MEIJER LPGA CLASSIC

June 15, 2024

Ryann O'Toole

Blythefield Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, here we are after a 67 here. Ryann, walk me through what moving day was like for you. What was the mindset going into a course like this that there are those scorable chances out there?

RYANN O'TOOLE: Yeah, there is definitely a lot of scorable chances on the par-5s. I think it's just a matter of staying patient out here. I think that's been the key. You can make birdies on a lot of other holes, so I think the last two days I've proven that as far as I didn't capitalize on some of the par-5s but had made birdies elsewhere.

Just one of those, like I think some girls can get discouraged, especially when I get a really short par-5. I just tried to stay patient and it's been working so far. Let's just see if I can continue birdieing the ones I haven't yet and keep birdieing the ones I have.

Q. Those three off the top, 2, 3, 4, what was working well there for you?

RYANN O'TOOLE: I don't know. Out of the chute just put myself into position. Really tried to focus this week on placement. Spent a lot of time last week on three quarter wedge shots with all my wedges, half shots, just really trying to dial in yardages. And then just really trying to pick specific targets.

I think after PV I just started pressing. I just felt like my game at PV was nowhere close to what it has been. In the last, you know, I feel like six weeks I've just been struggling and like I'm striking it better, putting better, game is better, but what's going on.

I think I was pressing and pressing to get myself back up there. This week was a little different approach, patient, and trying to pick better targets and give myself just opportunities and let the putts fall.

Q. When did you realize that patient was the key for it all clicking together? Was there a certain tournament you felt yourself pressing a little bit too much?

RYANN O'TOOLE: I think the problem is when you get up there and get into that position you just want it all the time. It's never fun when you're like 50th or around the cut line. I looked at my stats, okay, stats are fairly decent.

I can fine tune a couple things and that's what I worked on last week. Overall, it wasn't dictating my scores and so I felt like that was coming from other stuff. That was probably coming from like picking too aggressive targets, trying to get it close rather than, hey, let's hit it here. If I have a 20-footer, if I miss it, maybe closer kind of thing.

So that really helped. You do have to stay patient out here. The greens are tricky. You got to like mixed poana growing in them, so they can be tough. Every green feels a little different. I've had five three-putts; let's try not to have that.

And I'm putting good otherwise because I'm making a lot of the birdies, so it's just like, find yourself landing it left edge, you're like, oh, broke left, okay.

So just trying to stay patient and not get frustrated. It's been nice.

Q. That chip in on 16 there, the par-4, was that a chip in?

RYANN O'TOOLE: No, it's a two, so hit it in from the fairway. Had 129 to the pin. Landed two yards short and I couldn't see obviously because it's up the hill, so I heard the crowd cheer and that was very nice.

So I'll take that any day.

Q. Can you see the ball go in there?

RYANN O'TOOLE: I couldn't even see the pin actually. I was aiming at a tree. I couldn't see the pin. I had to walk ten yards back to pick alignment. I couldn't even see the pin.

But when I hit it I'm like, okay, that's right on the target. Then I just waited. You kind of wait for claps up there that tell you, okay that was good.

But it's a hard hole to figure out. You're coming up, it's 13 yards up, and sometimes it's like, okay, it released eight yards; okay, that released four yards the other day, and you're like, what is it going to release here?

I got it right.

Q. