AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

April 2, 2021

Pauline Roussin-Bouchard

Press Conference

Q. How did you find it out there today?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: Beautiful, amazing. I would have like so many words to describe like how happy I am to be here. It was just like wonderful, beautiful, so perfect and yeah, just amazing.

Q. You want to enjoy it and soak it up but you also need to prepare for the tournament.

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: I would say today was a practice round like I would play any other course for any other tournament. It's just that like between shots, I would like look around a little bit more and -- like for instance, I almost didn't want to leave my tee, my broken tee on the tee because it was so I am perfect compared to everything that's just perfect. I was like, okay, I'll just put it in the trash.

I would just say it's something that it's not that difficult because I enjoy so much playing and doing all that and all this process, that I just -- I managed to do both, like enjoying and working at the same time.

Q. You've been dreaming of this moment for a while. How did it match up to your dream?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: I didn't really think -- I didn't really think about it before, like you know, I was just seeing it on TV and I was watching the highlights on YouTube and all that. But I didn't really imagine myself walking out there and be here.

So I didn't really have any expectations, and -- except, you know, I was expecting something perfect and it is very perfect, very much perfect.

Q. How did you find the golf course difficult-wise?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: It's a tough course. The greens are like roller coasters. I would just say it's a very tough golf course, long, especially with this wind. I think it's going to be a different wind for tomorrow but with this wind, definitely more difficult.

I enjoy chipping on this grass. So I guess it allows you to have a little bit less pressure on where you miss your shot but then, yeah, like the greens and the pin positions are going to be key and definitely difficult.

Q. Your first go-around, how do you go about learning this golf course in five hours with so much to take in?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: It's tough to do. It's pretty tough to do because you want to pay attention to everything that would help you but at the same time, it's like on a very difficult course like this one, you also need to feel and not have like too many informations. I would say it's a balance to find between getting to know the course and feeling the course. And it's hard to find in five hours, obviously, but you know in college we only have like one practice round every time we play. So I would say it's something that helps a little bit. But to be honest, courses are not that hard, so yeah, definitely something a bit tough to do.

Q. You're one of the longer hitters. Were you able to go for the par 5s in two?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: I went on 12 and 13 in two. But with the cold and the wind and layers, you take off 20 yards on every shot. So it was definitely playing longer. Yeah, I think if the wind is a little bit different some par 4s are going to be way shorter like 18, I had the 4-iron coming in and then some par 4s are going to be a little bit more reachable, yeah.

Q. In terms of positioning on the leader board, how far back off the lead do you think is doable?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: I think on this course, everything is doable. And anything, everything can happen. I would say I'm five shots back I think probably because I'm 4-over, lead is 1-under, so it's five shots. And on this course, I would say it's not nothing but anything can happen.

So I will definitely go for it and have no regrets at the end of the day. It's going to be very, very difficult and I think someone who has putting on fire and who aims at the right areas on the greens will have chances obviously. But like the greens are very, very firm, so it's going to be definitely difficult to be in the 60s.