AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

April 4, 2024

Eila Galitsky

Quick Quotes

Q. Walk through how today differed from yesterday, how obviously conditions were a lot different. Walk us through how you kept yourself steady throughout the whole course.

EILA GALITSKY: Yeah, today was really, really tough. It was tough out there. The wind was brutal.

I think the thing that let me down the most today was probably my putting. In Thailand we don't have much wind, so I'm not really familiar with these conditions. Just putting was really, really difficult for me today, the lag putts were either into the wind or downwind, especially downwind, the ball just did not stop on the green at all. Even some of them when I was about to putt and gusts were coming, the ball like moved. I felt like it was really, really tough to gauge the speed on the greens today.

Q. How does it feel to be able to get into the last round and be able to play at Augusta National tomorrow and competitively on Saturday?

EILA GALITSKY: It feels amazing. Last year I missed the cut, and I was just playing Augusta for the experience, but to play tomorrow as an official practice round for a competitive round at Augusta National means the world to me, and I'm really, really excited.

Q. You're committed to the University of South Carolina; there's two other Gamecocks that have made it to the final round. Have you had a chance to talk to them this week?

EILA GALITSKY: Yeah, I've spent a little bit -- I went up to South Carolina to visit the college, and we spent a little bit of time as a team. I feel I'm very, very excited to go to South Carolina. The team environment there is so awesome, and I'm really looking forward to it, and really happy that all three of us made the cut.

Q. Had you always wanted to play college golf?

EILA GALITSKY: Not in the beginning. I think after I won the WAAP, I really started considering college golf because I went to these majors and actually saw the reality of competing at a pro level golf, and I just feel like I need more independence, and I need to be more prepared to play pro golf.

I know I have the skill to compete with them, but I just think I need the organization and the management and just more experience as an amateur before I go pro.

Q. Now that you're a little bit more removed from it, how did your life change after the won the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific?

EILA GALITSKY: I mean, it was incredible. I definitely got a lot more media attention back home. I got to play the most incredible events, and I think I've just learned so much from that experience.

I feel like my game has improved a lot from WAAP last year. I feel I'm a lot more mature on the golf course than I was, and I just hope I keep growing.

Q. What kind of growth did you see?

EILA GALITSKY: I think probably kind of risk assessment, like should I go for it, should I not, what lines into the greens I want to take more, not just hitting -- aiming to the pin and hitting there all the time. Kind of giving myself more room for my misses.

Q. What did playing here last year teach you about that?

EILA GALITSKY: Last year I came from Singapore, and it was really, really hot there, and I got here and it was windy, it was cold. I think that was the coldest conditions I've ever actually been in, let alone played in. I think I learned so much from that, taking it back to Thailand, practicing more wind shots, more shots that are necessary for these type of conditions.

Q. How motivating was it -- you played a practice round at Augusta National last year and missed the cut, to come back this year and have another chance?

EILA GALITSKY: It's very motivational. It kind of proves that all my effort and practicing and the hard days kind of paid off a little bit here, and I just hope I continue to grow and continue to see that working hard will pay off some day, somehow.

Q. We know a lot about your golf, but what do you like to do outside of it?

EILA GALITSKY: I like to cook. I don't really like eating the stuff I cook. I just like the experience of cooking. Mostly by the time I'm done cooking I'm pretty full from trying everything.

Q. What's your favorite thing to cook?

EILA GALITSKY: That's hard. Probably either French or Italian food.

Q. Can you walk us through 18? You started on the back nine, but walk us through 18 from tee to green, and what happened when you asked a rules official to come over?

EILA GALITSKY: Yeah, so they moved the tee back, I think, like 40 yards. It was a really, really weird angle because I don't play a draw, and that was a draw hole. It was a really weird angle. But I hit a good drive up there. The wind was going absolutely nuts in the middle of the fairway. I don't know what the deal with the wind was there.

I wanted to lay up with a 2-iron to about 80 yards with a comfortable wedge shot, but I hit that really, really fat. Luckily it didn't go into the water.

Then I pushed my 7-iron from there really bad, hit a terrible chip, and ended up like 20 feet left of the pin, and it was between the green and the fringe, but the fringe was overgrown, and it went into the part of the green. I asked my playing partners if it was on the green or not because I wanted to mark my ball. They were like, it's probably on the green, but you should get a rules official just to be sure.

I think I probably knew it was on the green, but I didn't want to have that two-stroke penalty if it wasn't. So I waited a little bit long.

I hit the putt, and it looked so good, but it stayed like two inches short.

Q. He said it was on the green or it wasn't on the green?

EILA GALITSKY: It was on the green.