LOTTE CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY HOAKALEI

April 16, 2022

Ashleigh Buhai

Hoakalei Country Club

Press Conference

Q. Really good way to finish your week in Hawaii. Top 5, top 10. How are you feeling right now?

ASHLEIGH BUHAI: Yeah, I'm thrilled right now. Hasn't been the best start to the year, and I wasn't planning on playing Hawaii originally and then I had some visa issues and I missed San Diego, so I had to add it.

They say things happen for a reason, so we're here.

Q. Exactly. Exactly. I think that's a pretty good reason to be here then.

ASHLEIGH BUHAI: Yeah.

Q. Overall how do you feel you played this week? Just solid.

ASHLEIGH BUHAI: Yeah, very solid. You know, kind of regrouped after Chevron. Went back to Florida for seven days, did some good practice, and then kind of found something this week.

It worked, and that's all I thought about the whole week. Didn't try to get ahead of myself. Conditions were tough, yeah, to just be so patient, and I felt I did that very well.

Q. Is it possible to verbalize what you found?

ASHLEIGH BUHAI: Yeah, I mean, you know, the beginning of the year I kind of -- I think we are all trying to get more distance and speed and I searched for it and it's not what my swing is.

Started throwing it from the top and we got back to my old rhythm, and I just try to -- it's so simple -- I try to keep the club face constant throughout the swing and the golf ball went where I wanted it to go.

So, yeah, it was nice to have that feeling and to be able to repeat it every time.

Q. Does that help you I would think maybe be able to control your game in this wind?

ASHLEIGH BUHAI: Definitely, yeah. And I prefer tougher conditions because you get out of the technical side of the game. You have to hit shots. I'm a feel player and I like to imagine things, so I think coming here this week helped me get back into that mode of imagining shots and standing up and hitting them again.

Q. When you mention the visa issues, were you stuck in South Africa?

ASHLEIGH BUHAI: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I went back after Asia. Yeah, they gave us a little bit of trouble trying to get it, but, yeah, we got here and we're here now, so it's all good.

Q. Now are you playing the two weeks in L.A.

ASHLEIGH BUHAI: Yes.

Q. This is really good way to start a three-week stretch, right?

ASHLEIGH BUHAI: Yeah. And hopefully I can carry the feel that I've got and take it into next week, too.