AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

April 1, 2021

Katherine Smith

Quick Quotes

Q. How do you feel coming off the golf course?

KATHERINE SMITH: I feel fine, yeah. I only played 12 holes yesterday, so I got a lot of nice attention for 12 holes of golf, and I was happy to make my putt on the first hole. You can't underestimate this course. It's a tough course, so you're going to make your bogeys, and mine came this morning. So I'm happy with my two pars on the last two holes.

I'm in contention at the Augusta National Women's Amateur, so I've got a smile on my face.

Q. How differently did the golf course play this morning?

KATHERINE SMITH: Yeah, definitely a lot different just because it was like 80 degrees when we finished. So I had to club up. Like 13, I hit 3 wood into 13. I think we all had woods in our group. So your percentages with the 3 wood are just not super high.

It happens, and I'm sure the girls out there starting the second round are experiencing the same thing. I'm just excited to play this course again. It's beautiful, and I really enjoyed it.

Q. What was last night like for you? You said you got a lot of attention for 12 holes.

KATHERINE SMITH: Oh, my gosh. Shane Bacon tweeted at me, and Amanda Balionis followed me on Twitter. I'm like, oh, my gosh, this is the best night of my life. I enjoyed it. I knew this morning was going to be tough, so I just tried to have fun and enjoy the moment. Yeah, it took me a little bit to fall asleep, that's for sure.

Q. Was it hard to refocus, I guess, this morning to put what you did yesterday behind you and kind of focus on the task at hand?

KATHERINE SMITH: Yeah. I mean, definitely this morning -- I mean, a round of golf is 18 holes for a reason. Six holes is a short sprint, I felt like. So I'm excited to have a whole round now to make some birdies. I have a lot of confidence in myself. I mean, just because the last few shots there, it doesn't really affect me too much. I'm excited to see what the second round brings.

Q. What do you do now?

KATHERINE SMITH: I don't know. I might take a nap or something. I'm not sure. Maybe go back on my phone. I kind of shut it off last night because a little bit of an overload. So maybe I'll text my teammates and check in with people. Yeah, we'll see. I've got the afternoon time. I get to be warm this afternoon, so I'll probably stay indoors a little bit.

Q. How many texts did you get last night?

KATHERINE SMITH: Oh, my gosh, a lot. Probably in the 30s kind of thing. Hearing from a lot of people, a lot of people back in Minnesota, a lot of people in Nebraska. So just nice to have those people behind me. Anybody would kill to be here, so I'm going to enjoy it no matter what.

Q. Did your game plan change at all, stopping, heading back to 12, and starting again?

KATHERINE SMITH: No, not really. Looking back, I think I may have taken more conservative lines because I'm not as warmed up as I was when I finished. So kind of the same game plan. Only problem was yesterday I had nothing to lose and today I had everything to lose. It just happens. Playing in the lead is always a good experience.