COGNIZANT FOUNDERS CUP

May 7, 2024

Ashley Shaw

Upper Montclair Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, joined by Ashley Shaw, winner of the John Shippen Cognizant Cup. Take us through what yesterday was like for you and all the emotions and feelings.

ASHLEY SHAW: You know, I start off the day, it was a little bit chilly outside, but I could just feel it in the air, it was going to be a good day. No matter how it turned out I was going to have fun.

From the first hole that was my goal. I said, I'm going to have the most fun out here possible. I am out here walking with my mom. My dad is on the sidelines, and we are just going to make the best experience we can out of this.

I got the win, which just made it even better.

Q. Winning and now getting to compete on the LPGA Tour, talk about those emotions, how exciting it is. Have you got to talk with any of the girls on the range or the putting green? Anyone said anything to you?

ASHLEY SHAW: Yeah, there has been a couple girls came up and congratulated me. I played a practice round, a few holes with Lydia Ko and Gina Kim, which was a lot of fun.

Everyone has been so friendly and just made this whole experience extremely fun. I'm excited for this week.

Q. You're one of our LPGA USGA Girls Golf members. How instrumental has that program been to your success throughout the years and now in this moment?

ASHLEY SHAW: So I've been a part of Girls Golf since I was seven years old, and Girls Golf was actually one of my first tournaments I even played in. Through my experiences with Girls Golf and even The First Tee of Phoenix, it's given me a chance to give back to the community.

I don't even play in that many of their events anymore, just traveling and stuff like that, but I can still go when I have the time to help them. I love helping the girls out there and seeing them succeed. The smile on their faces when they hit that ball, it just makes me so happy.

Q. On that side, what do you hope girls take from your experience this week watching you inside the ropes with these LPGA superstars?

ASHLEY SHAW: I definitely hope that they see that when they have a dream, that if they stick to it and work hard they can achieve it.

That's something that I'm living right now. It's always -- since I first started it's been my dream and goal to play in an LPGA event. I didn't think it was going to happen this soon, but to be 15 years old out here playing with the pros, I really hope they can see through me being out here that if they stick to it, stick with whatever they're doing, they can succeed.

Q. Also connected to the Underrated Tour with Steph Curry and Mariah Stackhouse. How critical has that organization been to your success, and what does it mean to be a part of that with those two people that are incredible athletes?

ASHLEY SHAW: It's been extremely incredible. This is the third year of the Underrated Tour and I've done it every year it happened. I won the inaugural year and last year I got Top 3, so I am actually going to London in about two weeks to go represent the Underrated Tour as an ambassador for them.

Underrated has given me chance to go to places where I probably wouldn't have gone. I've been to so many states in the past two years where I've never been to and I probably wouldn't have gone unless I was a part of the Underrated Tour.

Meeting people like Steph and Mariah, it just made the experience even sweeter. I'm excited for where this takes me.

Q. Somebody told me Mo was talking to you yesterday and, giving you kind of the lowdown on how to handle things out here. What has that relationship meant your success as a golfer?

ASHLEY SHAW: Knowing Mariah, I've known her for about two years now, and we've just kind of built a really good relationship. She's someone I can definitely talk to and lean on for support.

I know she can't be here this week but I know she is cheering for me back in Arizona. She's playing her own Epson Tour event there. Just knowing her and her words of wisdom that she can tell me, the tids and bits she can tell me, it's extremely helpful and I think it's definitely allowed me to know what to expect out here, not just coming in blind.

I'm excited, so definitely things she's said has been extremely helpful.

Q. The sport of the golf has not always been extremely welcoming to people of color and women. What does it mean to you to help change that by being part of an event like yesterday?

ASHLEY SHAW: I am extremely excited to be a part of the change and bringing more diversity to the game of golf. The game of golf, it doesn't have a lot of people who look like myself, and even just women in the game who stick with it.

So being a part of events like the John Shippen, it brings kind of a closer-to-home type feel. When I play in the events I play in I'm usually the only one who looks like me. Most the time. It's maybe two other people out there.

