PURE SILK CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY VISIT WILLIAMSBURG

May 21, 2021

Ana Belac

Kingsmill River Course

Quick Quotes

Q. Ana Belac, 4-under 67 round two. Let's start with the good. You had birdies today at 6, 7, 8, 13, and 14. Any one of those this particular really stand out in helping you get going in the round?

ANA BELAC: Yeah, I think my birdie on No. 6 kind of got me going. I kind of had a little bit of a rough start and made a not-so-great bogey early on.

Then on No. 6 I just really wanted a fresh start and hit my pitching wedge really close, I think to like three or four feet. Made that putt for birdie, and that kind of got me going for the rest of the round.

Q. Yeah. That was the first of three straight that you had. Take us through the bogey on 2 and when you stepped on the tee box on 3 what was the mindset?

ANA BELAC: Yeah, so No. 2 I think I was just like a little bit nervous on the tee, so I hit my tee shot on the par-3 too far left off the green so I had a really tough chip. And then I chipped it about 15 feet past the hole and didn't make the putt.

So it wasn't an awful bogey, but it was still one of those that you probably don't want to have that make you a little bit mad.

Q. Yeah.

ANA BELAC: So I just went on No. 3 and I was like, Let's just keep going. I can hit some good shots. See what happens.

Q. I'm sure you're aware that after this week is the first reshuffle of the season. As a rookie out here, is that something that you looked at or knew coming into the week?

ANA BELAC: I tried not to, but obviously it's in the back of my mind. My ultimate goal and my life goal is to play on the LPGA and do well here, and obviously that's in the back of my mind, but I try not to think about it when I'm out on the course and just play my game.

Q. Is there a little excitement going into the weekend with where you are and knowing this could be a big weekend that changes the course of not only the rest of this year, but your future?

ANA BELAC: Yeah, I mean, I'm just excited to be here. This is my third-ever LPGA event and I got in on a sponsor invite. So I'm just really grateful to be here and I'm just looking forward for two more days of this course and see what happens.

Q. How tough is the course playing, especially from years past? If you looked at scores at all coming in, the scores are way different. Course seems to be playing...

ANA BELAC: I actually haven't looked at scores. I don't like to keep these things in my mind, you know, and just go out and see what happens.

But I'm definitely -- I tend to be more comfortable on harder courses because you don't put yourself in that mindset. You keep have to making birdies.

So I just go out there and like try to make the decisions and wait and be patient for the payoff.

So I think that kind of course suits me pretty well.

Q. You were the player of the year last year on the Symetra Tour. When you can have your year in your first year as a professional like you did, does that make things not easier, but does it give you a sense of confidence to know that you belong right away, you don't have to fine tune things as you go along maybe as much as if you struggled a little differently?

ANA BELAC: Yeah, I think the best thing that happened to me was playing on the Symetra Tour for a year. You know, transition from college to LPGA is not necessarily the easiest thing in the world, so having that little step in the middle to just learn everything about traveling on my own, how to prepare for tournaments, how to play for longer stretches of time and not having my coach around, I think that's really the best thing that happened.

And winning Player of the Year just got a little bit of recognition for that, so that was I think the best thing that happened for my golf.

Q. Absolutely. Last one I have for you. On 18 that bunker shot looked pretty intimidating from where I was standing. You stepped right up to it and looked like an eight-year, nine-year tour veteran. Do you feel like you're not a rookie when you have stepped out here this week, or do you still have those nerves maybe that a rookie has?

ANA BELAC: I'm just walking around and seeing all the players that I've watched on TV for so long. It's obviously different, but once I'm on the course and playing my game it's just me and the course and the golf ball. So when I've I'm over the ball I don't necessarily think about it.

It's definitely a little bit of a different situation when you walk around here though.

Q. Good luck the rest of the weekend.

ANA BELAC: Thank you.