U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN

May 31, 2021

Megha Ganne

The Olympic Club

Quick Quotes

Q. How did it go today? How did your round go today?

MEGHA GANNE: It was good. It was my first time playing the course. It was great weather out, and I didn't think it was as impossible as everyone made it out to be, so it was fun.

Q. This is your second time playing this tournament, and obviously you're a little older, a little more accomplished, but there were a couple months of non-competitive play due to COVID and everything. How has your game changed or evolved since last time in this tournament?

MEGHA GANNE: Yeah, last time I played I was a freshman, so I think more than anything, I've evolved as a person. I've learned so much, and I think the first experience of having the Open has made this time a lot less intimidating for me. It feels a lot different this time around, and I feel like I can just focus on my game. Last time I was just more focused on the environment and meeting all the players and everything like that, so it's a lot more relaxed this time.

Q. Drive, Chip & Putt, obviously a four-time finalist there, and playing at Augusta at such a young age, coming from New Jersey, you have people following you from the metropolitan area. How does this prepare you for where you are right now?

MEGHA GANNE: Yeah, I think Drive, Chip & Putt prepares you a lot for being on a big stage and having a lot of pressure and a lot of eyes on you because it's so televised and everybody knows about it. It was kind of my first taste of being in the public eye in that sort of way, so I think it really matures you, and I think all the kids take that away from Drive, Chip & Putt.

Q. You've committed to Stanford, correct?

MEGHA GANNE: Yes, I have.

Q. First of all, congratulations.

MEGHA GANNE: Thank you.

Q. You're 17, you're still a high school junior at this point, correct?

MEGHA GANNE: Mm-hmm.

Q. How do you do it all? You've committed to Stanford, you still have another year of high school left, and here you are playing in this tournament. How do you manage it all? How do you balance it?

MEGHA GANNE: I think just learning time management from -- I just have had that skill ever since I was younger because I've played golf and had to go to practice and manage school at the same time, so you just become better at figuring out what days you want to practice, what days you want to focus more on schoolwork, and having the right people around you, my parents, my golf coach and all my friends are all very supportive and do everything in their power to make things slightly easier for me.

Just the combination of all things.

Q. You're 17 and I'm sure there are accomplished champions who you look up to, but at 17 do you feel that you can open the door or be a role model for a nine year old, a ten-year old?

MEGHA GANNE: I hope so. I know a couple girls that I met when I'm in New Jersey and they've told me that they look up to me, which is the best feeling possible. But yeah, I really hope so. I try to be a good role model for kids like that. I think if they can learn from any of us out here, that would be really nice.

Q. How exciting is it to be competing in your second U.S. Women's Open?

MEGHA GANNE: It's really exciting. This time around I knew what I wanted because I played it the first year so the qualifier was so much more pressure, and I just knew how badly I wanted to be here again, and now that I'm here it's super exciting and feels a lot more familiar, so I think I'm sort of lined up for a little bit more success than last time.

Q. How has your game and confidence grown since the last time?

MEGHA GANNE: My game has grown tremendously. I mean, obviously my swing changes happened over two years and things like that and matured and course management, and mentality-wise the way I handle pressure is different. Overall a lot has changed for the better, so I'm excited to see how it goes.

Q. How exciting is it to represent New Jersey and New Jersey golf on the biggest stage?

MEGHA GANNE: I think it's great. I don't think there's a lot of representation, so I get to have more of that representation to myself. It's really nice, and I hope I do a good job.