LPGA MEDIHEAL CHAMPIONSHIP

October 9, 2022

Jodi Ewart Shadoff

The Saticoy Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome inside the virtual interview room here at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship.

I will start it off here. You just looked at your phone and said 118 text messages and counting. Jodi, what has the feeling been like for the past 20 minutes since stepping off the green?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Surreal. I don't think it's really sunk in yet. I've waited a long time for this. It's been many times in my career that I didn't think this was ever going to happen, so just really grateful in this moment.

Q. Before I ask specifics of the round, you said to Kay, to Golf Channel, a lot of times today that if you looked a yourself a year ago it's really been a journey to get to that point.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah.

Q. Walk me through what's it's been like the last year to get to this day.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, I've been through a lot in the past, you know, couple of years, specifically injuries as most people know.

So last year was really tough. I found that a pretty significant mental challenge to get through that. There were times during last year where I didn't think that I was going to be playing this year, so to be stood here today, it's just really awesome I didn't give up on myself.

I just have a lot of people to be grateful for. Everybody on my team who has stood by me and made me believe in myself when I really didn't, you know, just really grateful.

Q. You said it a couple times, but you look calm but you weren't calm out there. What were emotions going through your mind, especially on the back nine?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, I think actually probably the first few holes were just trying to regulate my emotions and nerves. That four-shot lead quickly diminished, so I just tried to stay patient and in the moment.

I just told myself that anything can happen on this back nine, so just kind of commit to every shot that I'm hitting and anything can happen. Yeah, so...

Q. Anything did.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah.

Q. You said to me walking up the stairs that last putt might not have been that big, but for you it felt like 200 yards.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, that last one-footer felt like 20 feet to me. Yeah, I was just try to concentrate on that first lag putt just to get as close as possible. Yeah, just try to stay in the moment and in the present as much as I could.

Q. Obviously first time 54-hole lead. How was last night and this morning? How were the nerves as you got ready?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: I didn't sleep very well, that's for sure. Just lot of breathing. Been working really hard with my mental coach Seth Pepper and my golf coach, Grant Waite, just trying to stay in the present. Lots of breathing. Just trying to tell myself that everything is going to be okay.

Everything was okay. So no matter what the outcome, that was probably the most important thing for me today.

Q. After 6 your lead is gone; standing on 17 and there is a little bit of a wait. Did that give you some time to kind of regroup and just say, okay, we're in a fight; let's go get it? What was the thoughts?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, I think, like I said, just tried to stay in the present and just trying to commit to every shot, me and my caddie just talking through every shot like we usually do. Just have a good game plan and commit to every shot we had and just try to feel every shot look I usually do.

And then obviously the last couple holes the nerves started to kick in, and just called on my breathing just tried to settle myself down a little bit.

Q. Did it feel a little like match play for a lot of the round between you and Paula?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: I think maybe on the back nine it did. We were even kind of going into the back nine-ish. So I think, yeah, I really love match play, so I just tried to get into that match play mode. I told my caddie, John, going up maybe 12, try and get into that Vegas match play mentality like earlier in the year.

So that definitely helped, and just tried to, as I said, stay in the moment.

Q. You mentioned yesterday that one way or another you're going to learn about yourself.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah.

Q. What did you learn?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: I learned that I could fight through adversity. I can play under the nerves, which it's been kind of a problem for me in the past, is just trying to settle the nerves down and play through it.

I think I proved to myself that I can do it. I proved I can win. It's been a long time, and like I could, I didn't think I would ever be sat here honestly. Just really grateful.

Q. Congratulations.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Thank you.

Q. One of ten first-time winners this season, which I guess ties an LPGA record.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Wow.

Q. What does that say about this tour and is it good for the tour?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Absolutely, yes. The strength of the LPGA, I've been on tour for 11, 12 years, so I've seen it kind of evolve. The standard of golf now is just incredible. It really is. All the young players coming through, it makes me a better player, it makes me push -- pushes me to work harder.

It's just incredible to see. Ten first-time winners is just incredible.

Q. So first of all, just have two questions: First, is I understand this is the course record. That's what I heard. Also this is I believe your first wire to wire. How do you feel about that?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, I didn't know it was the course record my first round until just 20 minutes ago. I think that's really cool. I really enjoy playing this golf course. I think it's really fun. You really have to have a good game plan and just kind of stay patient.

So I've just really enjoyed my time here. And as a 54-hole -- you know, it was first time after 54 holes leading, so just proved to myself that 6I can do it. Yeah.

Q. Only have one other question: How disappointed are you that we're not doing a shootout until 9:00 in the evening? You almost tied. You were tied and then like it was like back and forth a little bit. Would you have been ready to keep going extra holes trying to break the tie?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: I mean, I would do what it takes to try and get that trophy, so...

Q. But you're not disappointed.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: No, I'm not, no. I'm getting older.

Q. Massive congratulations, Jodi.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Thank you.

Q. Well done. I wanted to first ask you just a technical question. When did you first start working with Grant Waite, and then what has been the most influential thing he's done with your swing and putting?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: We first started working together about a year ago now. Obviously I was going through a lot of back injuries and he's -- I haven't had a problem since, so that's been really great.

Q. Yeah.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: My swing now is really simple. It's really consistent. I have a lot of really good feels going, I think. (Video froze.)

Really great advice for the mental challenges and course management and stuff like that. It's really valuable to me and I really respect him. He's just been an incredible person on my team. I'm just really grateful.

Q. What has he changed in your swing that's enabled you to play pain-free?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Just a different type of hip rotation that's just off-loaded my lower back a little bit. I've been able to use my lower body. Definitely hitting the ball further, but I have -- most importantly, I have a lot more control in the club head.

So, yeah.

Q. Awesome. Have you talked to Adam yesterday?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Briefly on FaceTime. I asked him where the dogs were.

Q. That's very important. Thank you very much.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: I believe we have Adam on the Zoom.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Oh, my God. Of course he is.

THE MODERATOR: I'll just start wrapping it up here. You've put in a lot of work, as you said; 11 years to get to that kind of moment.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Have you ever felt something like this and how much more grateful are you to be able to say you're an LPGA winner?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, like I said, I didn't think -- there were times in my career I didn't think this was ever going to happen for me, so just really grateful for everybody who is part of my team, my family and all my really close friends for believing in me when I didn't.

It's really all down to them why I'm sat here. So, yeah.

Q. Ashleigh Buhai was saying earlier this year that she feels like she's playing the best golf of her career right now. Do you say the same?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, absolutely. I think all facets of my game are just gelling really well together and I'm doing -- all the hard work that I've been putting in throughout the season, past year, has just really been paying off.

I struggled with my putting for a long time, and I'm starting to see all the benefits of all the work that we're putting in. I definitely am playing the best golf of my career for sure.

Q. Is the putting thing a technical change or a mental change mostly?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: A little bit of both. We are working a lot on speed training. I think that's been the biggest thing for me, just to try and limit the three-putts and -- we just work a lot on speed training. My stroke in general is pretty decent. But, you know, matching speed to line has been a pretty big issue for me, and I think that I'm doing a much better job at that, so...

Q. I think they mentioned on the broadcast you only missed two fairways all week. Just talk a little bit about your ball striking and how critical it was for the end result.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, I mean, I've been hitting his driver really great for the past couple months. I had a long stretch in the middle of the summer where I was hitting a lot of greens, and I think I've just been really consistent with my ball striking.

I feel really in control and got hot with the putter this week, which is the reason why I'm sat here. But my ball striking is definitely my biggest advantage and always has been.

THE MODERATOR: All right, with that, that will wrap it up for here. Once again, congratulations.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Thank you.