KROGER QUEEN CITY CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY P&G

September 11, 2022

Ally Ewing

Kenwood Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Here at the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G with our inaugural Kroger Queen City champion, Ally Ewing. It was a grind those first eight holes; turned it on and made six birdies in your last ten to take home the title. Just go through some of the emotions you're feeling and what's it like to be the inaugural champion?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, it feels great. It was just kind of early on just kind of hang in. I was dealing with some nerves. Just really knew that I had a lot of golf ahead of me and great competition in people that were behind me starting the day, so knew I needed to play solid golf, and I was playing sold golf for eight holes.

Finally that birdie on 9 really kind of set a tone for me. Allowed me to loosen up a little bit more, and finally saw that putt go in and several more fell in as I made the turn.

Just really excited. Really happy and pleased with how I played. To get the win means a lot.

THE MODERATOR: Talk through some of the birdies. You had five in a row from holes 12 to 16. What was working so well with the flat stick? Just seeing the lines and everything was dropping?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, I was seeing lines really well all day, but my speed just wasn't quite there the first few holes. I kept -- I left several putts short in the heart, but just finally saw putts go in, and then I hit it really well for those holes that I made five in a row.

But, yeah, that's the range where -- I've been drilling in my head that that's where you make a difference, and once I saw one go in, the rest -- I obviously had to execute the putts, but I just remained really confident after I saw them go in.

THE MODERATOR: How do you manage to stay patient until 9 and then again kind of keep the adrenaline in check as you kept putting circles on the card?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, I mean, really I didn't know -- I wasn't checking out leaderboards or anything, but I had a pretty good idea that I was in it. I figured Janet, after she made birdie on 7, I think had taken over the lead.

That putt that I made on 7 for par after I ran it by the hole was huge for me. Making a par putt from six foot after you've got a ten-footer doesn't sound like a momentum shift, but I hit a really good putt on 8 on the par-3, and then No. 9 I just settled in and hit a really good putt; made an 18-footer.

The back nine was just a lot smoother I guess when it comes to putting for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Third win, third consecutive season with a win. Just how excited are you to have that momentum from the last three seasons and carry it to now, especially as we look to the end of the season?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, this year has been trying. It's been a patience game for me. It's been really tough for me mentally just knowing that I've been hitting it so great. Seeing that stuff everywhere, seeing the stats, knowing I'm not hitting putts like I want to, it's just being kind of the thing holding me back.

But I didn't shift or change anything. I didn't start changing putters. I didn't start doing anything crazy. I just trusted my process and trusted working with my coach. You know, couple weeks ago we pinpointed what we thought was the issue and why I wasn't seeing a lot of consistency, and I saw bits and pieces of it in Canada but didn't put four rounds together there.

Obviously here, you know, just had it working and it was a lot of fun to finally put it all together.

THE MODERATOR: I'll open it up to questions in the room.

Q. You talk about patience. That's always one fraction away from frustration. How do you keep from getting frustrated knowing you are striking it so well and that the putting wasn't there yet?

ALLY EWING: I mean, I was definitely frustrated, but there is that borderline. I think it's okay to get frustrated at times, but that's when you have to kind of pull it back and remain patient through the frustration.

But a lot of that was just leaning on knowing that I'm still me and all of that that I've been carrying, the weight that I've been carrying with the putter and everything, was just kind of one fraction of getting it together with my coach and figuring out why I'm not hitting good putts.

The second was just get out of your way. You know, mentally I was probably in a headspace where I didn't feel comfortable with the flat stick. In Canada started feeling more comfortable. Last week in an off week I felt good about it.

And then this week, this is honestly the week I felt least prepared to tee it up for a tournament because of the weather and the golf course conditions.

But I just trusted I knew how to execute shots and I knew how I needed to play the golf course, and it all came together at the right time.

Q. Taking that patience thing and whittling it down to today, how do you watch all these putts that you leave dead in the jar short and not say, oh, boy here we go again?

ALLY EWING: The thing was they were good putts. I can handle hitting good putts. As long as I can pinpoint why a putt did not go in the hole I can feel that I'm hitting good putts.

If I say I'm hitting a good putt, I just need to hit it a little bit harder, then I don't lose confidence in that. For me, I just kept seeing the ball roll over the line that I kept putting down, and if I hit it a foot harder it goes in the hole.

In those eight holes I didn't see putts go in. I just kept trucking and my caddie told me, you're hitting good putts; keep trusting the process. We did that and saw them eventually go in.

Q. Congratulations.

ALLY EWING: Thank you.

Q. Cincinnati anis excited to have the LPGA back. How does it feel for you to win an inaugural event?

ALLY EWING: It feels great. I think Cincinnati has just been great in welcoming us back. I know several years ago I think we were here in Cincinnati before I was on tour, but we've had fans show up, a lot of engagement with volunteers showing up to help with the tournament.

