LPGA Q-SERIES

December 4, 2023

Cydney Clanton

Magnolia Grove

Quick Quotes

Q. So we are day four of Q-Series. Four rounds done; two left. Can you talk a little bit about today and what went well?

CYDNEY CLANTON: Yeah, I actually started hitting my irons a lot better today. Started feeling a lot more confident, and the more confidence I have the more aggressive I can play and the better I feel.

So I had a lot of great opportunities for birdie and was able to roll some in. Yeah, that is what started clicking.

Q. What's is the mindset for the next two days?

CYDNEY CLANTON: The scores are going to below. The Crossings Course is definitely gettable. Just going to have to keep grinding and giving yourself as many opportunities as possible and just hope that putts roll in.

Q. And then kind of taking it back to the Epson Tour season, won out there late in the game, and then decided not to go to Tour Championship. Can you talk me through your mindset about that and how you came to that decision?

CYDNEY CLANTON: Yeah, at the time, if I were really honest with you, I was safely in the top 35. I knew I was going to have Q-School paid for if I had to go back to it. You can make a lot larger jumps on LPGA and you just make a lot more money when you play well, so at the time, any LPGA event I was going to get in I wanted to play in.

I'd played really well in Ohio a couple weeks prior to and had set myself up and felt really confident about my game, and wanted to give myself every opportunity, even out on LPGA, just to see if I could sneak into the top 100.

Q. Taking that break, did it help you coming out here? You opened up strong; T14-ish at the moment; looking good with the cut and in that full status for next year as of right now. How did that help taking that week off, playing LPGA, and getting some more experience out there before Q-School?

CYDNEY CLANTON: Yeah, even just being able to play in Tampa, I got to play in Tampa a couple weeks ago, which was a blessing. Instead of having seven weeks off in a row I had four weeks off and then two weeks off. I was really able to stay focused.

It's hard to shut down your brain for a couple weeks and turn it back on. Very thankful that I got into Tampa and played really well in Tampa. Got to feel all the emotions you're going to feel out here. There is nothing like Q-School. I tell players all the time, players that have been blessed to not ever have to come back, it is a different animal when you're playing for your livelihood.

At the end it is what it is. You have your card or you don't. It's just a different kind of pressure.

So I'm thankful to be playing well. I wish I wasn't here, but I am where I am and look forward to the next two days.

Q. What does it mean to you right now to be in contention for status? Obviously two days of golf left to be played, but right now looking for a full card, and if you drop a little bit you're still going to get some status. What does it mean to have that chance again?

CYDNEY CLANTON: Yeah, huge. I mean, there has been different times in my career where I've questioned if I'm where I am supposed to be; last year was one of them.

It is extremely hard to lose your card. I'm not a young chicken anymore, and a lot of the girls that are playing well are in their low 20s and I'm in my mid-30s now.

So I think after this year and just being able to go out and win again on Epson, being able to play well in the tournaments that I got in on LPGA, was just kind of another reminder that I am where I'm supposed to be.

The goal is to get full status back, and that's why I'm here and that's what the goal is, yeah.

Q. You mentioned part of your decision for not going to Tour Championship, Epson Tour Championship, was that you knew you were safely in the top 35 and Epson would cover that entry fee. What does that mean to you that Seiko Epson Corporation is doing so much for the game and really trying to make your lives easier out here?

CYDNEY CLANTON: Yeah, 100%. There is just a misconception around the world what female players get versus male players. This is just a really expensive week.

They shortened it from eight rounds to six rounds from two locations, but $2,500 entry fee paid for, that's a blessing, one, financially, and, two, it kind of gives you the ability to hire a caddie, which I think is really important out here. You need someone on your bag that's been there, done that and just understands the emotions, the mental, and the physical grind of it.

So, yeah, no, Epson has done an amazing job with this tour, and is really setting up players for the future.