ANA INSPIRATION

September 11, 2020

Katherine Kirk

Mission Hills Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Katherine, a nice bogey-free 5-under par today to climb the leaderboard. I saw the eagle at No. 2. Take me through how that hole played out for you and how it maybe propelled you for the rest of the day.

KATHERINE KIRK: I hit an okay drive down there and it hung up actually in the first cut of the rough, but it was a good lie and I had a good number and I hit a 5-wood to 15 feet, pin high, and yeah, rolled in the putt for eagle, which was nice.

Yeah, it was pretty stress-free for the most part. I think I left myself one long par putt on 6, but other than that, yeah, it was a fun round of golf. I don't have too many bogey-free days, so I'm pretty happy, especially at this golf course, and as firm and it's getting out there. Yeah, nice to -- I guess anywhere to be bogey-free, but especially here.

Q. How different is it especially at this event where the grandstands and walking up 18 is such a huge part of the interaction and adrenaline that you build at an event like this? How different is it out there through two rounds?

KATHERINE KIRK: Yeah, even Thursday-Friday out here we usually get decent crowds, so it is a very different feel. Yeah, I think we're just thankful to ANA and all the other sponsors that we're even here in the first place. I think, yeah, if you asked all the girls, we're just glad to be here. I know that's disappointing for fans, but hopefully they'll be back end of March, early April next year, better than ever.

Q. You've had a few good finishes at this event specifically, back when it was in the spring. How different does the course play at this time of the year compared to those springtime events?

KATHERINE KIRK: Totally different. I've never been here for Q-school, either, so I've never seen it with the Bermuda. But it's playing great right now. Just yeah, same kind of strategy involved, but there's a few more, I think, firmer bounces when it's as dry as it is. We've had to adjust, I guess, a little bit, but not too much do the game plans change. Today the greens got a little firmer and faster, and that was probably more the things you had to pay attention to.

I'm a veteran out here, so I should know how to adjust to conditions at this age.

Q. Speaking of as a veteran, at what point do you look back on maybe past experiences, especially some of your top finishes here, and reflect on those over the weekend? At what point over the weekend do you do that to hopefully climb the leaderboard even more?

KATHERINE KIRK: I have a really short memory when it comes to bad rounds, so yeah, I just try and remember the good shots and the good rounds that I've had out here. Certainly this golf course is probably not one that has suited me and my game because I've never been a really straight driver of the golf ball, but I'm hitting it much better than I ever have before, so that's, I think, the reason that I've been able to put two decent rounds together, and finally the putter was a bit hotter today, and that was really the difference. I hit 15 greens yesterday and 15 today. I just had four fewer putts today, and yeah, I'm really happy with the putter. I put a new putter in the bag in Arkansas, and it's a new PXG, it's called One and Done, and I love it. It was just a matter of being patient today. That was really the only difference.

I always say to my caddie, it's law of averages when it comes to putts, so if you miss them one day they're going to drop in the next.

Q. And "one and done" probably helps get you off the green a little quicker?

KATHERINE KIRK: Yeah, if you can keep that theory and make it a reality, yes, it does help.

Q. Take me through on 18 you had the backdrop. What do you think of that, and how do you think that might potentially come into play on Sunday with maybe an upward tee?

KATHERINE KIRK: I'm thankful they've got some sort of fencing around the green for sure. I think everyone is, because if it wasn't up there, it would be a much harder second shot if you were going for it in two because you've got water behind that green, as well, and with as firm and these greens are, yeah, you'd have to be really careful.

So now at least we have -- even though it's not really a grandstand, you can use it as a bit of a backboard. I know that's probably not what a lot of people want to hear in golf, but yeah, it's still a great finishing hole. Hopefully we just get good TV numbers and everyone enjoys watching it at home.

Q. When you obviously were thankful that we're playing this event, but when you don't have the fans there and especially in a major, how do you dig deep to find that adrenaline or that extra push, especially come the weekend?

KATHERINE KIRK: Well, it is interesting. You do feed off the crowd sometimes for sure, and I think sometimes your nerves can be even higher, too, because you just feel that energy and you know what's on the line. And you want to hit good shots. You want to impress people. At the end of the day we're entertainers. I think the thing, though, that you've got to remind yourself is that you're just out here to play golf and get the ball in the hole as fast as you can, and that's really the only thing you can do to just remind yourself, hey, I've just got to execute my game plan and my routine.

You know when you're playing well, and you've got enough hopefully good energy and momentum from that. But certainly, yeah, the crowds can be a turning point for you or just a little energy boost when you need it sometimes coming down the stretch and you're in contention.