta because you're going to learn a lot about yourself. I do want to watch it, of course. Especially that last round at NCAAs, I do want to watch because I know it can be really helpful for me just to see what I was doing and kind of that zone that I was in to be able to play golf like that. Q. And then who is your caddie? What's his name, and who has he worked for on the men's side? MARIA FASSI: His name is Gary Matthews. He's been with, I mean, so many players. He's been with Sergio. He's been with Luke Donald. He's been, on the girls side, with Lydia Ko for a little bit, Minjee Lee. And I mean, Camilo Villegas when he was kind of -- he's big. He's been around so long, and I've heard great things about him, and I'm excited to be with him. We got off to a great start, and he's a fun guy. So he's going to keep me busy with fun stories and stuff. I'm excited to have him on the bag this week. Q. Jennifer had said yesterday that it wasn't her original plan to play Augusta. MARIA FASSI: Yeah. Q. Was it yours? I know players of your caliber had to weigh playing that against the ANA. What was your situation? MARIA FASSI: Yeah. As soon as I got the invitation to Augusta, I knew I was going to play in it. I mean, I got into ANA as well and had to decline that, and that was a hard decision, but I knew that Augusta National Women's Amateur was going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity for me, and I felt comfortable enough about my game that I was going to be playing ANA next year. So it was definitely hard to say no to a major and to an amazing golf course like the one they played, but it was just kind of easy at the same time because it was the first time and the only time that I was going to have the opportunity to compete at Augusta National. THE MODERATOR: Maria Fassi, thank you so much. 8:28 a.m. off the 1st tee on Thursday. Best of luck this week. MARIA FASSI: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|