MEIJER LPGA CLASSIC

June 17, 2021

Gabi Ruffels

Blythefield Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Gabi, great first round here. How do you feel after this first round?

GABI RUFFELS: Yeah, it was a good first round. I think I was 6-under through 12 or 13 holes, so got off to a pretty good start. Scores are pretty low here and overall pretty happy.

Q. And you've got a new caddie or Grant is on the bag?

GABI RUFFELS: Grant is on the bag.

Q. Okay. How has that been?

GABI RUFFELS: Yeah, he's my coach and he coaches Patty and Jennifer as well. So he's been on the bag. A couple people were joking that he's doing more caddying these days than coaching. He's great. We're at the same course and I've been working with him the past couple months, so it's really cool to have him on the bag.

Q. And do you think you're going to ask to keep him on the bag for next week, too?

GABI RUFFELS: No. He's a coach. He has other players he has to look after and his wife kind of needs him home. He's played on the PGA TOUR I think for ten years, so it's really cool to get some of his knowledge and insight and have him on my bag. It's been awesome.

Q. Does what relax you? How does it feel? What kind of change is it for you having Grant on the bag?

GABI RUFFELS: It's nice. It's just a familiar face and I really enjoy that. It's so different from amateur golf to professional golf having a caddie all the time. I'm used to college where you have a coach or assistant coach out with you and you're mostly doing everything on your own.

I definitely enjoy a familiar face, and, yeah, he's been doing that for me so it's been good.

Q. Going back to the course conditions today, a lot seemed to be hovering around minus 6, minus 5. How low do you think players can go this week?

GABI RUFFELS: Yeah, definitely pretty low. It's definitely a course -- I mean, there are five par-5s I'm pretty sure out here and the greens are pretty spongy and receptive. It's a great course, and I think, yeah, scores are definitely going to be pretty low.

Q. Tomorrow you might face some tougher conditions. How do you think that's going to play out with the course?

GABI RUFFELS: Yeah, I think there are thunderstorms in the afternoon if I'm not mistaken, and my tee time in is in the afternoon.

There is what, 75 other players playing in the afternoon, so we all have the same conditions. Just go out there and see how good I can do.

Q. Okay, about Yuka and sponsor exemptions and so few left, how do you feel about that and being a nonmember with Yuka?

GABI RUFFELS: Yeah, I definitely watched her last two days at the U.S. Open and it was pretty inspiring. She's been doing really well off sponsor's exemptions and kind of in the same position as me. We don't really have status.

So, yeah, it was really cool to see. If I could do that, that would be pretty awesome.

Q. What I guess events do you look forward to getting the exemptions most at?

GABI RUFFELS: Yeah, so I have already had four, this is my fifth and next week is my six. So there are only six on LPGA, so after these next two weeks I'm done, and then kind of looking towards Q-School and a couple Symetra events.

Q. Last question. Have you talked to Yuka? What's the vibe like among the nonmembers doing so well?

GABI RUFFELS: Yeah, no, I don't know her at all, but I saw that she did well in Hawaii and then obviously won the U.S. Open, which is pretty inspiring. So I think there is a couple people that are doing that, trying to rely on sponsor's exemptions. But, yeah, it was really cool and definitely inspiring.