LPGA Q-SERIES

December 2, 2021

Alejandra Llaneza

Magnolia Grove

Quick Quotes

Q. 6-under 66 today. Really solid round. From what I saw pretty much clean card. Hit a lot of birdies. What was working so well for you on the Crossing course?

ALEJANDRA LLANEZA: I think my caddie and I had a good strategy, good numbers, and our shots into the greens, and the putting was great, so that always adds to a good score.

I just stayed very calm and one shot at a time, and so I'm happy with the result.

Q. Getting off to such a hot start here at Q-series, I mean, you've been around. Played on the LPGA, Symetra. You know what it takes to kind of belong out there, and I'm sure these couple weeks are going to be tough with the mental grind. How good and relaxing does it feel to get off to such a hot start?

ALEJANDRA LLANEZA: Yeah, for sure. It's two weeks that are pretty tough for everyone. I think you just got to find the thing that most works for and you the mindset that helps you the most.

So it's definitely nice to get off to a good start, but I feel like tomorrow is just start over, and same game plan, one shot at a time and keep doing that for the next seven rounds.

Q. Do you feel like you have a little bit of an advantage considering how much experience you've had on other professional circuits and then coming to Q-Series?

ALEJANDRA LLANEZA: Yeah, I think experience can help, but it can also add to the pressure. Just depends how you look at it. I think for sure it's helped to know what the big stage looks like and feels like and knowing what it takes to play there.

I think that can definitely help me out in these couple weeks.

Q. What did your prep look like coming into Q-Series?

ALEJANDRA LLANEZA: Well, my coach and I worked a little bit on my swing. I was having a little bit of back pain, so making sure to take some pressure off knowing how much golf I was going to be playing.

But, yeah, a lot of visualization and a lot of putting, a lot of and short game.

Q. 33. I don't want to say you're old, but you're one of the older players in the field. What is it like playing with a lot of girls that are ten years younger than you?

ALEJANDRA LLANEZA: Yeah, I mean, it's definitely different. I think that's the great thing about golf. There is no age limit. People peak at different ages. It's just different points of our careers.

But I think that's what makes golf is great. Doesn't matter. The ball doesn't care how old you are. So, yeah.

Q. Great line. Where does your hunger come from? Being at this point in your life I feel like a lot of players, if they were having to come back to Q-Series, would sit back and evaluate some things. You seem ready to go and clearly have got the game to hang with everybody. From where do you grab that hunger?

ALEJANDRA LLANEZA: Yeah, that's a good question. I think for me, I've always been so passionate about golf. It has been the sport that I loved since I was six years old, the thing I told myself since I was 11 and I knew that I wanted to do this for a living.

Because I just had so much passion for the game, so I told myself, I'll stop playing when I don't enjoy it anymore, and I keep enjoying it and it keeps bringing me back.

I think what I love the most is you can always improve on something, you can always get to know yourself better and improve on that, too, on and off the course.

So I think that's what makes golf great. It's a good like life paradox, so that's what I enjoy about it.

Q. You've seen a lot in your time as a professional. Played in the Olympics representing Mexico. There have been a lot of great golfers from Mexico to show up in the last few years. How cool is it to watch players like Gaby Lopez take storm and show the Mexican heritage in such a positive way?

ALEJANDRA LLANEZA: Yeah, it's great. I think that just shows Lorena's huge positive influence. The fact that she showed everyone from Mexico that it can be done. We have a phrase that we use in Spanish that just says, It can be done.

And so I think that just shows a lot of people watching Lorena saying like, She did it, I can do it, too. It's just very empowering. It's very cool to see Gaby there, Maria, and hopefully Fernanda and I can join next year.

Q. Switching gears, heading into a trickier Falls course tomorrow, how does your mindset change in between the Crossing and Falls course?

ALEJANDRA LLANEZA: Yeah, I knew that this course -- in the past I've played it when the LPGA was here so I knew the scoring was a little lower. I think that one is going to play a little tougher, so it's just having good strategy and good angles into the green.

Same thing, one shot at a time. That's just always what works best.

Q. What positives are you going to carry with you into tomorrow's round and the rest of the week?

ALEJANDRA LLANEZA: I think just staying calm, trusting that my game has what it takes. I work really well with my caddie, Steve, so that helps to be out there and feel calm and have someone that knows you and your game.

And so just trusting in that and building on the good putts that I had today.

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