COGNIZANT FOUNDERS CUP

May 12, 2023

Aditi Ashok

Upper Montclair Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Here with Aditi Ashok after her send round to you Cognizant Founders Cup. You said the conditions were a little bit different from today and yesterday. Can you take us through what some of those challenges were?

ADITI ASHOK: I think it was obviously windier playing the afternoon round, so that was factor to deal with. I think the greens got really firm and obviously not soft, but hard and firm, so the putts felt quicker and it was harder to get the ball close to the hole, even with short irons sometimes.

Q. I saw six birdies on the card though still. How were you finding those birdie opportunities? Was it putting? Approach?

ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, I think I putted a bit better than yesterday. Yesterday I feel like I hit the ball as good as today, but just didn't hole some putts. Today maybe I holed a couple more, which always helps.

Yeah, I just hope I keep hitting it the same way and keep putting as good as I have this week.

Q. With warm weather out here helping as well, do you feel a bit warmed up than maybe last year or some of the other events we've played this season?

ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, definitely from last year. I remember it being cold and ball wasn't traveling as far. Yeah, definitely feels a bit different with the firm fairways, firm greens, playing much shorter than last year.

Yeah, warm weather is always good.

Q. Heading into another weekend for you, what's it like just to make the cut and how do you take advantage of moving days out here?

ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, I think it's obviously -- if you're not up in the top maybe 10, 15 in the first couple days, I feel like it's really hard to have a good finish.

So that's what I've been trying to focus on the last few weeks, especially after the first three missed cuts. I just wanted to be near the top of the leaderboard or at the top in the early rounds of the tournament.

I've been doing that. Hopefully I can have a good weekend and maybe capitalize on the good start.

Q. After bogeying the 17th hole and moving on to 18, what was going through your head in that moment that you could make a last push and ending up with that final birdie?

ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, I think I was playing good all day and I was trying to play more like with a bogey-free mindset. So, yeah, I was a little bummed with the bogey on 17.

I think I was a bit distracted with the wind off the tee and we were on the clock, so maybe that played with my mind a little bit.

So, yeah, definitely wanted to get that shot back, and yeah, I'm happy that I stayed composed to hit a good tee shot, good wedge, and hole a good putt, too.

Q. How much do you find yourself attacking these pin locations? A lot of players have said it's been really tricky based on the placement their balls are in the fairway.

ADITI ASHOK: Yes. I think some of these holes if you're on the wrong side the angle is probably so bad you can't go at the flags.

With the greens being as firm as they were in the afternoon, some of those holes there was no chance. I think the best shots were 30 feet past, 40 feet past, and that's just the nature of the golf course sometimes.

Can be a par-5; you might have a wedge, but sometimes you can't hit it close. I had a 4-hybrid from like 200 yards but there was so much green to work with and the angle was good so I could hit it to ten feet. It's just about I guess taking the chances and making use of the easier pin placements.