AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

April 6, 2024

Asterisk Talley

Quick Quotes

Q. You had the practice round prior to today. Tell me about the feeling of walking up to the 1st tee box this morning.

ASTERISK TALLEY: It was definitely euphoric. I was so happy. Like I hit a good drive so I was happy, but I feel like going off the 1st tee, I didn't have a lot of nerves, which surprised me because it's the 1st tee at Augusta. But I didn't have a lot of nerves, and then I hit a good drive.

So I was just like happy to be there, and I was just taking it all in.

Q. What was the moment either yesterday or today that it finally hit you that you're playing Augusta?

ASTERISK TALLEY: Definitely yesterday like on the 1st tee. I was just in shock how amazing it is that I was actually here. I was taking it all in, trying to soak it all up. It was definitely amazing yesterday and today just to have the best time.

Definitely the birdie on 18, that putt, and I was like this is crazy. I was so happy and had so much joy on every hole. Even when I had a bogey, I was like, it's Augusta, so it's fine.

Q. We talked about on the last day the confidence boost coming into this. Does today provide another confidence boost going into the rest of the year?

ASTERISK TALLEY: Definitely. People say this is a hard course. Like of course it's super hilly, but I had like kind of a rough front nine. Going into the back, I was just like -- I didn't have any -- like I wasn't sad. I wasn't mad. I was just like having a good time because I knew coming into today, if I played good or bad, I was still going to have the best time ever.

After shooting 32 on the back, I was like this is just amazing. It's definitely going to give me confidence going into any tournament I have because this is the best course around and I've played so well today.

Q. You're so young. Which means you have the opportunity to make it the next several years to come back and play this again. Is that a big motivator for you?

ASTERISK TALLEY: Definitely. This is probably the best tournament I've ever played. Of course I'm sure many people in the field can say that. Even if you didn't play Augusta today and you didn't compete, I feel like just being here and getting to play Augusta yesterday makes this the best tournament that you could play even as like a professional.

I feel like that's a big motivator to come back and to play my best golf so that I'm able to come back. I feel like this is going to provide me some good golf for the year.

Q. What do you think the first question your friends are going to ask when you get back home?

ASTERISK TALLEY: How nice was it? Or why were you gone so long? But they'll definitely ask if I had fun because that's the point of playing golf is to have fun.

They don't care how I do. They'll probably ask how I did or how I feel I did, but they're definitely going to ask if I had fun, which is going to be yes because this is the best place ever.