DOW GREAT LAKES BAY INVITATIONAL

July 14, 2021

Wichanee Meechai

Pavarisa Yoktuan

Midland Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. I know the team name this week is World War III between the two of you, but just take me through the first day here at Dow.

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: It's pretty nice here. It's really, really nice here. We're really excited. Two years ago we didn't play together, but we have different team, but this year we were like, okay, we just like --

WICHANEE MEECHAI: We're going to team up.

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: Let's go get it. It's always nice here, like all the courses in -- I know it's rain out quite a lot yesterday, but today --

WICHANEE MEECHAI: It's in great shape.

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: Yeah, it's still in great shape, and people around here, they're really nice.

You know, it's a really funny one, so we always looking forward to this event, so it's nice to be here.

Q. How much did you enjoy the first day here?

WICHANEE MEECHAI: It's so good to play with some friend, and she's a good friend, too, and know your shot and everything.

Then you have her caddie, as well, and you know four people for the green, for the shots, everything. I love it. I like a lot of support, so I love this tournament.

Q. You guys were 5-under through the first nine holes today. What was going so right between the two of you?

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: Okay, so at first I think we felt the same thing. It's kind of like pressure, excitement, and really nervous with the shadow, but we just keep it inside. And then the first hole --

WICHANEE MEECHAI: -- I pulled it.

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: She pull her driver and I chunk my second shot. I was like, Okay, this is going to be fun. And you know what happened the third shot? She chipped it -- before she chip it I was like, Please don't make me use my putter.

WICHANEE MEECHAI: Like don't hit it too long, know what I mean?

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: Like just give me a tap-in or something, and she put it in the hole.

Q. That was on No. 1?

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: That's hole No. 1, that was the first hole. I was like, Wow, that's our luck. It start from there. After that we just keep going.

And the second hole I made the really long putt. Like, Okay, it's coming, just like keep it going. Yeah, it was really nice.

But the back nine is fine. We were just a little bit off a while, but it was still good.

Q. Did you think that hot start helped sell the momentum for the rest of the day?

WICHANEE MEECHAI: I would say yes, but I'm so excited. I feel like I play 200 percent this like today. Like I never feel this way before, because when you play on your own it's like on your game. But when you play with your friend or your team, it's like you have to put more --

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: -- effort.

WICHANEE MEECHAI: Yeah, like I want to turn it good. Yeah, I feel like that, too.

Q. How confident do you feel in your game when you have someone like her beside you?

WICHANEE MEECHAI: I feel like it's so good to have a support, like more than 100 percent confident. I would say that, like 200 percent, more than everything when I have her and her caddie and then my caddie, as well.

Q. What was the game plan when you guys started today? Was there a game plan between you two? Did someone choose odds or evens?

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: I just played even and she played odd, and that's the game plan.

WICHANEE MEECHAI: Yeah, that's the game plan.

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: We know we have pretty similar like driving distance. Like I might just normally 10 yards further on the driver, but on the iron and everything it's just the same. But she putted better than me, so it was kind of like --

WICHANEE MEECHAI: Good team.

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: Good team. Like, yeah, what she said -- we didn't really talk much, but we went like -- we know - like when we went up there, we know, okay, we're going to do good with each other. It's just a trust.

Like she trusts me and I trust her and we trust both of our caddies. They're good friends with us. It's just all the trust, so it came out pretty good today, yeah.

Q. How often do you guys play together?

WICHANEE MEECHAI: Before was --

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: Before, yeah, like we turned pro at the same time, and the before we play here we play --

WICHANEE MEECHAI: Like in Asia together. We roomed together.

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: We roomed together.

Q. You guys are two peas in a pod. I meant leading up to this event did you guys play practice rounds together? Did you guys kind of think about how each other's games suit the other?

WICHANEE MEECHAI: Not really. We play only the practice round, only nine holes.

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: Nine holes.

WICHANEE MEECHAI: But we know each other for a long time, and I know her game.

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: And I know her game.

Q. What do you feel like are the best parts of her game?

WICHANEE MEECHAI: I feel like driver. Every time she's on the tee box she's never scared. She can hit it so far and so in the middle. You don't have to worry about that. I like that.

Q. As she shakes her head.

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: Yeah, I'm just lucky, but I made one mistake today, but it's just like -- it happened.

Q. And then for you, what do you think is the best about her game in this format?

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: The putting. Like she's a putting machine. I know I just need to put the ball on the green. On the back nine I got to putt the birdie putt a lot, and it just like -- the green, the read, it dry up a little bit, so the speed is kind of changed.

But I know that every time that I miss it, I know that she can --

WICHANEE MEECHAI: I can come back.

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: She can come back all the time.

Q. I know we switch up the formats tomorrow. What's your mindset going into the second day after a very spectacular first day here at Dow?

WICHANEE MEECHAI: Same thing.

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: Same thing: Just go for it.

WICHANEE MEECHAI: Yeah, go for it.

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: Don't be scared. I think in the event like this anything can happen to anybody, any team. So just be aggressive, that's it. Don't be scared. If you're scared, if you don't get yourself a better -- like a good chance, then you're done.

Like I learned from two years ago I feel like I play safe too much, so we were just like, Go for it, aggressive.

WICHANEE MEECHAI: Aggressive, yeah.

Q. Who did you both team up with in 2019?

WICHANEE MEECHAI: I go with Pornanong.

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: I played with Dottie. They both are putting machines, both of them.

Q. So you went from one putting machine to another machine?

PAVARISA YOKTUAN: Yes, exactly.