TRUST GOLF WOMEN'S SCOTTISH OPEN

July 28, 2022

Ryann O'Toole

Dundonald Links

Quick Quotes

Q. Very well played. You must love this golf course. Good start, 4-under. I think you're bogey-free as well. Tell me about your round.

RYANN O'TOOLE: I definitely just -- I tried my best, I guess. No, I'm just kidding. It was a very steady round. I struck it well today. No wind. So I still feel like I left a lot out there, given that.

But it was very consistent. Yeah, no bogeys. I'll take the clean card.

Q. I bet when you teed off this morning and saw the conditions, you thought, I need to make the most of this?

RYANN O'TOOLE: I definitely did. I mean, learning to judge every day as it comes. Knowing that there was no wind, I knew that I had to make it a low round.

So 4 is a good start. See what happens with the rest of the week.

Q. How were you feeling coming into this week? Was it sort of a bit of a mixture of emotions, I guess?

RYANN O'TOOLE: To be honest, I've never defended a title on LPGA. So there was definitely the mixed emotions. I enjoy seeing the signage with me holding the trophy. It's a good feeling. Maybe a bit of confidence. So it's nice to have that.

But, yeah, I tried to really just stay out of my way today and just enjoy the moment, enjoy this week. And that's all I can do.

Q. I guess this could go two ways, couldn't it, you could put more pressure on yourself or you can then think I have to win on this course. So I guess it could have gone two ways. You channel a little bit of both of that?

RYANN O'TOOLE: Well, I don't know how to win on this course yet. So I think that also helps, being a new course, it's a different set of pressure. Everyone is playing this one. We played it a couple years ago, but it's not -- I'm not playing the course that I won on.

So, yeah, I'm defending the actual title, but defending the golf course, no, I'm trying to win on this new golf course.

Q. As was just said, four birdies on the card, bogey-free, but like what were some of your personal highlights out there?

RYANN O'TOOLE: On 17 I drove it into -- I was laying up short of the further bunker, so I already was taking something short off the tee and then ended up hitting it in the shorter bunker. Had to just pitch it out, hit 9-iron on and made the putt, so saved par there. That was a good hole for me today. Kept the momentum going.

I putted very well. Made my up-and-downs on the few greens that I missed. I mean, just, you know, that's the first round out here, you're just still making notes, observing, seeing that like three-quarter wedge shots don't go as far as they do typically at home. I think just the little grainy ground is causing them to fly a little shorter.

So I'll adjust that for tomorrow. And just, I mean, I feel like I read these greens well. So I'm going to keep running with that.

Q. You kind of talked a little bit about it in your press conference, but you and Mikey just started a year ago, this time of a year ago. Have you two reflected at all? Have you kind of reflected at all today walking the golf course, like, dang, a year ago, it feels like it's only been a year?

RYANN O'TOOLE: Exactly. Only a year ago. But every time we come back out here to Scottish links and stuff like that, I just feel like Mikey is so good at these golf courses. So I trust him fully. He tells me where to go, what to hit, and I don't have to doubt or question or worry. And I just follow an instruction, and it's like if I can produce a shot, then I'm in a good spot.

So I just feel like he really kept danger away. I did my part in hitting good shots, and it worked out well.

Q. You talked about seeing yourself around. You were bundled up last year. It's going to be a little windier, a little colder, a little wetter as we get through the rest of the week here. What's your mindset? Obviously you won in those conditions last year, so you've got to feel pretty good.

RYANN O'TOOLE: To be honest, I want it to be that. I feel like I'm a really good ball-striker, especially with irons, and I can fly the driver really low. So to me, getting that wind up, it would be in my favor.

So that's why I knew today like girls that may struggle in the wind are going to take advantage of today, so I needed to do that as well.

But come that wind, I'm hoping that it starts showing up. Yeah, we're playing in the afternoon tomorrow. So maybe it can wait till the weekend. But to be honest, you expect it to be here. So I'm not going to be upset when it shows up.