AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

April 4, 2024

Hannah Darling

Quick Quotes

Q. How would you describe the round out there today in the conditions? What would be the Scottish term for it?

HANNAH DARLING: It was a grind. It was pretty tough. It was just, yeah, I mean, me and my caddie just kept saying, you know, pick a really smart target, pick a really good number, and hit a really committed shot to that. Whatever happens from there happens.

I don't think we really hit that many bad golf shots today but hit a lot of shots that were made look bad by the wind. But yeah, I'm hitting it good. Yeah, it was just a grind and I think we did that well.

Onto the next day.

Q. Is it easy for you personally to look at the bigger picture? Obviously 6-under yesterday, back up to 1-under. Through 36 holes you're still 1-under. Is it easy for you to look at that or do you look at what you shot today more?

HANNAH DARLING: I think I'm more so looking at -- I'm trying to look more at the process I would say rather than scores. I mean, yeah, I wouldn't say that I played any worse today than I did yesterday. Putts dropped yesterday; putts didn't drop today.

The conditions made everything look a lot worse today. So I really just big picture I'm hitting it pretty good and have been for a while. So keeping the confidence high. There is no reason for the confidence to drop. We're still right there.

Q. First time I think you'll go into Saturday in contention at this event.

HANNAH DARLING: Yeah.

Q. What do you expect it to feel like these next 48 hours or so?

HANNAH DARLING: Yeah, I expect to go have a lot of fun. Me and my caddie and my parents and some of my teammates are going to come along tomorrow and then Saturday, so we're just going to go have fun and try to experience this together and have a good time. That's what it's all about.

Q. Can you talk just about adjusting to the conditions today? After your first nine, kind of adjusting to the back nine and how that process worked.

HANNAH DARLING: Yeah, I think, again, I don't think it was really much of an adjustment. I think it was just a reset I would say. I think I was what, like four, five over or something like that after the front nine.

And so, yeah, four over. So it was just reset. I'm still where I need to be. Still hitting good golf shots. Just keep hitting smart targets and hitting committed golf shots.

That's what it's all about. We didn't need to do anything differently than that.

Q. Was your mentality any different coming into today even without the wind?

HANNAH DARLING: Yeah, definitely you look at the forecast this morning and it's going to be 50 miles an hour winds with gusts of almost 40. You knew it was going to play a lot differently.

But I think, again, I spoke about this yesterday, it's just play boring golf. Hit on the fairway, hit on the greens, take my tap-in par, and keep doing that.

That's going to be the message for the weekend as well. I don't need to do anything differently. Just go play my golf.

Q. Did you take any selfies today to remember these kind of conditions like you did on the range at St Andrews?

HANNAH DARLING: To be honest, I've played in enough conditions like this to be somewhat of a just normal day. But, yeah, maybe taking some pictures later just to remember how great of a feeling it is to have made the cut at such an amazing event.

Q. How much have you played with Lottie and how much have you known her?

HANNAH DARLING: I've not played with Lottie a whole lot actually. Played on the same team together at the Vagliano last year. Definitely played some amazing golf over the last few years.

Yeah, credit to her. She's an amazing player.

Q. What impresses you the most about her game?

HANNAH DARLING: Again, I've played one practice round with her at the Vagliano and that's about it. I can't make any comments. I don't really know her game that well. She was a great teammate at Vagliano and going to be a great teammate to the Curtis Cup this year.

Q. Walk me through 18.

HANNAH DARLING: Yeah, 18, we had a little bit of some swirling winds come the last five holes I would say. It was swirling a little bit. We were just really focused on trying to get a good wind direction.

Hit a great drive there. My second shot hit one of the best stingers I think I've every hit. That's me. That's my golf. I have fun doing that. So hit a great stinger.

Again, came to a great number. Hit a great wedge shot. Didn't quite react the way we thought it would. Again, took my two-putt for par and got out of there.

Q. 18.

HANNAH DARLING: Oh, I'm sorry. I'm thinking I've just played 18 because that's the normal 18. 18 here was pretty much the same exact thing. Wind was pretty strong into our face so hit a good driver, hit another stringer, 5-iron, and we came to a great wedge number.

Just spun back a little bit more and the wind pulled it back a little bit more than we thought it would. Then just made a three-putt bogey which you know, it happens. It was a little bit of a swinger. Three foot down the hill left to right, a little bit of a swinger.

The wind is swirling a bit so hard to be committed. Again, I hit a great putt and I can be happy with what I did.

Q. (Indiscernible.)

HANNAH DARLING: Yes. On 2. Is that the hole you're talking about?

Q. Right before the second putt you were on the fringe. Were you trying to see (indiscernible.)

HANNAH DARLING: I don't remember pulling a rules official over. I was in the middle of the green and just putted from the middle of the green.

Q. There is a unique aspect of Augusta National, a day off before you hit another competitive shot. You talk a lot about your focus on the golf course. What do you do off the golf course for the next 24 hours to unplug mentally? What's the guilty pleasure away from golf?

HANNAH DARLING: To be honest with you, I've got two fishing rods in the back of my car at the hotel and there is a big pond close to our hotel that I saw people fishing at the other day. I might go fish a little bit and just take a little bit of time off, just get my focus on something else.

Q. What's your handicap when it comes to fishing? I'm sure you're plus on the golf course. What are we talking about here?

HANNAH DARLING: No idea. I'm not very good. I'm pretty much a beginner. I just do it for the fun of it. My claim to fame is I just about caught a catfish about that size last year, and pulled it out and then it slipped off my hook and went back in and I wasn't able to catch it again.

Just something a little bit different. Never something I would've done back home. Something I really found enjoyment from when I come to America here.

Q. Who got you into that?

HANNAH DARLING: One of my teammates actually. She is from South Carolina so that's kind of what she does, so she got me into it. Some of us on the team have been fishing since and caught a few fish.

Q. Overall is your mentality -- did you hit the panic button out there at any point?

HANNAH DARLING: I wouldn't say it was a panic button. You see yourself making a few bogeys and it's like, okay, just reset. In that moment it can be easy to start pushing birdies. I need to make a putt, I need to make this, I need to get something to happen.

Actually just standing back and realizing it's a really tough day and the conditions are tricky, and actually just keep playing the same golf and maybe something will drop.

A birdie did drop, which was very nice.

But, yeah, I think it was more just a reset. I don't think it was a panic per se.