KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 26, 2021

Patty Tavatanakit

Atlanta Athletic Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Here with Patty Tavatanakit who just shot a pretty sweet bogey-free 65. That was five birdies over your last seven holes. You've got to be pretty proud of the way you played today.

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: Yeah, definitely. I feel like I had a slow start. At the beginning of the day I didn't even think about shooting under par because there was just a lot going on and I wasn't really feeling myself. But I handled myself out there pretty well and just kept staying in it.

Q. Two birdies on the front nine, but I'm going to look at that stretch of four in a row starting on 14. Can you tell us what happened with those four holes?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: I feel like what I did well today, I just blacked out. I kind of have a goldfish memory out there just because I was just trying to stay patient, and I did. I guess that's why I made four birdies in a row. The fourth one I was actually like, okay, this is going to be my fourth one if I drop this, and I did. I hit all good putts today and hit the line. The speed was right.

It's just that momentum change, I guess, on that par-5, as well, on 12, I made a long second putt coming back after ramming my first one, and I think that changed the whole momentum of this round.

Q. So No. 12 is where it kicked in for you?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: Basically, yes.

Q. Can you talk us through that hole? What did you do off the tee?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: I hit a driver off the tee there and then I had 4-iron in, and then with the dirt on the ball, too, so it was like a guess, like I don't know what this ball is going to do, all I need to do is carry that water in front, which I did, and it was on the green. Misjudged the speed on the first putt. I rammed it probably 12 feet by, and then I was like, okay, I've really got to make this, I don't want to three-putt on this hole two days in a row, which I did make that putt with perfect speed.

When you keep seeing that ball go in, just dropping in, it's a nice feeling.

Q. You're in contention again at a major; last time was a little different. You were atop the leaderboard the whole time. What's it like chasing now at a major?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: Not going to lie, I feel like chasing more than I love just having the lead because I like the feeling of just chasing. I have something to look forward to or just look up to all the time.

Regardless of what happens tomorrow, I feel like I already have a solid week, considering my situation with the driver and everything, I feel like I really have proved to myself that I can play out here under any circumstances.

Q. I don't know what a goldfish memory is. Help me out there.

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: Goldfish memory, it's basically three seconds memory. That's what a goldfish has.

Q. Do you have a goldfish?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: No, I don't. I just like to compare myself to something, like oh, I don't really remember unless you have me sit down and actually think it through.

Q. I don't know how much you look at leaderboards, but when you saw the start Lizette and Nelly had, was there any part of you that looked pretty hopeless?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: Not really. I feel like there's a lot of golf out there, and I knew I was nine back at one point. I was like, it's okay, still like it's a major. I still have a couple of holes today, and tomorrow the whole day anything could happen, until the last putt on the last hole drops, no matter who wins.

But I feel like my mentality today was just really good, just kept pedaling, and even though I didn't really feel that great off the tee, I still feel like I can play around here, and if anything it just gives me more confidence if I'm hitting it good, like I'm going to be able to go low again.

Q. You've added almost 20 yards of distance to your average drive over the past couple years. I'm just wondering what kind of training went into that and how you accomplished that.

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: I feel like a lot of it is swing efficiency and just training my body the right way. That's part of it.

I don't know, I've always been a long hitter since I was young, too. Just like I said again, just getting the swing right to where it needs to be and swing freely, and the distance will come.

Q. So it's just getting into better positions in the golf swing?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: Yeah, there's a lot more relationships to that. I'm not a golf coach. I don't know how to explain all that.

Q. What do you think it is about your competitive DNA that allows you to rise on the bigger stages?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: I think I'm just addicted to adrenaline. I feel like without adrenaline I'm just like really flat, Do-Nothing, Last-Minute Patty. When adrenaline kicks in, I feel like it brings me to a normal stage where I'm competing with full self-conscious and with full focus, nothing too crazy going on like my breathing is like too fast or like I'm getting really fast in my routine and all this stuff. I feel like adrenaline kicks in and tournament rounds really bring me back to normal. That's what I think helped me a lot.

