LPGA MEDIHEAL CHAMPIONSHIP

June 11, 2021

Leona Maguire

Lake Merced Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Nice comeback today. How was it out there?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, I got off to a rough start and bogeyed my first three holes. But really proud of how I sort of hung in there and battled back and holed some really nice putts and got some really nice up and downs and keep the round going.

Kept myself in the tournament.

Q. Seems after 7 make a birdie and kind of started going. How was it out there mentally?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, just had to be patient. It's a tough golf course. If you hit shots off line and miss greens it makes it really tricky. Just trying to focus on hitting fairways and greens, and, yeah, trying to take advantage of the par-5s.

Q. And then how special your sister is here cheering for you this week?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, it's nice. She hasn't been out manage like a year and a half, so it's nice to have her here supporting me. Yeah, I'm sure she will have some pointers for me after the round today.

Q. Going into tomorrow, what's your mindset going to be?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, I mean, I think I'll go to the range now and hopefully straighten out my irons, and yeah, try and give myself as many chances as I can tomorrow and back to how I was playing yesterday.

Q. Leona, obviously you opened with three straight bogeys. On No. 4, what did you draw on to flip the script?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Just tried to hit a green, and, yeah, it was a struggle to start out. I hit two really poor iron shots and -- well, three poor iron shots really.

Yeah, just tried to get back to basics really. Hitting fairways and hitting greens. It can get away from you pretty quickly out here if you don't do that.

Not quite sure what I'm doing with my irons. I need to go over to the range for a little bit to figure that out.

But, yeah, just tried to stay really patient and bide my time.

Q. You managed to fight back and are only one shot off heading into the weekend. How proud are you of your resilience today?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, I suppose I could have blown myself out after the first three holes. I really hung in there. Picked up a few birdies, which was nice, and got myself back into the tournament.

And there is a lot of golf still to be played. It's a tough golf course. There is going to be bad holes, and, yeah, proud of how I battled today. I think on this course especially it's sometimes the bogeys you don't make rather than the birdies you do.

I made enough birdies yesterday, and it's a case of keeping as many bogeys off the card today as I could.

Q. Being only one shot back and kind of fighting against the leader this weekend, is that a better position you would like to be in, to make a run than to be the one hunted?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, obviously Danielle knows what she's doing, so I'll try and play as well as I possibly can at weekend to give myself as many chances, hopefully make a run for it.

Q. How do you think you would've handled your start a year ago versus today?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, I suppose that a little bit more experience knowing to stay patient and bide my time for those chances. Yeah, I mean, that's golf. There is going to be days like that. You're not always going to hit the perfect shots.

Yeah, I was proud of how I sort of hung in and didn't let it spiral down and just put up a big number today.

Q. When you have a player like Ana Belac out here, former teammate and good friend of yours, she obviously looks up to you. Does that make you in a sense grow up quicker out on tour even though you're still...

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, she's been asking me questions and I don't know the answers to all her questions. Just as this is a new week for her it's a brand new week for me as well. I've never been here before.

Yeah, me and Lisa and her went to go see the Golden Gate Bridge yesterday and I'm trying to help her any way I can, but I think we'll be doing a little bit of figuring out together probably for the rest of the year.

Q. How was the Golden Gate Bridge?

LEONA MAGUIRE: It was good. Yeah, the views were definitely really cool. We got some good pictures out there. It's nice when you come and you get to go see some of the local things.