MARATHON CLASSIC PRESENTED BY DANA

August 7, 2020

Jodi Ewart Shadoff

Quick Quotes

Q. Jodi Ewart Shadoff, one off your career 18 hole record. How are you feeling out there today?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Pretty good. You know, I just got everything going. The putts were dropping today and I'm striking the ball really well, hitting a lot of fairways.

So I feel really confident in where I am at and where my game is.

Q. When did you really feel like you were going off to a hot start?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: You know, I birdied 2 and 3, which you know, to birdie a couple holes early on, I knew that the day was going to be pretty decent.

I made the turn at 5-under, so I just told myself just to keep it going; on the back nine there is a lot of opportunities out there. So that's what I tried to do.

Q. You and Lydia seemed to be trading birdies back and forth.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah.

Q. What does that do for your game?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, it was really awesome to play with both Lydia and Amy. We were all playing really well. To see Lydia, you know, yesterday hit pretty much every shot to within two feet, and then today we were just kind of bouncing off each other and making birdies pretty much on every hole.

You know, spurs you on a little bit.

Q. I know this is the second week with Holly on the bag as well.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah.

Q. You said she is just a perfect green reader. Definitely the same this week?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, I mean, she's really good green reader, and it's nice to have a friend on the bag. Keeps me loose, and we have a lot of fun out there.

Q. What has been the key? You played really well at Inverness last week and then continued it now.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, I mean, last week I didn't really have any expectations going into the week. It was hard not playing for five or so months.

But to play well around Inverness, tough greens, really tight off the tee, just gave me a lot of confidence in where I am with my ball striking.

I was a little bit disappointed throughout pretty much the whole week on how I was rolling the ball. I worked a little bit at the start of the week on my putting, and clearly that kind of paid off today and yesterday.

Q. Are you still working with Leadbetter?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah.

Q. How much time did you spend with him during the break and what was your focus?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, we spent a lot of time together. I tried to see him once every week or two weeks or so. We didn't really work on a whole lot. I was playing well at the start of the year, so it was just kind of trying to keep it going, doing a little bit of tempo stuff with the swing, and just trying to keep my short game fresh.

Q. Where do you have to be on the board for Adam to mention you?

A. Probably on -- you know, at the top. (Laughter.) I haven't been mentioned in a while, so we'll see. We'll see if I can get that mention at the end of the week.

Q. Does the approach change at all on the weekend when you're playing against a fellow leader?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: I think it's been nice to play with Lydia over the past couple days. We get on really well, and obviously our games are kind of bouncing off each other. To play with each other tomorrow we'll have a similar vibe as today, so that's a nice feeling to have.

Yeah, I mean, I'm just going to go out there and try and keep it going. I mean, I'm very confident in my long game, and hopefully the putts will drop again tomorrow.

Q. Just one more from me. How confident are you feeling here Highland Meadows after two solid rounds back to back?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, I mean, I've had some really good tournaments here. I've played well in the past here, so...

You have to be straight off the tee and a good ball- striker into these greens. Gives me a lot of confidence, and to have experience around here and to have a couple good finishes gives me a lot of confidence going into the weekend.

Q. Played well last week. Always a reliable ball- striker. Are you playing you think now with maybe as much confidence as you've ever played?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, definitely. I mean, obviously last week I didn't have any expectations going into the week. I struck the ball really well, so that gave me a lot of confidence throughout the whole week with my game, how I'm hitting the ball.

This is a perfect golf course for ball-striker, and so it's working out this week.

Q. Noticeable difference to me at least through two rounds here is the putting.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah.

Q. When the anchor band came about you struggled with it a little bit, like a lot of players did. Are you starting to get that confidence back and feel like you're supposed to make those putts?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah. I mean, my putting is always an area that I try to work really hard on, and I have done in the past few years.

You know, I can be a little bit inconsistent, but couple things I had to work on from last week, and I think it's paying off.

Q. When you get in contention like you did last week, you didn't come away victorious, but do you take that experience and learn, or are you going to try and do anything differently this week?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, definitely. When you're in that position all you can really do is learn. I think I'm playing really well and back in this position again this week. I just think just try and do what I've been doing the last two days and hopefully the putts will drop.