ARAMCO SAUDI LADIES INTERNATIONAL PRESENTED BY PUBLIC INVESTMENT FUND

March 18, 2022

Hazel Macgarvie

Royal Greens Golf & Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Tell us, your first two days as a professional LET golfer, how has it been for you?

HAZEL MACGARVIE: It's been good. I have enjoyed it. Even though I didn't play so good yesterday, I still really enjoyed it. I think yesterday -- well, front nine, nerves got the best of me, my second nine, winds got the best of me. So it was kind of not the ideal situation.

Yeah, I think I was kind of overly nervous on the front nine. Okay, yeah, some nerves, but I think it was just a bit extreme. So today I just kind of thought I do have the game. I'm here for a reason, like I got myself here, so just go out and play and see what happens.

Obviously, the wind was a wee bit calmer this morning, picked up a bit more towards the back nine there. I thought, yeah, just go out and play golf. I have nothing to lose at this point. That worked for me. A few greens, holed a few more putts, so yeah.

Q. Before we go more into your round today, I just want to go back to yesterday. Was there anything you managed to do to get your nerves under control? Anything you're thinking? I know you were thinking I deserve to be here. Was it a mindset thing, or just anything you brought into your game to help you calm down a bit yesterday?

HAZEL MACGARVIE: Probably the mindset really. I don't think I actually managed to be able to do it very well. Probably took about nine holes for me to be able to do it. Usually I'm more quiet, but I think, just because it was the first one, I tried to chat away to my caddie and my playing partners. Still, I think deep down I was in the back of my head, I kept saying stuff to myself, which was not helping. Today I tried to eliminate that, and it seemed to work.

Q. Again, before today's round, Georgia Hall yesterday, she said yesterday afternoon it was the toughest round of golf she's ever had, toughest conditions she's ever played in. For your professional debut, you couldn't have asked for it much worse.

HAZEL MACGARVIE: I probably played in similar weather to that at home, to be honest. However, yes, that doesn't mean it's any easier. But I think -- I was speaking to a few people earlier. I think, when the greens are so hard out here when you're landing on them, unless you're coming in with a wedge, you're not getting much check on them unless you're putting a bit of spin on it.

So out in the wind yesterday, if you're hitting the ball right in the wind, it's landing on the green and then shoots off. It was quite difficult in terms of that. The wind just -- it must have been 40 miles an hour. It was pretty brutal, to be honest. I would much prefer flat cam to a fresh strike, but kind of get it all.

Q. Roll with the punches. So today you were 4-under par, a fantastic round by all accounts. You want to talk us through it.

HAZEL MACGARVIE: Yeah, started off with two birdies on the first two holes. My plan was to just try and hit fairways, hit greens, and then hole the putts when you can. I mean, I had a couple of kind of rope shots out there, but for the most part, I was able to do that, which I think shows it did pay off.

Q. What's your thoughts on the course here and the setup? I'm assuming your first time in Saudi Arabia, a place to start your golf. I assume you never thought your first golf event would be in Saudi Arabia when you were growing up.

HAZEL MACGARVIE: Honestly, I thought it would be somewhere in Dubai or things like that, but the setup and everything is just so nice. When I got here, I was kind of overwhelmed by everything. Amateur golf is nice as well, but when you come here, it's just that step up. Just want to take it all in and enjoy myself.

Q. It looks like you have made the weekend. You're right on the cut just now with 4-under today. What was the goal for this week coming into the event?

HAZEL MACGARVIE: I didn't have many expectations because obviously I've never played in an event before. So I didn't have a benchmark for myself to kind of go against. I just thought I'd just love to make the cut and see what happens.

Going out today, I just kind of felt you've got nothing to lose. Just go and try to shoot a few under par and see what happens. So I'll just wait and see if that's good enough or not basically. Even if it's not, I'm at least happy with that second round today.

Q. Fantastic, 4-under. By all accounts, especially with the wind picking up, you would imagine it would be enough for the weekend. It's not confirmed you've made the cut for the weekend, but hopefully you start the year off with that.

HAZEL MACGARVIE: Yes, I'm happy. I'm happy with how I performed today to get over the cut mark and to squeeze in. Hopefully I can just keep improving the next couple of days, and hopefully the wind stays down.

Q. Any game plan for the weekend? Just continue to go as you're going and take every hole as it comes?

HAZEL MACGARVIE: Again, just take every hole as it comes, fairways and greens, make the putts when I can, and we'll see what happens.

Q. You think now you've had your nerves, had the pressure on yourself. If you've made the cut, do you think it will pass now heading into the weekend?

HAZEL MACGARVIE: I'd like to believe so, but it depends who I'm playing with. If I play with any big names, it will probably creep back in there. Hopefully now I've got two rounds under way, the nerves will get less and less as we go along.