COGNIZANT FOUNDERS CUP

May 9, 2024

Gabriela Ruffels

Upper Montclair Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Here with Gabi Ruffels. Nice way to start your week out here. What was working well for you today?

GABRIELA RUFFELS: Yeah, the putter was working well. It wasn't easy out here. It's a pretty tough course and some kind of short holes but some long holes, demanding iron shots into the greens.

It is my first time out here, and kind of took a red eye on Monday night from my U.S. Open qualifier.

So just saw this golf course once so kind of relied on my caddie.

Q. To have that going on, I mean, does it free you up a little bit to play better because you don't know exactly where to hit it every time? Just have to play with what the course gives you. Do you feel a little bit unprepared still?

GABRIELA RUFFELS: Yeah, I mean, I feel like you never know golf. Sometimes it's good preparing obviously, but sometimes it's fine, because like the expectations may be a bit lower.

But I have a good caddie so just relied on him on where to hit it.

Q. Narrow out there, too. Off the tee what have you been thinking about with your lines and things like that?

GABRIELA RUFFELS: Yeah, you have to be driving it well, and I think I think the quite a lot fairways today, which you need to do out here because the rough is pretty thick and you don't want to be in the fairway bunkers either.

So, yeah, I hit my driver well today and hopefully that can keep going.

Q. What's been the key to your consistency this season? I feel like we've talked to you a lot.

GABRIELA RUFFELS: Yeah, I mean, I guess just mental and just kind of sticking in there and kind of battling it out when things are tough. Just kind of waiting for it to kind of get good.

I mean, still, yeah, I still feel new out here. No, yeah, I feel like I've kind of gotten more comfortable as each event has gone on.

Q. Is it crazy that your rookie year is half over almost already?

GABRIELA RUFFELS: I know. I was talking about that with my friend the other day. It's May. Already halfway through the season. It's so crazy. What, six events in. It's going by really fast. I want it to kind of slow down.

Q. Next three days out here, learned some things about the golf course, got some good lines, made some good putts. What are you going to take from this round today that you'll apply to the next three rounds?

GABRIELA RUFFELS: Yeah it's just kind of fairways and greens out here. If you're going to hit a lot of fairways and greens you're going to do well. Just kind of wait for your opportunities to make some putts.

So didn't quite take advantage of all the par-5s today, so kind of want to try and do better with that next couple days.