AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

March 29, 2023

Emilia Migliaccio

Quick Quotes

Q. So how did it go out there today?

EMILIA MIGLIACCIO: It was good. I hit my irons really nicely. I kind of had a little blunder on 3, the par-5. Then after that, I felt really confident in my game.

Fortunately I hit my wedges really good today, which was kind of the key for scoring because with a mid-iron in your hand on firm greens, you're not really going to hit a ton of them close. So I was able to hit some close with my wedges, and that's a blessing.

Q. You stuffed one on 7, and then you had three straight on the back nine. Talk about that run and that kind of got you to where you are now.

EMILIA MIGLIACCIO: For sure. I only had one downhill putt on all of my birdies, so I did a good job of leaving them below the hole. On 12, I had just a full wedge shot, hit it to four feet, made that. So that was nice.

Next hole, that was my downhill putt. When you're above the hole on 13, it's like impossible. So I just barely hit it, and luckily it went in.

Then on 14 I had another full wedge. It actually hit a foot left of the flag and almost spun down that tier, but it stayed up and then was able to knock that in too.

Q. What was your take on what happened with Anna on the 1st hole, and did you notice until the rules official said something on 4?

EMILIA MIGLIACCIO: I had no idea until 18. I had no idea that happened at all. I was just -- honestly, I was just really impressed with how she started in general and then finished. So I thought she finished at even-par and was just really proud of her.

She was just -- we were kind of cracking jokes during the round. She was just really mature and composed. I didn't know until her caddie said, yeah, she's kind of flustered about the four-stroke penalty. I was like she didn't do anything.

It sucks. One of my college tournaments, I actually hit from the wrong tee this year. I hadn't made a mistake like that in a long time. There's nothing you can say about it except it sucks. I hope she goes low tomorrow, and it won't matter.

Q. What was your penalty for playing from the wrong tee?

EMILIA MIGLIACCIO: Two strokes, yeah.

Q. Can you talk about the calming presence of your veteran caddie on the bag this week?

EMILIA MIGLIACCIO: Yes, Charlie did great. He's really confident in me and gives me a lot of confirmation. We go through the yardages together.

So it was really nice to have him on the bag. It's nice too because he knows golf but he doesn't know anything about my swing. So there was never a moment of, oh, what did I do there? That can kind of get in your head if you have an instructor or coach on the bag if they know your swing.

So that was really nice. He was really happy about the three birdies in a row. He got really excited.

Q. Is it better to have him on the bag than spectating?

EMILIA MIGLIACCIO: I would say yes. Sometimes he can get really loud spectating, which I love, I love so much. I'm like, okay, babe, cheer for other people too.

But he's so great. I'm a lucky girl. People think he's a lucky guy, but I'm lucky too.

Q. Does he fist pump your birdies and stuff?

EMILIA MIGLIACCIO: Yeah, he does. It's kind of like subtle. I don't hear him go, yeah, but he does.

Q. You can feel it?

EMILIA MIGLIACCIO: Yeah, I can feel it. He gives me a fist pump on almost every good shot I hit.

Q. Do you think your momentum this past year has kind of really contributed into some good play so far in the championship and kind of your mentality?

EMILIA MIGLIACCIO: Yeah, I would say so. I think one thing after the number of years of playing is, yes, it's a hard golf course, but these are the best players in the world. They're going to score low. I mean, 6-under is really impressive by Rose, but people are going to shoot under par.

So that kind of gave me the motivation to get past the kind of difficulty of -- the mentality of, oh, this is a really difficult golf course because people are going to shoot low. So be aggressive when you have a green light flag.

Q. You know Rose really well. You guys were on a World Amateur team championship, Curtis Cups. I think you were her partner in the Curtis Cup for a little bit. What about her game and what she's showing this last season, like what just allows her to do this every time she tees it up?

EMILIA MIGLIACCIO: It's so impressive. I would say her misses are very small. We always joke when she lets go of her club. We're like, all right, Rose, it's left center.

Everyone says the better players have smaller misses, and her misses are really, really small. She's really in touch with her rhythm. I can just see it when I'm next to her watching her play. Like she can hit a 7-iron 155 or 140, and it's going still right at the flag.

So her rhythm is just impeccable. She always putts it down her start line. It's just incredible to see.

She's so humble too. Like she's just Rose to me. Like we always joke about her being the No. 1 player in the world and stuff, but I just see her as a really sweet girl that is really good at what she does, and she doesn't act like anything different than anyone else.

Q. So as a Girls Golf alumni, can you talk about coming from LPGA Junior Golf, Peggy Kirk Bell, how that program has helped you get to this level?

EMILIA MIGLIACCIO: It's helped me so much. That was kind of the foundation of what allowed me to be here today. I learned how to win on that tour. I think learning how to win at a young age in a competitive field -- and it's just grown so much.

But even back when I was playing, it was competitive. I had Gina Kim, Jennifer Chang. The three of us were battling it out together.

I'm really grateful to have had those opportunities. I mean, I couldn't choose where I was born. I happened to be born in a time and a place where there was golf. North Carolina is great for golf. So I'm definitely really lucky, and it's been great to see how the tour has grown as well and just seeing more girls play.

Q. And to follow up on that question, what does it mean, like you said, you already mentioned people you still play with that you meant back then. To have those friendships that last longer than the junior golf days?

EMILIA MIGLIACCIO: Yeah, it means everything. I'm 80 percent extroverted when I took a personality test, so I love to be around people. Yeah, to be here, I was so excited just to not only be here with my teammates but to see all my friends that I've been playing golf with since I was in middle school and high school.

Having that community, there's nothing like it, having those friendships. Especially doing something that's really hard. Golf is really hard. And to be able to support each other through it has just been -- you know, I'm really blessed.

Q. I think what makes this event so special is it's inspiring the next generation of girls. Girls Golf starts at age 6. If you had your 6-year-old self here, what advice would you give?

EMILIA MIGLIACCIO: That's a great question. I think I would just tell her to -- I mean, it sounds cliche, but to have fun and to -- oh, this is what I would tell her. I would tell her that golf is going to become a cool sport, I promise, because I would get made fun of a little bit for playing golf and was a little bit insecure about it.

My mom always told me, don't worry, Emilia. You'll be cool soon. So that's what I would tell her. Golf is a really cool spot. You should love it, don't worry. You'll be at ANWA one year.

Q. When did you start feeling cool?

EMILIA MIGLIACCIO: Honestly, I would say when I started playing on the Peggy Kirk Bell, and there were other girls with tan lines and other girls that play golf.

I was the only one that kind of played golf in my club. There were some other high school boys, which was fun, but no other girls really. So, yeah, maybe around then.