MARATHON CLASSIC PRESENTED BY DANA

July 9, 2021

Lauren Stephenson

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, Lauren, another solid day out there today. How are you feeling after day two?

LAUREN STEPHENSON: I felt pretty good. I felt better on the first nine and then kind of started hitting it not super off, but just not hitting it super close, so I didn't really have too many looked for birdie on the back nine.

But I finally gave myself a good look on the last hole, so I feel like I finished the day off solid.

Q. Nothing like closing with a birdie there. What was going right for you?

LAUREN STEPHENSON: Yeah, just hit it to like five feet. Today I just couldn't make a putt so it was nice to get it in that close range to give myself a good look.

Q. When you say you couldn't make a putt, were there a significant amount of longer putts or...

LAUREN STEPHENSON: No, I felt like I was rolling it good today. Few lip-outs, which are going to happen. Yesterday I made a lot of putts, so it's kind of bound not to go your way the next day.

Q. You had two on your front nine, which was the back nine. To you, would you say that the back nine is a little bit more easier at some points?

LAUREN STEPHENSON: Yeah. I told my caddie today, I think I like starting on the front nine better, just getting in a rhythm versus starting on the back and then knowing you are going into some of the harder holes.

So be nice to start on 1 again tomorrow.

Q. You were talking yesterday about how you're getting more comfortable seeing your name on the leaderboard and being in contention. Did you feel more comfortable seeing it up there still today?

LAUREN STEPHENSON: Yeah. I mean, I feel like overall it hasn't really bothered me. I haven't well got myself into these final like groups teeing off, so I'm not sure how that'll go.

I feel like looking at your name you always want to keep making it go higher, so I feel like that's the goal when I'm looking at the board.

Q. When is the last time you think you felt this comfortable in your game?

LAUREN STEPHENSON: Probably in college, my junior year of college. I just showed up and kind of played golf and it went well. So I feel like that's what I'm trying to do again. Just not make it any harder than it is.

Q. What do you do to remember those college days of playing?

LAUREN STEPHENSON: I don't know. Maria Fassi and I were talking about that. Why is it different coming here. I feel like once you're more comfortable -- I'm not trying to make anything happen out there. Just trying to let the birdies come and see where the score goes. I feel like that all comes from being comfortable.

Q. When you talk about not being able to make some of the putts you saw today, what do you work on heading into tomorrow?

LAUREN STEPHENSON: Yeah, just do a few of my drills. Golf is golf. I could make all of them tomorrow. Doesn't really have anything to do with what can happen tomorrow.

Just kind of how it went today.

Q. Do you like chasing? Do you like the fact that you're within the lead at the moment?

LAUREN STEPHENSON: Yeah. I feel like there is still so much golf left. I thought about that this morning. Wow, we still have three rounds. I mean, anything can happen over the weekend. I feel like where my game is I can go put two low scores out and see kind of what happens.