JTBC CLASSIC PRESENTED BY BARBASOL

March 24, 2022

Cheyenne Knight

Aviara Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, Cheyenne, you just mentioned with Golf Channel, but first tournament in six weeks, and here you are with a 5-under round after day one. How are you feeling stepping off the golf course today?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Feeling good. I feel like my game has been in a good spot for a little bit. It's just, you know, playing consistently, and I'm just excited to tee it up again.

After Fort Myers I wanted to keep going because I was playing well, so I was just really happy to be back out here.

Q. What do you say to yourself mentally when you know you're going to have a little bit of a break, but you feel as if your game is trending in the right direction?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: I just took a lot of positives from Fort Myers and, you know, that break at home. I'm not going to have a break like that in a long time, until the off-season, so I just tried to enjoy it as much as possible.

And I love being at home with my family and my dogs, so I really just soaked it up and played a lot at home. Just like played with the members at my club and just had fun. You know, just embraced the time off.

Q. You said it was kind of like a second off-season.

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yes, it was.

Q. We are never going to have that again I feel like for the rest of the year?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: No.

Q. What do you take away from being able to spend time at home with family and friends, and how much does that help you for the west coast and upcoming events?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yeah, I think being at home it was a nice recharge and I -- you know, I feel like sometimes in everything that's happened with the university, at Southwestern we take golf for granted a little bit and playing every week and the life we have.

Being at home I was just grateful to be able to practice and be able to prep for a tournament. I mean, like just everything recently has put things into perspective and it's really -- I don't know, just everything that's been going on just kind of makes me just like really be thankful for what I have.

Q. You're wearing the ribbons we've had out today especially to support.

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yes, yes, yes.

Q. As a college golfer yourself and being able to reflect on that, and you talked about perspective there, what is something like the ribbons mean to you to be able to lend your hand in support of what that university is now going through?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Right, it's a tragedy. It's just a freak thing that happens. And me playing college golf, so many times we've driven back late at night from a tournament, from the airport when I was at Alabama.

And just those kids who had the rest of their lives to play golf and played one round and didn't get to play the next round, just really -- I want to honor them.

I know all of us on tour were just really shaken by it. Just like brings this community a lot closer together just to live out their legacy and memory and know that we're thinking and praying for the families and they're not forgotten.

Q. Back here to Aviara, what's it like to be back here in Carlsbad?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: I love it. I have the nicest host family. It's beautiful. I love all the flowers and just really soaking up God's creation here. I've always liked this golf course for some reason.

I mean, it's in great shape this year, and I think it fits my game pretty well, so I was excited to come back here.

Q. When you say it fits your game, what specifically do you like most about Aviara?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: It's a little tricky. A lot of the shots are I would say maybe awkward. So I hit the ball pretty straight. Today I hit a lot of fairways into greens, and that's what I need to do to play well.

I think I hit 16 greens, so I feel like that's important on this golf course, take your chances when you can. And the greens are really tough. Just know you can hit a good putt and still have a five, six feet left and just keep grinding it out.

So I was positive and I grinded it out today.

Q. We're back on poana?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yes.

Q. How bumpy did it get this afternoon?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: You know, they got pretty bumpy. Yeah, starting on 15. Like the greens have been pretty soft, but they started to firm up a lot, so it was really my last four holes I had to make an adjustment with that.

But, you know, it's the same for everyone. I feel like on poana they grow and they get bumpy in the afternoon, so I just tell myself to put the best stroke I can on it, and after it leaves the putter face, I can't control what happens.

I feel like you just can't let it get to you and just take it for what it is.

Q. One bogey and six birdies on the card today, I believe.

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yes.

Q. Couple in that front nine there. What stood out to you as you got off to a hot start on the first nine holes?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: I played the front nine really consistently. Birdied both of the par-5s, and so that was -- so I remember I was just playing solid, hitting a lot of greens, just relatively stress-free.

And then got it going on the back, made some good birdies and a nice bounce-back birdie after 16.

So, yeah, I had a tap-in birdie on 12 and that just kept it going, so it was nice.