HUGEL AIR PREMIA LA OPEN

April 21, 2021

Ally Ewing

Wilshire Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Nice 4 under par to start off the Hugel Air Premia LA Open. Take us through the day. You had two early bogeys but bounced back in a strong way with six birdies, including a bogey-free back nine. What was the mindset after the first two bogeys and how did you transform, get back into the thing?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, so my front nine was -- I hit the ball well but I was 1-over through nine holes and I had only missed one green.

I just couldn't get line and speed matched up with putting. I had a 3-putt on the front nine, too, and then once I got past hole 6 I kind of got it together.

I had a tap-in birdie on 7.

Had two more good looks on 8 and 9.

When I made the turn I gained momentum, saw a couple putts go in. I just kept hitting it solid and giving myself a lot of really good looks, particularly on the last I think eight holes. All my birdie putts were inside six feet.

Just a really solid ball striking day, and hitting it close never hurts.

Q. Is this a course where wedge practice after a round early in the week before the rounds, wedge practice is going to come into play a little more than other weeks?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, potentially. I mean, for sure -- typically like poana is something that's very unique for me. Growing up in the south I'm used to a lot of bermuda; I see bent.

So I feel like kind of getting comfortable around the greens, even understanding like the first hop with poana on approach shots, just kind of picking really good target numbers, where we want to pitch it, just setting ourself up in a good place for birdies, giving ourselves a lot of looks I think is just crucial for me around a golf course.

So I'll keep the same mentality moving forward.

Q. What makes Wilshire a unique track?

ALLY EWING: Well, I think you just notice like it's a very historic golf course in L.A. You can tell that some of the holes are unique. You get around it, like hole 3 and there is a tree. If you skirt it too far down the right side there is a tree that blocks out a wedge shot.

Just getting around the golf course in a good place. There are some slopes. As a whole, the golf course plays -- the greens slope from back to front, so any time you can keep it below the hole it's very important.

So, yeah, I think you just got to -- a it's really cool golf course, old school, but certain twists and turns that keep it interesting out here.

Q. You missed the cut in 2018 and had a top 20 in 2019. Obviously been a couple years now since we played the course. When you take a year off from playing a course, do you have to find a way to kind of refamiliarize with the settings, this is what this is all about?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, the golf course is playing very similar to what it did two years ago when we were here. But I would say it's as whole, yeah. Every time we get to a golf course, you know, we play every week, so golf courses can be very different. Some golf courses can be similar.

But moving from Hawaii to Wilshire is very different, so kind of familiarizing yourself, walking around the golf course Monday and Tuesday for me was just kind of making sure we got really good targets off the tee.

The par-5s aren't -- go -- reachable. Finding really good layup numbers we like. Approach shots, too. Just kind of navigating our way smart around the golf courses. If you get too aggressive out here I think it can be kind of penalizing. So just being really smart.

Q. Put up a 4-under in the first round, out of the morning wave, especially when you have an afternoon tee time tomorrow, is that pretty big considering maybe what winds could shift too manage the afternoon?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, I would say so. I think typical poana is fresh greens in the morning are kind of better than the afternoon. You never know what the afternoon -- how much the poana is going to kind of bloom.

Just kind of feels good to get out, get a good round in this morning. Hopefully we'll go moving into the afternoon tomorrow as well.

Q. Obviously didn't play here last year because of the pandemic. Just thoughts on Hugel and Air Premia coming back to the tour and finding themselves back on the schedule this year?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, I think it's great. With COVID so many of our sponsors hung on and stayed in during a really difficult time. So every time we get to an event it's a huge appreciation for sponsors that have stuck in through difficult times. They're probably in their company too, just hanging on.

We really appreciate all of sponsors and excited to be here in L.A. this week.