MEIJER LPGA CLASSIC

June 14, 2024

Ally Ewing

Blythefield Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, here with Ally Ewing after her second round at the Meijer LPGA Classic. Round of the week so far, 9-under. Can you just take us through some of the highlights of today?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, got off to a really good start. I birdied 1 and 2 and then I chipped in for eagle on hole 8.

That was just pretty steady golf. I feel like I'm striking the ball really well, you know, just up to rolling some putts in.

So just, yeah, today was -- honestly, at one point I wasn't really sure what I was, so I was just kind of focusing on each shot, each hole.

Gets to the end of the day and it was 9-under, so really happy with it obviously.

Q. Obviously this course can be quite the birdiefest. You saw that today. How good is keeping bogeys off the card here?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, it's really important. Yesterday was really difficult. We tee'd off in the afternoon and it was pretty windy and gusty, even swirling, so it was a big test of patience to start the day yesterday.

And then I finally got something going at the end of yesterday, which was kind of what I was trying to do when I was like -- I had five or six holes left and I was like, let's just try to get some momentum for tomorrow.

So, yeah, I think you can make a lot of birdies out here. At the same time, I approach a golf course with what it gives me, so I try to play smart but aggressive golf.

Yeah, obviously don't want to make bogeys. Hope to make a lot of birdies out here.

Q. Confidence-wise, what did your finish at Lancaster do for you?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, that was obviously a great major for me. I went into Sunday not really -- honestly, I didn't think I really had a chance to win the golf tournament, so just trying to go out and play the best round I could. It was playing so hard I knew an 8- or 7-under wasn't out there.

But I didn't really know how good my round was until I got to 16 and was able to hit a really good shot.

Yeah, I think any time you get a good finish in any tournament, much less a major, you just see good golf for four days, definitely helps your confidence when you carry it over.

The golf ball doesn't know what I did last week, but it's still important to attack it but also have confidence with it.

Q. You knew you were going low out there today, but how big is it to birdie the last couple?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, that was big. I feel like you kind of get back on the par-5, No. 14, 15, and you get down in that valley, and it can be kind of swirly down there.

I made a really good birdie on 14, and then 15 and 16 I had two really good two-putts from 50 to 60 feet.

So I made a really good par putt on 16 that gave me a little bit of freedom to go play 17 and 18 really solid, see a couple putts go in.

Q. How close did you hit it on the last two?

ALLY EWING: On 17 I think I made a 15-footer, and then I two-putted 18 for birdie.

Q. When you're stacking birdies like this, mentally how do you stop yourself from getting ahead of yourself?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, I've definitely been there before and it's easier said than done. I think days are different. There are probably days I get ahead of myself, and then there are days where I'm able to mentally stay in the present.

That's so much about I think any sport, any round you're playing, whether it's good or bad. You want to stay completely in the present and not get ahead of yourself, not look back on anything.

I was 2-over par through 10 holes yesterday. I doubled the first hole. So the bounceback that I had to stay in the present and not look back on that, yet it goes both ways.

So you just try to keep executing shots and hope you can keep converting.

Q. Confidence carrying over from yesterday to today, how much confidence do you have from today going into tomorrow birdieing the last two holes?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, I think I feel confident. This golf course, it's good. I've had a couple really good finishes here. But at the same time, like every day is completely different, so I know tomorrow will be a completely different test.

It certainly feels good to be shoot 9-under and be in a good position for the first two rounds.

Q. The pressure that comes with tomorrow, more than likely the last group with the crowds and everything, how do you notice that and how do you deal with that?

ALLY EWING: I think the afternoon rounds we still have potential -- I may not be in the last group. Regardless, I think so much of it is, like I said, just staying in the present. You try to build confidence and you learn through just being in this position before.

I've had days where I have in the been able to stay in the present and I've not played my best golf. So tomorrow I'll just have a game plan that I'll try to execute and take it one shot and one hole at a time.

At the end of the day that's all you can really do. Your score will be your score at the end of the day. If I take within myself and my caddie do a really good job sticking to our game plan, I like what we have potential to do.

Q. As players you're always chasing something.

ALLY EWING: Uh-huh.

Q. Solheim Cup or Olympics, whatever it is. What's your chase these days?

ALLY EWING: Well, that's a good question. Yes, I've made a Solheim and definitely don't want to miss one ever again in my career, so I want to be a part of a Solheim and especially winning Solheim team.

But I think most of all, you know, I tee it up each week with just a lot of gratitude to be out here playing. I just think you never know what tomorrow has or is going to bring, so I guess I'm just chasing each day to enjoy it and to be my best, and hope that that gives me a chance to make a putt on the last hole to win a golf tournament.

Regardless I'm going to enjoy each day.

Q. You eagled the 8th hole today and yesterday. What was that mindset going into it today knowing you had such a great performance yesterday? And what have you done to be able to help add to such an amazing score?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, so hole 8 yesterday was -- we had a different wind today, so hole 8 was downwind yesterday; hit driver 8-iron it three feet.

Today I just so happened to hit -- I think I hit driver, 5-iron short right and chipped it in. So just like something like that, you just -- you're just trying to get something up and in for birdie.

Definitely wasn't anticipating another eagle when you miss the green. Hitting it to three feet, you hope you convert that. But yeah, two different ways to make eagle. Certainly happy with both of them though.

Q. Any aspects of your game you're hoping to capitalize, especially going into the weekend?

ALLY EWING: Yeah, I feel like for my game the more opportunities I give myself the more chance I have to shoot a really good number, so we'll just try to go hit a lot of fairways and then keep executing approach shots and ball striking specifically.

Yeah.