BANK OF HOPE LPGA MATCH-PLAY

May 25, 2023

Cheyenne Knight

Shadow Creek

Quick Quotes

Q. Here with Cheyenne Knight. Cheyenne, we were kind of talking about as we were coming down here that you saw all 18 holes today. Was definitely a tiring round. Just how are you feeling walking off the golf course?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yeah, I'm tired. You know, played them all today and me and Money went back and forth all day. We played well and made a lot of birdies. Made some bogeys in there, but I feel like you're just going to do that on this golf course sometimes.

Yeah, no, feeling good. I'm happy to be done and to like close it out. Yeah, it was pretty tight there.

Q. What was the mindset heading into day two of match play?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yeah, I think I just tried to like play stroke play in my mind. Like just play how I normally would. If my opponent is out of position then I'll adjust, but I don't really try to do anything different.

I feel like on this golf course if you make a lot of pars and throw some birdies in there you're going to do fine, because you know you can win a lot of the holes with par, just with how hot it is and firm and fast and Shadow Creek is a great test.

Yeah, I would just keep playing how I normally do and just adjust if my opponent is out of position.

Q. And before I throw it over to Greg, Peiyun tied it up on one of those closing holes for you. What did it take in you to kind of come out on top this match?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yeah, I bogeyed 15 and she made a really good up and down.

And then on 16 I hit a really good wedge shot. That's kind of a weird hole for me. I can't hit driver because I -- I'm not long enough to cut the corner and I go through the fairway, so I just have to hit 3-wood and then kind of go from there.

She was a little bit out of position with her shot into the green, and I went first and I hit it to like five feet and so it was just a great shot to kind of put the pressure on her.

She ended up going through the green and making bogey so I didn't even have to putt any birdie putt, which was nice.

Yeah, 17, 18 are hard closing holes just judging the wind, and made two good pars there.

Yeah, but 16 was definitely the momentum shift. She had some momentum like just after 15, like tying the match.

Q. Looked like you had some good bouncebacks today. After she would win a hole you would respond right away. Is there something about your mental process after you lose a hole that makes you refocus more, or is it just that's the way the scorecard came out?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: I usually do a pretty good job of bouncing back. I kind of just -- I might get a little frustrated in the moment, but I try not to carry it with me. I can't change it, so no need to keep -- let it keep weighing on me.

Yeah, she won the first hole but she kind of made a mess of like the second hole, so I won that. I didn't even have to like finish out the hole.

But it just kind of looked like that, but we -- yeah, we just kind of went back and forth there for a little bit.

We both made like good birdies on 9 and she made birdie on 10.

So it was -- I think it was just kind of how it like played out like more than anything.

Q. And so now that you're 2-0, do you keep the focus on tomorrow and try not look ahead to the weekend? But you're almost there.

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yeah, I think match play is a little bit different than stroke play, but I'm trying to keep my same mindset how I do like at a normal stroke play event. You know, just try to get a little bit better every day and just focus on what I'm doing and try to not make a lot of mistakes.

You know, I'm keeping my score in my head. You know, I think I shot maybe like 1-over or even today, so I'm just kind of trying to play that way and not make a lot of mistakes and give my opponent the holes.

But, yeah, I mean this is the best I've done so far. I've never really had a chance the last few years to get out of my pod, so, yeah, I know what I need to do tomorrow to make sure I get out.

But in order to do that, just kind of stick to my process and just what I've been doing.

Q. And then as an American player with Stacy here and you're kind of on the fringe looking in for Solheim, does this event carry any extra weight for you in that regard?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Not really. I think it's good to practice match play. You know, we don't play it a lot. But I think my game is trending in the right direction, and it's nice for a change to play match play and just get some practice with it.

But, yeah, Solheim is one of my goals, and I just think if I just continue getting better every day and do the things that I need to do every day to get better and hold myself accountable with the little things and my mindset, making sure it's good week in and week out, I think it'll just take care of itself when we get there.

It's a goal but it's not like the end-all, be-all.