BANK OF HOPE LPGA MATCH-PLAY

May 23, 2023

Ally Ewing

Shadow Creek

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome inside the online and in-person media center here at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play presented by MGM Rewards.

I am pleased to be joined by Ally Ewing. Ally, here we are two years post your second win on tour in Vegas. What's it like return to Shadow Creek?

ALLY EWING: It's great. Shadow Creek, it's such a great golf course. Pristine conditions, challenging, you have to think through it.

It's match play, so it's a completely different format than we see all year.

And obviously some great memories. You know, just great to be back.

Q. Doing some research of just the last few years of this event, and this event truly has become a staple of people blossoming and taking that momentum and using it the rest of the season. How do you view this win and this event, and how do you think it really shaped what is your LPGA Tour career?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, I think back to kind of how it built some momentum I think for me making the Solheim Cup, just the confidence in match play. You know, match play is all about Solheim Cup, or Solheim is all about match play, so just kind of really showing my competitor attitude, just the battle.

Because it's so different than a stroke play tournament. You're head-to-head with someone, and regardless of what you have, you just turn on that battle mentality and you're going head-to-head with a competitor.

When I step onto the first tee you're in that mindset of playing the person that you're playing against. At the same time, you're still trying to take care of what you do on a weekly, on a daily basis.

Just that edge and the competitiveness is turned up just a little bit more.

Q. What is it about Shadow Creek that excites you for this week?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, I think it's a great golf course. It's a really good test, too. You have to drive the ball well. You have to strike it well. You're challenged in all facets, and it truly is a great test of golf.

It's such a good golf course. You know, it's pristine, a well-maintained golf course. It's exciting to get to a golf course where it's truly in really, really great shape.

You know, I go back to the good memories that I had. Last year when I was here defending it was a really weird place for me because I didn't defend at DriveOn with it being a one and done.

So I think last year there was just that a little bit looming over me. At the same time, just relying on really good vibes from two years ago, but knowing that every day is completely different. It's still a competition. It's still a match play event.

So I'll just bring each day hopefully the best that I can.

Q. Do you have any thoughts, considering how much you love this course and this event, on so many of the top players skipping this event, especially in a Solheim year?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, I mean, I don't have a ton to say. It's hard. It's a grueling week. For me, I would never ever take back the win that I had two years ago, but it did set me back for the U.S. Open. I was just tired. I was exhausted.

But it is an absolutely phenomenal event. That's why I come back every year. Bank of Hope, Shadow Creek, they do it right. MGM. We're literally treated phenomenally. That's why I love it.

I can't speak for the other players that don't choose to come here. I can only speak for myself. That's why I get back every year, I love it. I do you have great memories. It is a week unlike any other and we're treated top tier.

That's why I love it.

Q. Does this event help for Solheim preparation?

ALLY EWING: I think so. I think it's good to see yourself win some matches and beat some players. Regardless of who is in the field it is the top players in the world, right? So when you win a match you're beating someone who's capable of winning any week on the LPGA Tour.

So for me, if I can come out and play some solid matches, hopefully gain some momentum, I definitely think Stacy will -- it's good thing, a good vibe to see those matches won. I don't think it's end-all, be-all for what's to come to make the Solheim.

At the same time, it's great preparation and just a good momentum builder for potentially making the team.

Q. As far as the course, from what you've seen so far this week, anything different? Any nuances from what you remember the first two years?

ALLY EWING: I wouldn't say any nuances. The greens are perfect, firm, just like -- it gets hot out here this time of year and the greens start to get really firm.

So it's really be precise as you can be and landing the ball where you need to. It's not really nuances, but literally being able to control your golf ball and have really, really good judgment on what you think the golf ball is going to do, and be able to pitch it where you want to.

So, yeah, it's such a shotmaker golf course. And then roll in some putts. So nothing really different. But it requires a lot of the really good golf.

Q. Vegas is a very interesting and exciting city to be in. I know there are definitely some things to do off the course. Anything you're most excited for? See a show or anything?

ALLY EWING: I'm going to go see David Copperfield tomorrow. I think magic and illusions is interesting to me, so I'll go check that out.

Get some great food here, too. That's about as exciting as I get in Vegas. Not really a gambler or anything like that. It's a cool place to be, and like I said, this golf tournament is spectacular.

So, yeah, I'll go check on the my show tomorrow and that'll be about it.

Q. You talked about a different mindset on the first tee knowing you're going head-to-head with someone. How do you prepare? With our season mainly being stroke play, how special is it to have a change in mindset for week and how do you prepare?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, for me, I've been playing some pretty solid golf. I have not played solid on Sundays in the last three events, and just kind of thinking back, for me, I think I got so much -- like years ago when I was young, Sundays were so much about you want to put this expectation on a Sunday.

Like that becomes the primary and you lose sight of what got you there. The last three events I've done the opposite. I've focused so much in my process that I've kind of lost sight of, okay, I'm still a competitor and I have this expectation, but I know how to get there.

For me, match play is simple. You tee it up and you do your best with what you have. Literally find a way to get it done. That's kind of I think what match play is all about.

So when I tee it up, what I have is what I have, and I'm going to go do my best to beat the person I'm playing.

Q. That kind of mindset and the way that you explain the differences opposed to week to week out here, as I said earlier, a lot of people have come out of this event and taken that and rode that momentum.

ALLY EWING: Yep.

Q. Do you think that's because it is kind of a different -- we don't have match play week to week to week? Do you think it's easier for players to use this event as a catalyst?

ALLY EWING: Definitely you can. I think we're all every week striving to have our best finish. Match play is a different day. You could shoot 64 and win a match versus the 74 could feel very defeating in stroke play.

You get to match play and you may not have your best stuff, but it's good enough to beat someone. That's just how match play is.

So I think you see players, you walk away with a T3 or a Top 10 in this match play format, you beat some great players. In a given week in stroke play you walk away with a T8 you probably lie, wow, that was a really solid week.

You see people find that momentum, find that confidence, and it can definitely be a catalyst to stroke play events.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Ally, for coming in.

ALLY EWING: Thank ya'll.

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