CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

December 17, 2020

Maria Fassi

Tiburón Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Solid 4-under 68 to start your 2020 CME Group Tour Championship. How did it feel out there to get things started?

MARIA FASSI: Yeah, I'm very happy with how we played. I think it was not easy, but we can go after it, I guess. We could be aggressive on a lot of holes. The wind wasn't really out there as much, but then it picked up and just became harder.

There was a few holes where it's hard to hit the fairway, and especially with the kind of wind we were having. So I am very happy with the score under par and just with how I handled myself out there.

Q. First time competing in the CME Group Tour Championship. Have you ever been at Tiburon before this?

MARIA FASSI: No, it's my first time, and just played nine holes each day. My back wasn't feeling all that good so just had seen the course once.

I loved it. I think it fits my game pretty good. Still got to hit a lot of good golf shots out here. I think the par-5s are gettable, and you have few par-4s where if you hit in the right place you can have a wedge in and be aggressive with that second shot.

So I'm happy to be here and really enjoying the course.

Q. In what has been a crazy year, is there extra excitement for the season finale, to push the year in the rearview mirror in a sense, but reflect on everything you've accomplished?

MARIA FASSI: Yeah, I think definitely with how challenging this year has been for everybody, one, just very happy that sponsors and the LPGA got us through the season and got us to the last tournament of the season.

Of course this tournament just kind of gets the best players of the year. I missed it last year, so I'm very happy that my golf brought me here this year. Hopefully I can continue to have next few days good golf and see what happens on Sunday.

Q. You didn't play the weekend last week at the Open, but you were out watching. Who were you watching and did you -- maybe why? Did you learn anything? What all did you do to soak in the experience?

MARIA FASSI: Yeah, I wanted to just kind of go see Stacy. I'm good friends with her and she was paired with both the Jutanugarns, so I thought it was going to be a good group to just learn from, like you were saying.

I think with May our games are fairly similar, so just seeing how she plays and how she played the course compared to how I was playing it and trying to see if I was maybe dropping some strokes on my strategy.

And then just supporting Stacy. I think I always really enjoy watching her play because she's a fighter, she never really gives up, and I just enjoy really walking on her side, by her side.

I thought it was very cool that I got to see a few holes, and hopefully future years I'm playing and not watching though.

Q. Last one I have for you. The course is playing, from what players that have played here before said, a little more receptive greens and you can attack pins a little more. There are few shuttles, so few longer walks out there. What's it like to have that added walk between holes and then how is the course playing to your game?

MARIA FASSI: Yeah, I think, I mean, I've had a couple mud balls. We were lucky today with where the mud was located and the ball to where we were still able to control the golf ball.

But it's still a little bit wet. It should get drier the next couple days, but it is a little bit softer than I expected it maybe.

And, yeah, I think the front nine especially you get some long walks between holes, which could be good and bad. If it you kind of came off a bogey you can have some time to cool off and be ready for the next hole.

But I think when you're on like a nice hot streak you just want to keep going, and walking from one hole to the other kind of makes you slow down a little bit.

It's just part of it. You still got to, I don't know, find your own pace and see what works.