Q. Can we get a driver update? Did you go with the one that was shipped yesterday? Did you go with your old one?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: I was actually practicing with -- I had four different heads yesterday and none of it was good, so I was like -- even this morning I stuck to one from yesterday, and it wasn't really doing what it needed to do this morning. I wasn't really feeling good before I started the round, and then decided last minute with my coach to just put the one in yesterday. I played with it; it's fine. It worked out pretty great today.

Q. You said there was a lot going on. Is that what was going on, the driver thing?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: Yeah, and then like some personal stuff, too. You know, just life in general.

Q. You have a veteran caddie on the bag. I think this is your second week with Jason. How is that relationship working?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: We're actually really working well together. I feel like he kept me calm out there and dragged me out of my misery. Sometimes when I feel like I'm being down, he'll just like try to talk to me. He's really easy to talk to. I feel like we have fun out there ever since the first week we started working together, even though my game wasn't there, but I feel like I have a lot of fun out there with him.

Q. When you were with Grant earlier in the year, what did you learn about what you need in a caddie?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: Grant really set me up to the point where I can be independent on myself and not rely on my caddie that much, which I feel like that's really important as a player because you've got to know your own game. You can't really rely on the second opinion all the time. It's got to be your decision, it's got to be the shot that you feel, and I feel like that worked really well for me.

He taught me how to see the course differently, too, just play safe when you need to and play aggressive when you can.

Q. I know you said you had people who went above and beyond to get you the driver from Florida, but would it have made any difference in this whole saga if there had been club reps on the premises, like do you think it would have smoothed out whatever kinks you're going through with all these driver heads?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: I can't really say that because that's -- it could play out like any other way, really, really good or really, really bad. I just feel like right now where I'm at in my result, I'm satisfied with it. I wouldn't want it to play out any differently. Everything happens for a reason, and if I have to play with the driver that is not my gamer, I can work around that.

Q. Did you hit more 3-woods then?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: I hit a lot of 3-woods today because like I said, I didn't really feel good at the beginning of the day because I had the driver that tested yesterday that I'm going to use this morning, and this morning I was just like, I don't like this at all. Decided literally like five minutes before think tee time to put yesterday's head in, so I just feel like, I don't know, no expectations because I was like, I don't know what the ball is going to do, all I'm trying to do is make good swings.

Q. For you what would be the difference of winning a major, the ANA, and winning an Olympic gold?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: It is different because I feel like winning the ANA, I'm doing that more for myself and my reputation and being recognized out here, but for the Olympic gold medal, it would be a dream come true for an athlete in general. I feel like I've worked so hard growing up since I was a kid, playing the sport that got me here today where I am. I'm so grateful for that. To be able to win the gold medal, I don't think it could beat anything else.

Q. Where were you in '16? Were you on your way to UCLA, still in high school? Do you remember? For the last Olympics?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: '16, yes, I was probably 17. I think that's the year I played three majors. I think. It was ANA, U.S. Open and Evian.

Q. Do you remember watching the Olympics or paying close attention?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: I don't. I don't. I think I was playing in a tournament or something because it was over the summer, I believe, and I think I was out here playing AGJA junior golf and U.S. Amateur and all that stuff.

Q. Inbee won.

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: Yeah, I know that.

Q. How far do you generally hit the 3-wood?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: Ooh, it's a little bit of a guess, but our standard number between me and my caddie is like, okay, 230 carry off the fairway. And then off the tee it could go up to 250. And then with the run-out and everything, I don't know, sometimes 260.

Q. I wanted to ask you about the birdie at 15 because that's not a place where there are many 2s.

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: Oh, the par-3? I hit a 6-iron, so I was just trying to go left, then I pushed one right and I was like, for God's sakes just carry that water, and I did it, and it ended up real being really close to the hole and I made the putt.

Q. How far?

PATTY TAVATANAKIT: I think it was like 10 feet.