To play in events like the John Shippen and to get those exemptions into the LPGA and even the PGA events that are given, it helps bring out that diversity into the game and it's something I'm very proud of to be a part of.

Q. Have you ever been in a situation playing golf where somebody made you feel uncomfortable, like you shouldn't be there?

ASHLEY SHAW: Well, I think for me, when I first started the game of golf my first few tournaments I played in I didn't quite feel like I belonged there.

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It's just kind of the way it goes when you're the only one who looks like yourself out there. It was me and I just had to persevere and I made it through. I think that's something that I hope others can learn from me. Don't let the situation you're in kind of dictate what you're going to continue to do.

If it's rough right now it's okay. On the other side it's definitely going to be better.

Here I am playing in my first LPGA event seven years later. I'm extremely blessed to be able to be here and I can't wait for this week.

Q. For you, obviously incredible characteristics it seems like getting to know you in this press conference. What makes you one in a million? We're celebrating One Million More in our Girls' Golf campaign. Just got to a million girls; hoping to get to another million in the next seven years. What makes Ashley Shaw one in a million?

ASHLEY SHAW: I think what makes me one in a million is my personality. I think for me, the only thing I'm focused on out there is having fun and enjoying the experience. Others are focused on oh, my score or I want to do this, I want to do that. I'm just out there having fun and being myself.

You'll often hear a lot of people say I tell a lot of the jokes. That's just what I do. I'm walking down the fairway, looking at the birds or someone's dog barking in the backyard thinking, why is it barking like that.

I'm just enjoying myself, and I think that's what makes me different than most. I'm just out there trying to have fun and soak it all in.

Q. Next few days, going to be a whirlwind for you. What's the mindset heading into the tournament and getting that opportunity?

ASHLEY SHAW: Definitely my mindset is just enjoy the experience with my mom and dad. Mom is on the bag, and two of us just going to go out there and have fun, enjoy our time here, and just soak all the experience, soak everything we can, just get it in, and like I said, have fun. That's the biggest thing for me.

Q. Where does your confidence come from? I love this confidence. Where does it come from?

ASHLEY SHAW: I would definitely say it comes from my parents. They told me ever since I can remember, when you have a thought, speak your mind. And also the squeaky wheel gets the oil. If you're not talking, no one is going to know what you're thinking.

For me, the only thing I can do is be myself. I can't be anyone else. That's something else that just makes it me me. I'm just being myself.

Q. Couple more from me. I know when I was 15 I wasn't this grounded and so well-spoken. You're doing all these great things. What is it that keeps you grounded and maybe keeps your head in the game?

ASHLEY SHAW: Again, definitely my parents. My parents, just they're so -- I don't know what I would do without them. They definitely keep me humbled and keep me wanting to play the game.

A lot of times you'll see kids and they're not looking like they're enjoying their time out here. But through my parents and just us doing everything together, everywhere we go. Every tournament am at both my parents are there. They are there for me. I know I can lean on them.

It's just an experience that I definitely know I wouldn't be here without them, so definitely my parents.

Q. You told Golf Channel that sometimes you think your mom is a little more stressed out than you are. What's the normal interaction with you guys when you're walking down the fairway or lining up a putt? What's the back and forth like? Is it loose? More strategic? What's it like out there?

ASHLEY SHAW: So I am the kind of person, you probably wouldn't believe this, but I don't really like being told what to do. Usually she just stands back, and if I ask her, do you see the same thing I see? She'll be like, no, I don't. Okay. Or she'll say, yeah, I agree with that and then just do that, and then I'll do it and we're happy.

Q. Last one. Obviously like Sarah was saying, part of the Underrated Cup. You see Ronni Yin out there, a big Steph Curry fan, are you going to flex on her that you have met Steph?

ASHLEY SHAW: You know, probably not.

Q. I think she would appreciate it. If you get the chance, I would mention it to her. She loves Steph.

ASHLEY SHAW: I'll consider that.