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DIAMOND RESORTS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

January 17, 2020

Blair O'Neal

Lake Buena Vista, Florida

Q. With Golf Channel personality Blair O'Neal. Blair, six months pregnant, expecting your first child, a baby boy. What was the decision-making process like to even tee it up this week?
BLAIR O'NEAL: It was pretty tough, I'm going to be honest. My first 16, 17 weeks of pregnancy were really rough. I was like nauseous every two to three hours. The last couple weeks leading up to it, we needed to make a decision to let them know. I really wanted to play, but I knew it was going to be pretty strenuous and I haven't played a ton. So ultimately decided to play, and I think it was the right decision. I'm feeling pretty good, but it's definitely a grind out there.

Q. You're playing brilliantly. How does the golf swing feel differently than maybe it did a few months ago?
BLAIR O'NEAL: Well, now I've got to get this baby through the swings. So I have all this extra weight here because I've really popped. He doesn't let me hit the ball as far. So I'm having to hit two clubs more than I normally do. It's a bit of an adjustment, but I'm just going with it and accepting it. It is what it is.

Q. I saw you on the golf course earlier. We were joking about how warm it was yesterday. What are you going to do to kind of maintain your stamina over the next couple of days?
BLAIR O'NEAL: The main thing is just drinking a lot of water and getting a lot of little snacks throughout the day. When I'm done here, I'm going to go eat, shower, and take a nap.

Q. Are you surprised by how well you've been doing so far?
BLAIR O'NEAL: My main concern coming into this week was really how my body was going to feel. So I was really concerned about my low back and just the stamina because I haven't been this active in this short amount of time for a long time. So that was really the unknown, and that kind of worried me a little bit, just not knowing how my body was going to respond. So we tried to do all the things that we can do to make my body last, so resting as much as I can and getting the naps in and eating and staying hydrated, and all those things have been really important.

Q. What are the go-to snacks out there?
BLAIR O'NEAL: The go-to snacks are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, energy bars or protein bars really, and nuts. Things I probably typically wouldn't eat out on the golf course, but at this point, I just need to eat whatever I can eat.

Q. How is a six-month pregnant woman at the top of the leaderboard? What are you doing well out there? Obviously, a lot of things.
BLAIR O'NEAL: The six-month pregnant lady is just out there taking one hole at a time and trying to pace herself. I've been playing golf for a long time, so I know I have the talent in me. It's just enjoying myself, and like I said, making sure my body feels good, but really just, because I haven't been playing much at all -- you know, we talked the other day, and I've only played five rounds of golf in the last six months. So for me, it's really just been visualizing and trusting all the work that I've done in all the past years and that my body knows what it's doing.

So relying on that and really seeing the shots that I want and being specific with what I want and trusting it and just making a good, confident swing. That's really all I can do because I haven't been able to put in the time to do much else.

Q. Did you say the other day one of the keys out here is knowing where the bathrooms are?
BLAIR O'NEAL: Oh, yeah. I know where all of them are (laughter). We actually -- I was filming this week of Monday and Tuesday. So we came out Tuesday after I got done filming to go out onto the golf course to hit some just short game shots, because I didn't want to do too much because I was like, oh, five days is a lot of golf. So we just did a few chips and putts around the green, and we drove around, and literally my caddie and I pointed out where all the rest rooms were because we knew that was going to be very, very important.

Q. Do you have a map?
BLAIR O'NEAL: I've got them memorized by now. I know exactly where they are and where I need to make sure I stop.

Q. Do you feel wiped out when you come out on 18? Physically, what's it like?
BLAIR O'NEAL: Once I go into the clubhouse and eat and sit down, that's when it hits, and that's when he starts kicking around. When I'm out there, he's quiet and sleeping. Then once I sit down and eat and relax, then he starts moving around. That's when I'm like, okay, now I'm exhausted, but it's good adrenaline out there.

Q. Your caddie is more than a caddie, huh?
BLAIR O'NEAL: Yes. It's a family affair out there.

Q. It is. What do you rely on him for when you're out there?
BLAIR O'NEAL: He's been amazing. He's caddied for me when I played out on Tour years ago, so he knows my golf game. First and foremost, that's really important. He knows my tendencies, but this week is a bit different because he's done very good with, okay, here's the water. Here's the snacks. Make sure you use the rest room, like just all the little things to make sure to keep me comfortable. He even brought the umbrella out, that extra weight in the golf bag so I can shield myself from the sun when it gets pounding on you. All those little things add up at the end, and I think they will for the weekend.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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