ISPS HANDA WORLD INVITATIONAL

August 20, 2023

Alexa Pano

Galgorm Castle & Massereene Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, here with Alexa Pano. Just won your first event on the LPGA. First question: How does it feel? How are you feeling?

ALEXA PANO: Gosh, this is so surreal. I mean, I still haven't processed it. I couldn't process it on 18 green, but still, kind of sinking in right now.

Just so cool.

Q. I know you've had a lot of amateur success and I'm sure in those days you were thinking of your first LPGA Tour win. Was this everything you imagined it would be?

ALEXA PANO: Definitely. I mean, I've been dreaming of this for so long, even just putts on the practice green saying, this is to win an LPGA event.

To finally have that putt and have that opportunity, it just exceeded my expectations and it was so much fun.

Q. Before I ask you about your final round, can I take you back to the start of the week? I mean, you got here and you didn't have all your equipment and trying to get all that sorted. Did it almost feel like a week where everything was going wrong at the start?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, kind of. I mean, especially when I landed. It felt like, wow, this is going to be an interesting week. But obviously it turned out to be really good so I wouldn't change a thing looking back now.

Q. For you to go through all that and your sponsors coming through and getting all that stuff for you, you were saying on the green whenever you were giving your speech how much it meant to you to have your sponsors backing you, just to have this support when you got here. It was massive.

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, it's incredible. Titleist would've been ready with new clubs for me or helping me get a set for practice, but I did end up getting my clubs.

They got me new rain gear and stuff just so I could push through until I got my clothes back.

The support from my sponsors is insane. I get text messages from them every day just cheering me on through the good times and the bad times, so I'm very lucky to have such a great team surrounding me.

Q. You come here today, you were having to play a bit of catch-up. Did you put a number on what you maybe thought would get you into the playoff or get you the win?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I didn't really think about it much until we were kind of coming up 18. Then I was like, okay, this needs to get to 8 because this is such a reachable hole today.

But, no, I honestly just wanted to make as many birdies as I could and give myself the best position to have a chance to win as I could.

Luckily I was able to do that.

Q. Was it a little bit of a carefree attitude knowing you were the one chasing, you were able to be a little bit more aggressive?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, definitely was not conservative at all today. I struggled a little bit off the tee, but other than that I was able to be aggressive. Luckily my putter was hot today, so that was helpful.

Didn't really feel like there wasn't a putt I couldn't make on this course, which is a great feeling.

Q. Were you scoreboard watching before 18? I know Ryann got 9-under at points and people were sort of fluctuating up and down. Were you aware of the situation throughout the day?

ALEXA PANO: I did a little bit of scoreboard watching, but as it got towards the end I was just trying to make as many birdies as possible. I knew the lead was deep so I needed to get deeper.

I didn't know about the situation until some guy on 17 told me. He was like, shouldn't have made bogey there. Kind of rude, but it motivated me to make two birdies back-to-back.

And so I did know going into 17, but that's the only reason why.

But, yeah, those back-to-back birdies I knew I had to do, and luckily I did.

Q. Was it a fan?

ALEXA PANO: I don't know. I don't know. (Laughter.) I just know that it motivated me so that's all.

Q. And to have that finish and the momentum going into the playoff as well, how did you feel standing on the first playoff hole when you got that momentum at your back?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, honestly, the tee shot on 18 isn't my favorite on the course, so I was kind of thinking, you know, just solid swing, center fairway, and make a birdie, because I knew birdie would at least put me in a good position.

I was able to do that.

The second tee shot obviously wasn't ideal, but then I was just thinking, try and make birdie again.

Same thing the third go-around, and luckily enough to put me on top.

Q. Did you think it was done on the second playoff hole?

ALEXA PANO: I tried not to put too much thought into it. When I'm in a playoff or match play sort of situation I always try and assume they're going to make whatever shot they have.

So even when she was putting the third playoff hole I kind of had the mindset, okay, 17 tee after this.

So I tried not to really think about what would happen if it went whichever way it did.

Q. For 18 to be such a tough hole, especially with that approach, you've got the water left, to hit that approach consistently so many times, it was like a mental picture in your head that you just kept focusing on or how were you able to find that consistently over and over again down 18?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I had pretty similar clubs each time. I think the first two times I had 4-hybrid and then the last two I had 5-iron, so it was nice to have similar yardages and a similar aiming spot which was good.

And I don't know. I was quite comfortable with that swing and quite comfortable being aggressive towards the flag. Yeah, the second shot set up better to me than the tee ball.

Q. I know you said you haven't really let it sink in so far, but what this opens up for you now; you've only just broken on to the LPGA Tour by qualifying through Q-School and now you're a winner. Did you think that this was possible in year one?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I definitely dreamt about it. This was definitely a massive goal for me, so to achieve that is really special.

But, yeah, I mean, just thinking of all the little things that happen now, and, I don't know, it just hasn't fully sunk in but it's starting to. (Laughter.)

Q. I mean, I suppose now you sort of readjust your goals for the rest of the season, now that you've got win number one on the board. What does the rest of the year look like for you off the back of this?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I think this will hopefully give me a lot of momentum. I don't know. This is just really fun, so I really would like to do this again some time.

Q. What has your experience of Northern Ireland in general been like? It's not somewhere that you guys get to travel very often. How have you found this experience?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I find Europe really fun every time I get to come. I was glad I got into one of the European events, and I definitely made the most of it.

Q. As far as birthday presents go, have you had a better one than this?

ALEXA PANO: No. This is definitely the best birthday of all-time. I'm kind of a downer on my birthday usually, but this might change my mind.

Q. Did you have any sort of small celebrations this morning before you came to the course?

ALEXA PANO: No, not this morning. My dad just kind of said happy birthday. All my friends were asleep back home on U.S. time.

Before we left my family did a celebration for me. That was fun. Yeah, kind of tried not to tell anyone that it was my birthday but somehow it got out there.

Q. We're always going to find out things like that.

ALEXA PANO: Yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Alexa, congratulations, and good luck for the rest of the season. Enjoy the celebrations.

ALEXA PANO: Thank you.