AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

March 29, 2022

Erica Shepherd

Quick Quotes

Q. Third time back. How does it feel to be one of the most experienced players in this field?

ERICA SHEPHERD: I guess I haven't looked at it that way before, but it's awesome, and any course knowledge you can bring into this place, it's a really tough track, I think it will benefit me.

This course Champions Retreat is a gem in itself. I think that with the new greens and everything, there's a lot to account for. I'm just trying to still be a learner out here.

Q. There's two obviously crucial rounds out here. How hard is it, you've been in this position, to not look forward to Friday and potentially Saturday?

ERICA SHEPHERD: It is really hard. I think the key is to stay in the moment and not get too high or too low. Obviously, everyone is just grinding to get into the low 30. It's a hard low 30. 30 and 30 only. So it's definitely a big goal for this week and for everyone here.

Q. You have a teammate playing with you. Emilia's been here before, but what has your teammate who's never been here before asked you?

ERICA SHEPHERD: She's asking me a lot of questions. There's a lot that goes into this tournament other than just the golf. Kind of navigating that and just kind of the excitement and the nerves, bouncing that off of me. I know I'm playing with her for the Friday practice round at Augusta National.

I think to be with her when it's the first time she's ever seen Augusta, that will be super special to share that with her.

Q. What have you learned specifically from last year coming into this year that you've might not have picked up on that might be useful for the first two rounds around here?

ERICA SHEPHERD: Golf is a really difficult game. There's not much you can really control with that, but I think you can control your emotions and how you react out here and how much energy you waste on bad shots or not. I think that's the main thing to really focus on and that I've learned.

Q. Is there a past experience that you can kind of hark on or go back to?

ERICA SHEPHERD: I would say last year I know that I was definitely struggling on the cut line. I know at one point I was like I'm not going to make the cut. Then I ended up making the cut. Kind of having that in my mind knowing that I can come back to that if I need to, that's something positive to draw from.

Q. How many guests can you bring on Friday?

ERICA SHEPHERD: Only our designated guest and instructor and caddie.

Q. Who is that?

ERICA SHEPHERD: Coach Brooks, college coach. Designated guest would be my dad. And then caddie, my trainer from home.

Q. Was it tough to decide on dad or other family members?

ERICA SHEPHERD: Considering my mom's not a golfer, I think she understands why Augusta National would mean more to my dad.