HUGEL AIR PREMIA LA OPEN

April 22, 2021

Albane Valenzuela

Wilshire Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. So you're playing on the weekend; how does it feel?

ALBANE VALENZUELA: It feels good. I definitely fought very hard out there. I could not hit my driver all day, but I made a lot of really good clutch putts, and I just really stayed present and just happy with my attitude out there because it was not easy and I just grinded.

Q. Off the tee obviously it's nice to find some good angles out here, but I also feel like you have to be pretty precise with your second shots into the greens?

ALBANE VALENZUELA: Yeah, it's definitely a course where you have to make a lot of par saves. The greens are so small, definitely a lot of tricky shots, and you end up having to chip and putt a lot on this course, which I think is a hard part, and then the greens are not easy. If you're just past the hole you can get very tricky downhill putts.

It's a good test of golf. I like it. I like courses that are -- each hole you have to fight a little bit and kind of dig deep and there's never rest.

Q. You had some nice birdies out there on 8, 10, 12, 14 and 18. Any one of those in particular stand out that maybe kind of helped you to the under-par round?

ALBANE VALENZUELA: Yeah, I hit two tap-ins but actually on hole No. 14 and 18. I had two tap-in birdies. Those feel definitely good, really good approach shots there. I think that putt on 8 -- my 17th hole on 8 was really good because I knew I was like right on the cut line kind of, and 9 is always a tough shot, especially the pin on the right side, and I knew I had to make a birdie, and just to pull it was a good feeling.

Q. Was a day like you had today maybe one where you can use over the next couple days to continue to climb the leaderboard?

ALBANE VALENZUELA: Definitely. I think my putting has been really, really solid the last two days, so if I keep hitting more greens and just giving myself shots, you can always climb the leaderboard. You can always just chase to the top.

Q. You were paired with another Stanford alum in Michelle Wie. What's it been like to play with her, pick her brain as a veteran?

ALBANE VALENZUELA: I mean, she's such a great person. I think she's been so many years out on Tour and she's definitely been a player I looked up to growing up, so it's just fun to be playing with her, and definitely having a good Stanford connection is pretty I fun.

Q. What does Wilshire offer that maybe stands out to you compared to some other courses?

ALBANE VALENZUELA: I think the greens are really, really good. I think they're rolling extremely nice. It's just a really good test of golf. I don't think there's a single hole that really -- there's so many courses we also play, where someone doesn't know what's the difference between 8, 9, 10 or 11. This one it's definitely a lot of good holes, a lot of good shots, and it's more strategic I think than other courses. You kind of have to think it through, and it's a little trickier.