NW ARKANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP

September 24, 2021

Aditi Ashok

Pinnacle Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, I know we saw you last week in Portland, but being able to kind of continue what you did over on the LET here in this the last couple weeks, what's it been like for you and how are you feeling after day one today?

ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, I'm feeling good. Today was a good day and I think I like this golf course. I mean, I'm sure I like it. I always play kind of good here, have some low rounds here.

So still feel like I left a couple out there. Hopefully can put myself in similar position every day so I get some birdie putts and maybe try and better the score.

Q. What do you like most about returning to Pinnacle? You've made the cut in your last four starts here.

ADITI ASHOK: It's nice. The weather is always good. It's a fun atmosphere. Of Walmart takes care of us players really well. We get a lot of goodies and the fans are great.

It's just a nice atmosphere, good weather, and I like the golf course because it's tricky but it's not super long.

Q. Uh-huh.

ADITI ASHOK: So I think that kind of plays to my advantage. So I'm always able to hit the greens so I get more birdie putts, so that's key.

Q. I know last week in Portland was a little bit more challenging. I mentioned earlier about you being able to still continue playing after AIG, being able to put up Top 20 -- I think a T12, T20, and a T10 finish there.

ADITI ASHOK: Yes.

Q. So what does that mean to your confidence as you come back and try to finish out strong on the LPGA Tour season?

ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, obviously shows my game is there. Sometimes when you finish like Scottish, British, not that good finishes, one missed cut and one made the cut, but you kind of wonder if it's a bad week or if your game needs a bit of practice, time off, go to the gym.

You keep wondering those things. I think LET was good to keep the rhythm and I think it helped play -- kind of helped me get back in the mindset of trying to make birdies more and not just play for par, which kind of happens in links golf a little bit.

So it was good there having some good finishes, and yeah, obviously this week is playing good today, so it's a lot better than the last five, six weeks.

Q. Have you always been that kind of person that just wants to play week after week after week? When do you decide that maybe I do need a couple weeks or a bit of a break?

ADITI ASHOK: The last like three LET events, two of them were three rounds and Portland happened to be three rounds and this week three, ShopRite is three. So it is a lot of weeks in a row but it's not as tiring I feel.

Plus I know all the golf courses, so it's not like I'm trying to play 18 hole practice rounds. Obviously every week you play you do get tired, but I feel okay. I know that once the season ends, like it's going to be two, three months off, so I'm not worried about playing as much as I can.

Q. What will you take going into tomorrow? Like you said, with these 54-hole tournament you got to come out strong and you definitely did that.

ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, I think today the back nine, which was my front nine, that's when the wind kind of picked up a bit and I was still able to hit the greens and get those birdie putts.

I think I expect that tomorrow because I'm going to be teeing off late, so I do know that I still got a few birdies in the wind and still hit the green so try and carry this momentum into tomorrow's round.