U.S. GIRLS' JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

July 14, 2021

Yoko Tai

Columbia Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Just want to talk a little bit first of all about the playoff. Yesterday seemed like an interesting day, 70 on Day 1, seemed like some struggles but then the birdie in the playoff to get in. What was that experience like in that playoff?

YOKO TAI: I actually -- it was nerve-racking but I was glad I got done early in the morning. Obviously it was not my best game of golf, but I was able to rest in my hotel room. I took a shower. I watched some Netflix. I caught up on the math class that I'm missing. I did a lot of things because I waited like five hours.

So then I got out to the course and warmed up a little bit and I was just feeling a lot better with my game.

Q. What did you watch?

YOKO TAI: On Netflix?

Q. Yeah.

YOKO TAI: I'm watching Manifest. That's a really good show, the one about the plane missing.

But yeah, so when I got to 16 tee I was a bit nervous because I was like the last to tee off out of my group, and we all hit it pretty close on the green. I was like, just hit it there, so I did hit a good shot and I made the putt, so I was pretty happy with that.

Q. And then today, talk about the match today. You kind of jumped up early and kept going.

YOKO TAI: Yeah. Today I wasn't really focusing on how many up I was, I was just like, just play your normal game. Just keep the same game plan I've had going for the last two days, and that's pretty much what I did today, and it worked.

Q. Any memorable shots, putts, things that kind of swung the match a little bit?

YOKO TAI: I had a birdie on the par-5 on the front nine. Is that No. 5?

Q. Yeah.

YOKO TAI: I hit my third shot pretty close, stuck it to like five feet and made that for birdie. I think I was 2-up after that hole or 3-up maybe.

Yeah, that definitely kept the momentum going.

Q. Were you able to kind of ride that momentum from the playoff yesterday into this today and how were you able to keep that momentum going? How juiced were you this morning after last night winning the playoff?

YOKO TAI: I mean, today I was like, it's a new day, but I felt good after -- I hit a good shot on 16 on the playoff, so I was like, okay, I'm swinging it good, I'm hitting it good, just keep it going.

Q. Did you lose any confidence at all after kind of a bit of the struggles yesterday before coming into the playoff?

YOKO TAI: A little bit, but like I said, I managed to rest up, so I took my mind off golf for a little bit, so that kind of reset me a little bit.

Q. What's the mindset and the game plan going forward the rest of the week?

YOKO TAI: Just the same. Keep the same game plan, just stay comfortable out there and hit the shots I know how to hit.

Q. You say same game plan, but does it change at all between stroke play and then going into match play? The playoff was a bit of a match play situation in a way and then today was clearly match play.

YOKO TAI: For me not really. I'm the type of person where I just have to -- I play the best when I'm calm, so if I'm like too pumped up out there, it could be bad or good, so I just keep it pretty mellow and calm. That's when I play the best, so that's how I play.