It's just exciting to see a community support the LPGA and support women's golf, so I think we're excited to be in Cincinnati and we'll be excited to be back again next year.

Q. Considering that no one had an advantage in seeing this course before this week, how do you approach that as you got here, despite the rain?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, for me, I think we have great yardage books now. My caddie goes out on the course and kind of maps it out. I knew that I had all the shots. It's just kind of going out and executing them.

I feel confident in my game that I could do that regardless of how many holes I saw. I was fortunate enough to see 15 of them. On Thursday, 16, 17, 18 were the only holes I had not seen prior to teeing it up for the first round, so I knew I could go out and execute shots and the golf course, just keep the golf course in front of me, and just take care of business that way.

Q. Second Mississippian to win on this golf course. Do you know Mary Mills?

ALLY EWING: I have actually met her, yeah. She's been out at Waverley before and I saw her actually last year at the Founders Cup when she was one of our sitting I guess it was Founders or --

THE MODERATOR: Pioneers.

ALLY EWING: One of our Pioneers there for the week. Got to chat with her for a second. I actually did not know that, so that's really cool.

THE MODERATOR: We'll go to the Zoom.

Q. Hi, Ally. Congratulations.

ALLY EWING: Hi, Beth Ann. Thank you.

Q. Well played.

ALLY EWING: Thank you.

Q. Were you at Pebble Beach with the team?

ALLY EWING: I was, yes.

Q. I'm curious what it's like when you're around college kids, if it kind of refreshes you a little bit, maybe changes your mindset? And how many times have you been to Pebble?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, I love being around my husband and their team. They're great, energized. They're excited to play golf.

To kickoff their year at Pebble Beach was exciting for them and exciting for me to hang out and be there to support them and get some golf in myself.

But it's definitely always fun. I saw a lot of really good golf. Actually my brother-in-law shot 63 on Sunday when we played Pebble Beach the day after Rose Zhang shot the course record, shot 63. So I saw a lot of good golf and I thought, well, I better step it up.

It's a lot of fun to support the team and just be there with my husband as he does what he loves. It was obviously a huge surprise and shock to me to see him today.

Q. Was that your first time playing Pebble?

ALLY EWING: It actually was not. I played it 2019 when the men were playing the Carmel Cup. I went out when he was still coaching for the men's team and I got to play Pebble for the first time that year.

So I think this is just -- that was just the second time that I've been back to Pebble.

Q. Just my last question: What was the most frustrating point of the year for you?

ALLY EWING: I mean, I think about -- I think back to Meijer. I had played some decent golf and then I had a terrible closing stretch. Actually was really frustrated in my golf, but I was really frustrated I had put a ton of -- just a ton of pressure on myself to play well, just to figure out what's going on with the putter.

But I think after KPMG I kind of tried to do a little bit of a reset, and mentally when I was in Europe I was okay mentally; still was struggling a little bit.

But I really turned that corner between Europe and Canada.

Q. With the putting change?

ALLY EWING: Yes, yeah. Yeah.

Q. Thank you so much.

ALLY EWING: Thanks, Beth Ann.

THE MODERATOR: You mentioned it a little bit, but didn't expect to see Charlie when the champagne was flowing only the last green. Walk me through the emotions of seeing him there and being a little bit surprised.

ALLY EWING: Yeah, the champagne, I just close my eyes and hope it doesn't get in my eyes. Emma Talley came up to me and said, look up, look up, and so I looked up and there he was.

Just a flood of emotions, because that's been a huge support and has been a rock for me this year when I have fallen into a lot of doubt in the ability to kind of get back, really get back into solid form. Not even in the winner's circle, just to feel like I can contend.

He's just poured so much into it, has helped me get right here back in the winner's circle for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Just to wrap it up here, only a few events left stateside the rest of the season. Now that you've won, what are some goals? You met a lot of them with today's win. I'm sure there are still some things you want to achieve throughout the rest of the year.

ALLY EWING: Yeah, I wouldn't put it far enough to say that this was not really an expectation or out of nowhere, but I will have to say I don't even think I've had a top 10 this year, so to be able to finally feel like some relief in putting four rounds together is big for me.

I think this is just a little bit of confidence that I can carry into the next several events to finish off the year. You know, I just want to ride momentum and stay confident with whatever tournament that I play coming up.

Yeah, I wouldn't say I have any expectation for them, but just to go play my best, and I know my best is good enough.

THE MODERATOR: I know the family are flying back from Tucson. They know now, right?

ALLY EWING: Yeah. So Charlie brought the phone over and they were on FaceTime. I think they were going to board like in an hour or something like that, so I'm going to try to give them a call back shortly.

They were all really excited in the airport.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much. Congratulations.

ALLY EWING: Thank you.