AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

March 30, 2023

Megha Ganne

Quick Quotes

Q. First time playing Saturday at Augusta National?

MEGHA GANNE: Yes.

Q. Talk about what allowed you to play so well today to make sure you punched your ticket.

MEGHA GANNE: Just a lot of changes and a lot of hard work. I think this event and this golf course in the past few years exposed a lot of parts my game that I didn't know were weaknesses and forced me to look deep inside and see what I needed to change.

I'm so happy I made the cut because I feel like this course has been a mental block for me for so long. It feels really good.

Q. What weaknesses?

MEGHA GANNE: I need a little bit higher trajectory for how firm these greens were. There is not a lot of courses where you and really getting good at speed with putting from ten to 15 feet, and just wedges from kind of muddy, wet lies and being able to land those on a dime.

So those are the three main things.

Q. Take us through that stretch you had that was so good.

MEGHA GANNE: Yeah, it was good thinking, good planning, and then the execution followed. I think on this golf course you can execute shots really well, but if you don't plan it out it's pointless, so it just came together.

Q. Debating whether this is going to be a stupid question, but given -- obviously it's a treat to play Augusta, what's the difference between practicing and competing?

MEGHA GANNE: It's just a lot more meaningful I think to play a competitive round there. It's what we all are fighting for.

I mean, it just means a lot because I know how strong this field is, and to be in that top 30 is not easy. I'm really excited.

Q. How difficult was it for you not making the cut the other couple times?

MEGHA GANNE: It was bad. More tears than I've shed for any other event. It's just crazy competitive. You want it really badly. So, yeah, difficult.

Q. And then the opposite of that being the joy now.

MEGHA GANNE: Yeah, I'm sure I'll feel it more when I'm there tomorrow and Saturday. Really happy.

Q. What's your first memory of Rose?

MEGHA GANNE: I met her when I was -- I must have been 12 and she was 13. I was still star struck because that's how good she was even then. I was so panicked on the first tee box. I kind of had a miracle round and I somehow ended up in the final group the next day. I was like, I'm not supposed to be here. This is where Rose plays.

Yeah, I was star struck.

Q. Was she in the final group with you?

MEGHA GANNE: She was.

Q. Did she end up winning?

MEGHA GANNE: No, she didn't, but it was the Rolex Tournament of Champions many years ago.

Q. You guys were playing as 12 and 13 year olds?

MEGHA GANNE: Yeah.

Q. Give us a peak behind the curtain at Stanford. What's she's like away from the golf course, away from this kind of setting?

MEGHA GANNE: Yeah, this sounds weird to say, but I forget that she's No. 1 in the world a lot because I know her as one of my closest friends and teammates first and then this side of Rose.

So I mean, she's just a great person to have around, someone to look up to, could tell anything to. She's just a great energy on the team, as is our whole team.

Yeah, she just sets the standard so high. Brings everyone up with her.

Q. What's her sense of humor like?

MEGHA GANNE: I think it's like kind of like cheesy and like -- I don't know, it's like kid like. She's like a little kid inside with her humor. Not with her golf.

Q. With puns and stuff?

MEGHA GANNE: I don't know how to describe it. That's a hard thing to describe.

Q. You played alongside the best professionals in the world. Where do you think Rose stacks up against those players that you played against right now?

MEGHA GANNE: I mean, I think I might be biased, but I've never seen a player, men's or women's side, like her before. Because I see firsthand how much work she puts in and golf is like her No. 1 thing. In a good way. She's just -- she has more talent and work ethic than anyone I know, which is a good combination.

Q. Can she change women's golf?

MEGHA GANNE: Yeah, I think she already is if you look at the leaderboard right now. This is not a course where I could see someone shooting a bogey-free 6-under, and what did she shoot today, 7? That doesn't come across my brain until I look at Rose go do it. Very impressive.

Q. Is it the mental or the physical that separates her?

MEGHA GANNE: Both. Yeah. She's not perfect by any means, but she just puts it all together very well.

Q. Talk about just balancing Stanford this first year and how that's helped you personally and into your game.

MEGHA GANNE: Yeah, the transition luckily was pretty easy because like I think my high school schedule and academics and travel were similarly as rigorous.

Stanford has been really cool and being able to play year-round. That's a big help to my golf game and one of the reasons that helped me make the cut this year. Having a course on campus makes things a lot more convenient. The academics part has been so far a smooth transition.

Q. Where does playing Saturday this week rank on your goal list of the year?

MEGHA GANNE: Like for the year so far No. 1 because that was the only thing on my mind, yeah.

Q. You have a lot have Curtis Cup teammates you'll be playing with Saturday. How is that bond?

MEGHA GANNE: It's really special. We all love representing the United States, whether it's Curtis Cup or ANWA. It's a memory we'll all hold for a long time.