COGNIZANT FOUNDERS CUP

May 9, 2024

Leona Maguire

Upper Montclair Country Club

TV

Q. We saw a collection of birdies. Every hole it was like Leona, nice and close to this pin. Overall how did you feel about your game today?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, felt like I played really nice. Gave myself a lot of chances and holed some nice putts. This is probably the best I've ever putted on poana grass, which is nice for a change.

Yeah, feeling good. Had two weeks off before this, so feeling fresh and it's good to get back out again.

Q. You did not play in this tournament last year; you did play it the year previously. A lot of players are having trouble reading these greens. What do you think that's all about? You specifically said you've been capitalizing today. How did you adjust?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, I think you just have to try and hit good putts. They're rolling -- they're actually rolling nice for poana even, especially in the afternoon. I thought they would be a bit more bumpy. They're slick. You have to battle uphill, staying on the right side of the pin.

For the most part I did that today, so that was a nice bonus.

Q. We are here because of the Founders and the way they paved before you. Such a cool setup at the 18th green as you're walking off with the signage, Act Like a Founder. Just from legendary stories that you heard, obviously none of them are with us any longer, but the icons showing up, whether that be Beth Daniel, Nancy Lopez, what are some of the crazy stories you've heard from way back in the day before we were even born?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, I mean, we had a bit of a wait after 9 and me and Aza were chatting to Meg Mallon for a little bit, and she was talking about taking helicopters to Manhattan to Shinnecock. Seems like they had a more glamourous life almost back in the day.

No, it's really cool to have them here this week. Saw Nancy earlier in the week. She was Junior Solheim Cup captain when I played my first one in 2009. It's nice to see them with big smiles on their face always, and they've done a lot for the game. We wouldn't be here without them.

Q. Finally, as you got a good assessment of this golf course, going forward for the rest of the week, obviously so much about the importance and significance of finding these fairways with how tight they are off the tee. What are a couple of keys that we should look for throughout the rest of the tournament?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, I mean, obviously the weather forecast doesn't look too kind to us, so, yeah, it'll be interesting. Definitely, yeah, especially if that rough gets wet, it's really thick.

So hitting fairways is going to be a premium as are hitting greens. Yeah, if you want a stress-free the next few days it's definitely the way to go.