HONDA LPGA THAILAND

February 23, 2024

Eila Galitsky

Siam Country Club Pattaya, Old Course

Quick Quotes

Q. Eila, welcome back, or welcome to the Honda LPGA Thailand. I know second day here. It's hot. You're going through it. Just overall what was today like for you?

EILA GALITSKY: I mean, today was a little less hot than yesterday, so I think I played a little bit better.

But I felt like I didn't do anything different from yesterday to today. I just had maybe a couple not-as-bad shots as yesterday. I had as many birdies; just didn't lose as many shots.

Q. What were the most memorable highlights out there for you today?

EILA GALITSKY: I did hit it pretty far on the tenth, so that was pretty -- off the tee that was the highlight, yeah.

Q. What about the flop shot on 17? That wasn't too bad.

EILA GALITSKY: Yeah, yeah, I actually wasn't too nervous about that shot because I have hit like ten of those on the practice rounds, and like, I don't know, they all turned out pretty well.

So I just tried to imagine I was in a practice round and hit it like that.

Q. What did you hit for your second shot there?

EILA GALITSKY: 9-iron and pulled it.

Q. Just pulled it?

EILA GALITSKY: Yep.

Q. I know not a lot of professional experience out here, but here you are up the leaderboard. What are you drawing on? What past experience do you think of when you're settling yourself out there?

EILA GALITSKY: Definitely not as nervous as the Chevron. I mean, I think starting off with majors are a little bit better than starting off. Yeah, so I think I've gained a lot of experience from those three majors, and I don't know, coming into this tournament I didn't feel too nervous.

So, yeah.

Q. I know you played a couple weeks ago; you were defending. You talked a little bit about it in pre-tournament there. Just overall, how much was getting that out of your system as a defending champion and is it a lot less pressure maybe as a sponsor invite in a professional event?

EILA GALITSKY: Oh, yeah, definitely. Because I don't feel like all the eyes are on me. I feel like they're on, I don't know, Jin Young Ko, world No. 1, Lilia Vu, defending champ. Not as much pressure. The WAAP was in my home country, and, yeah, just a lot of pressure there.

Q. Have you seen or talked to anyone this week already that kind of you've wanted to talk to or get any advice from? I feel like I asked you that same question at Chevron, too.

EILA GALITSKY: I haven't talked to many players -- actually I talked to do Charley Hull a little bit in the elevator yesterday. Yeah, so that was pretty cool.

Q. How much are you connected to this tournament? How long have you been watching it? Have you ever been here as a spectator?

EILA GALITSKY: Yeah, I've been here once probably about four, five years ago, but this tournament means the world to me because it's the only LPGA event in my home country, and I've been watching it since I was born because it's been 17 years they've had this tournament and I'm 17.

Pretty fitting I think.

Q. Watching you today, looks like you feel that you belong in this company. You feel that comfortable now?

EILA GALITSKY: Oh, definitely. I feel a lot more comfortable. I feel like I've got the game to compete with these pros, but just not the experience. I feel like I need to maybe work out some more, get a better schedule put in place.

But, yeah, I'm very ready to be on tour, yeah.

Q. You've got Augusta coming up. I know you didn't make to last year. Is that sort of playing on your mind or how big an incentive is that for you to make it the final round and challenge there?

EILA GALITSKY: So last year I just won the WAAP and went to Augusta so there was a lot of expectations there.

But now that I know the course, I've played there before, honestly I feel a lot more comfortable and I'm really looking forward for it, yeah.

Q. Can you talk a bit about the practice round you had at Augusta, what the course was like and how you did?

EILA GALITSKY: Yeah, so the course was actually a lot longer than I thought it would be. The greens were a lot smaller than it looked on TV. The course was even more perfect than it looked on TV.

Yeah.

Q. And your hopes and expectations going there again? Are you putting a lot of pressure on yourself to do well and challenge maybe?

EILA GALITSKY: I mean, I always want to do well, but it's another experience, and I want to try -- I want to make the cut and the good thing about it is I'm actually going to go get a chance to visit South Carolina, the school I'm planning to go, so that would be very nice.

I'm looking forward to that.