PELICAN WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP

November 21, 2020

Austin Ernst

Pelican Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Nothing like taking advantage of moving day here. 65, one of the best rounds you've all season, going back to Walmart is the lat time you were able to get a 65 together. What was working so right for you today?

AUSTIN ERNST: My ball striking has been really good all week. I think I hit every fairway today. I've just been really aggressive with my iron shots, and today I got a few putts to fall. That's really the only difference between today and the last couple days.

Yeah, it was just really solid overall.

Q. Definitely one of those things that if you're going for the pin you got to hit it in the right spot. Is that you what felt like you were doing today?

AUSTIN ERNST: Yeah, I mean, out here you kind of have to be aggressive to pins, because if you shoot away from them you're going to have a harder putt than if you just kind of take it on.

But, yeah, you definitely have to pull the shots off, and I've been hitting it where I'm looking.

Q. What are some of the things that you think were going so right, especially on the back nine? This back nine we've heard all week is one of the hardest back nines we've had in a little bit. What do you think of this back nine, and with the wind changes and everything, how do you think you were able to come away with that today?

AUSTIN ERNST: Yeah, I think driving the ball well. I had a couple shorter clubs into 10 and 11 and could kind of take advantage of those. I hit lob wedge into 11. With where that pin is, it still released eight yards.

I think I drove it well enough to where I could take on some pins and I could -- 14 I hit it right next to the green. Just got it up and down for birdie.

And then 17 I actually had to hit 3-wood. Moved the tee up. And hit it good chip shot there to about five feet and made that.

I think I just took advantage when it just presented itself to me, and when I had a scoring club in my hand I was really aggressive and kind of got a putt inside 10, 15 feet and then I made them.

Q. You've been pretty consistent since your win in Walmart, and coming off a T24 finish at Reynolds Lake Oconee. Have you been working on something in particular, or is there something that you've been focusing on to just up your game to where it is at the moment?

AUSTIN ERNST: I've kind of been working on the same thing with my golf swing, and it's good. It's literally just kind of trying to get it a little bit better. I'm just trying to get through the ball well. It's a simple key, and it's a very freaky. I don't have to think about it when I play, which is nice.

And then my putting. I've really tried to work on my 6 to 15 footers. I feel like I get a lot of those because of how aggressive I am with my irons. I got a lot of putts in that range, and when I don't play as well I'm not making as many from 10 to 15 feet especially.

Really when I've putted I've really tried to work on that range, and today I made a lot from that range, which is nice.

Q. Is it hard to carry that momentum when we had the three-week break that we did after the way you played, especially in that final round in Reynolds Lake Oconee? What do you do to keep the competitive mindset going?

AUSTIN ERNST: Well, I took a week off right away. I didn't realize how much golf I had played kind of straight up until that point, so it was nice to kind of get that break.

But then I played a lot of golf. I was actually in Florida and it was quite windy, so hitting balls wasn't going to do me a ton of good. But I got play in a lot of wind, which especially where we're playing the next few weeks I though was really beneficial.

That just helped me work scoring, too in difficult conditions.

Q. Where did you play in Florida?

AUSTIN ERNST: Trump Palm Beach.

Q. Okay. Did you play with anyone in particular?

AUSTIN ERNST: I played with a couple -- Lexi is a member out there, and then I played with couple guys on the PGA Tour and there is a good junior player that I play with.