NW ARKANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP

September 24, 2021

Katherine Kirk

Pinnacle Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, Katherine, take me through this birdiefest that was this first round today.

KATHERINE KIRK: It was fun. I got off to a good start, and this is the kind of golf course where you just have to keep the pedal down. I was fortunately able to do that and rattled in, what, I think four birdies on each side.

So I'm really happy with the round. Yeah, you got to get off to a good start here. This is more of a sprint than a marathon, so super happy.

Q. You had a hole-in-one last week, I believe.

KATHERINE KIRK: Uh-huh.

Q. And then coming into this tournament, how were you feeling as you prepared for Walmart?

KATHERINE KIRK: Lots of good stuff happened last week, so I needed a little bit of a confidence boost. It's been a bit of a grind this year, so I haven't been playing -- been hitting the ball well but haven't been scoring well. It's been a bit frustrating.

As a veteran I know I've got to remain patient and just keep doing the right things and eventually you'll turn a corner. So I felt like last week was a little bit of a turning point.

I love this golf course, so good memories and good vibes and it was just a matter of going out there and having some fun.

I've got a great pairing, so that was nice, too.

Q. I believe it's your 14th appearance here.

KATHERINE KIRK: 15th if you include the first year --

Q. 15, 2007. So being here for 15 years, what does that mean to you to be a part of this tournament in this 15th anniversary and return to Pinnacle Golf Club?

KATHERINE KIRK: It's an honor, really. I think Walmart and P&G put on a great event. I think Brittany Lang and Stacy Lewis are the other gals that have played all 15 years.

Yeah, testament to the community here. It's awesome. They really embrace it and it's fun to play here. We get great crowds and it's only four hours from home so it's almost a home event for me being in Wichita.

Yeah, my coach came down this week, and just good times and good vibes and good times out there.

Q. When you woke up this morning, got to the first tee, did you expect a round like you put out there today?

KATHERINE KIRK: I don't know if I expected it, but certainly I wanted to get off to a good start.

I have good memories here from the last -- I think three of the last four years I've had top 20s and maybe two Top 10s in there. It's been a good golf course for me.

I was quietly confident, but at the end of the day it's all about making putts. Yeah, managed to do that, which I'm very happy about.

Q. 54-hole tournaments, you got to come out low every single day. What will you take away from this spectacular bogey-free round heading into tomorrow?

KATHERINE KIRK: Just confidence. Just got to keep the pedal down. Like I said earlier, it's more like a sprint.

Yeah, just thankful for the team that I've got. They stuck with me, and I've worked harder with PXG on equipment this year and got a great setup on the bag.

Yeah, thankful to have the coaches that I have, and my husband is a great support. He's coming down for the weekend, so looking forward to seeing him. Hopefully it's a great weekend and we get to do some celebrating on Sunday.