SOLHEIM CUP

September 22, 2023

Cheyenne Knight

Ally Ewing

Finca Cortesin

Team USA

Quick Quotes

Q. Cheyenne, you said you were really nervous on that first tee, but how excited were you to see all those fans out there and just to experience that this morning?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Yeah, I've never experienced, like, fans like this before, and just that first tee and everyone yelling, Go USA or Go Europe, it was so great. Even the Europe people are yelling. I've never seen anything like that too, so I was just taking it all in.

Q. Did you hear the girl behind shout, Do it for Texas?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: I did not. What a bummer. But, yeah, you know, I'm glad I did, you know --

Q. Some SEC's and some Roll Tides?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: I heard some Roll Tides too, exactly, but no, everyone is great and the people that made the trip, really special.

Q. How great was it to get off to that start and just build that momentum straight away, obviously such a great start and to suddenly to be so far ahead?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, I mean, alternate shot is really tough. I know the Europeans didn't play quite like they want, but we just kept trying to stick to our plan, apply pressure when we could, and just keep executing our shot that we had at hand and never tried to get ahead of ourself. Yeah, it paid off well for us.

Q. Cheyenne, you were saying that Ally had given you some advice on how -- over the past week about coming into this week. Did that pay off today? Did that work? Did you use it?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Oh, it did, yes, for sure. I think last week when I was talking to Ally, just -- you know, you know you're going to be nervous and Ally, she's a great leader for our team and her just saying I can lean on her and I can talk to her about what I'm going through, you know, we're out here together. Yeah, so it was great. It was awesome. I'm very thankful for Ally.

Q. How excited are both of you just to get this first match out of the way, point on the board, and now you can concentrate on the rest of the competition?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, for sure. This is a tough walk, so even building a lead like that, and I think if you can get off the golf course as fast as possible, that's ideal. But, yeah, we're really excited and happy we could put that first point on the board. It's a long way to Sunday, but this is a step in a good direction for us as a team.

Q. Point on the board for Team USA, Cheyenne, a Solheim Cup debutante. It doesn't get much better than this, does it?

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: This is so awesome to be here and it's so special to be part of the Team USA. I'm a rookie and I was so grateful to have Ally, kind of a veteran, with me today. I was nervous for that first tee, but it was awesome.

Q. A significant victory, but the manner in the victory, what pleased you most about that performance today, Ally?

ALLY EWING: I think we both just stuck to our game plan and we executed our game plan well, each of us, and alternate shot is such a tough format. You rely and lean heavily on each other, just to know that we've got each other's back, and we did that well and we executed a lot of good shots, so yeah, very happy with this point.

Q. How good is the morale for Team USA right now? We know it's going to be a battle right down to the wire, but tell me what this U.S. morale feels like.

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: We know we're going to be in for a dog fight. Team Europe's really stacked. Honestly, I think it kind of set the tone, kind of Lexi going out first. A lot of people have doubted her, and I hope that she pulls out the point today, and I saw they got off to a really great start. But I think we are the underdogs and we've got everything to gain and nothing to lose and we are here to kind of shock some people.

Q. You pretty much dominated from the start. You guys put the first point on the board for Team USA and you're the last match out. What does that say about your match today?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, I think we came out obviously very nervous, but knew that they were going to be there and we were ready to take on the day, and Cheyenne here, glad she could get her first point out as a Solheim Cupper, so I was happy to be a teammate of hers.

Q. Exactly. One of the three rookies that were put out this morning and you bring a point to Team USA. What was this experience like? Talk me through what the first tee was like and as the day progressed.

CHEYENNE KNIGHT: Well, first of all, I'm so thankful for Ally. I had someone there to keep me calm and she's been helping me last week when I had questions. So she was so great to lean on.

The first tee, I was nervous. Stacy was like, Are you okay? I'm like, We need to get this going. But it was awesome. Nothing like it. I've never experienced anything like this, so just really grateful and excited to put a point on the board for USA.

Q. It's different coming over to foreign territory and you guys are trying to quiet the crowd. What has the experience been like playing over here in Spain so far?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, I mean, my first in Scotland, a lot of Ole's, a lot of Europe, a lot of things that I think you can get pumped up. But a lot of USA fans here. We had a lot of great fans travel, so try to hear that a little bit more than the others, and yeah, excited with the first point on the board.