KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 24, 2021

Alisa Rodriguez

Atlanta Athletic Club

Quick Quotes

Q. How did you feel about how you played?

ALISA RODRIGUEZ: I mean, the first holes I was definitely really nervous. The front nine some mental mistakes and the back nine I just started to relax and had some good numbers coming in, made some putts.

Q. What kind of switched on to help you relax?

ALISA RODRIGUEZ: I mean, my whole goal this week was to have fun, and I felt like I was just stressing myself out trying to be perfect. My front nine, so the back nine, I was like, I'm already 5-over. Let's just see if we can make some putts, and I did.

Q. Anything else about the round, playing partners, anything that you can take with you and kind of stood out to you?

ALISA RODRIGUEZ: I definitely learned a lot. Their short games are amazing so just to see where I need to practice more. They also had a lot of difficult putts (indiscernible) here and there and don't read them as well, so it was cool to see how they play.

Q. Overall feeling after your first round and how you feel heading into tomorrow?

ALISA RODRIGUEZ: I definitely feel a lot more comfortable. The last two holes finishing I was psyching myself out again counting up my score, but I feel a lot more relaxed now and looking forward to tomorrow.

Q. So you're an athlete; at the turn, give me a copy of your halftime pep talk to yourself.

ALISA RODRIGUEZ: My caddie was like, come on, let's turn it on, let's go, let's have fun. I could see my dad out of the corner of my eye going, come on, you don't normally play like this. I was definitely a little stressed out, had a short wedge into the par-5 and kind of duffed it, and I was like, come on --

Q. On 18?

ALISA RODRIGUEZ: On the par-5, 13, or 12. It is what it is. It's golf. Back nine I just felt like -- my back nine I just settled in and hit some really good shots and made some putts. Almost holed out on the par-3, what is it, 4, 5?

Q. What did you hit there?

ALISA RODRIGUEZ: 6-iron.

Q. Do you have any aces?

ALISA RODRIGUEZ: Two, so I was hoping to get one on 17 at least for the car.

Q. What got you going on that birdie stretch and how much of it was momentum as you started feeling out some birdies?

ALISA RODRIGUEZ: Honestly, back in the day my uncle was always like, you want to always have the tee box. You want to have honors. So when I made that birdie on 1, I was like, I want to keep the tee box for as far as I can, I started making putts, hitting the posts, and yeah.

Q. What were you hitting in? What were the birdies?

ALISA RODRIGUEZ: 1, I hit a 4-hybrid in and had a long lag putt. I just made it in. No. 2, I hit 54 wedge from 98 to about five feet, and then I had a good lag putt on 3 for par. Like I said, almost holed it on 4, and then I had another birdie on 5.

Q. On 5 what did you hit in?

ALISA RODRIGUEZ: I hit a 50-degree wedge into about three feet and just made the putt. My caddie was helping me just trust what club I had in my hands. He was a real help today.

Q. What did it feel like to be on a birdie run like that?

ALISA RODRIGUEZ: Honestly, I can't even do that normally, so it was just a cool feeling just to like relax and see that I can play with these girls and just hold my game. It was a lot of fun today.

Q. You talked about giving lessons to your juniors --

ALISA RODRIGUEZ: I actually have two here today.

Q. What can you tell us about how you approached your initial nine and you were nervous and then you kind of freed up --

ALISA RODRIGUEZ: Honestly the biggest thing is even though you make the turn 5-over, you have plenty of holes left. It's golf. Like I didn't think I was going to make that many birdies. I was hoping for it deep down. I was hoping to stretch them out for the whole 18, but you just never give up.

Q. Did you make a good par to save the 2-over on 9?

ALISA RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, I made -- that tee shot just doesn't suit my eye and I hit it a little left and it was in the rough and I was like just hit it on the green and kind of lag it in. So I did, and now we're here.

Q. When you said you lagged it in at 1, were you just trying to lag it and it went in?

ALISA RODRIGUEZ: No, I was just trying to lag it and it went five feet.