AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

March 30, 2022

Alexa Pano

Quick Quotes

Q. Alexa, probably one of your better rounds out here at the Augusta National Women's Amateur, your third time out. What was going well for you today?

ALEXA PANO: I don't think anything was going super well. The driver was good, which always makes it a little bit easier. The course was challenging, and I think I was just super focused and strategized really well in where I was hitting my shots.

Q. What did you learn from the course, and how different is the course from the last two times you played? I know with the new greens, is it a little bit firmer and faster?

ALEXA PANO: Compared to the second round last year with the insane winds, it's still just as tough, but the greens are insane. Trying to figure out where to land the ball and how to keep it on the green is so difficult. Putting was tough as usual. The greens are difficult to read and quick and firm. So makes it pretty tough.

Q. You're lucky enough to get an early tee time today and take advantage of earlier conditions. It starts to get windier and blowing now. How much did it change towards the end of your round with the conditions of the wind?

ALEXA PANO: I could definitely feel it switching a lot. I think especially on my second to last hole, it was kind of -- I switched clubs right before I hit because the wind was kind of swirling. Definitely lucky to get out on that front nine, which was the back nine for me, which I think was the tougher nine, without any wind out there.

Q. What do you want to work on for tomorrow's round?

ALEXA PANO: Definitely putting. I left a lot out there. But overall I'm pretty happy. Also my chipping. 18 was not a fun performance of mine. Yeah, I'm overall pretty happy, little things to work on, though.

Q. How was the Chairman's Dinner last night?

ALEXA PANO: It was so much fun. It never gets old seeing Augusta. The food was amazing per usual. So I loved it.

Q. Your third time, you've obviously been to Augusta before. How difficult is it to not look ahead to the weekend knowing you still have another round to go here?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I think I'm just focused on this course right now. It's such a challenge. It's a course where you can't lose focus for one shot. You can't take a break whatsoever. Just focusing on tomorrow and taking it shot by shot.

Q. What happened on 7?

ALEXA PANO: Oh, I hit a good drive. I hit a good second shot. It just had a really difficult putt. I got kind of caught up on what I thought was a back stop and had a really difficult putt coming down and left myself about a 6-footer and ended up missing that one.

Q. You're playing so many events this month. Your schedule is pretty much jam packed until the end of the month. (No microphone)?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I felt pretty good. It's nice to have some good events leading up to this one, but this was kind of my main event for the year, the thing that I've been working towards all year. Yeah, just have been excited to get here.

Q. What's different this year?

ALEXA PANO: The course is definitely a lot different. I think it's amazing how every year it gets more and more challenging, but it's still just as special as the very first time that I came.

Q. How was the Chairman's Dinner last night?

ALEXA PANO: It was really fun. It's always special walking out and getting to see Augusta. Like I said, the food was so amazing, and getting to talk with all of the girls and some of the green jackets is always such an honor. I really enjoyed it.

Q. When you meet girls in this setting from across the world, how unique is it to share a meal like that?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, it's really cool. I sat with this girl Avani, who's someone I didn't really know up until last week at the Sage Valley Invitational. Our paths wouldn't have crossed because she's not from here, but it was really cool to talk to her about things she's into and doing. It's a really good experience to get to compete with all of these girls from around the world.

Q. Alexa, as someone who spends a lot of time with John Prince Golf Center in Lake Worth, Florida, how special is it to play this year at Champions Retreat and Augusta National?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, it's pretty special. I mean, they treat us amazing here. We get to play on the best facilities in the country. John Prince also gets the job done, especially living in Florida when it's raining once a week and somewhere shuts down. It gets the job done.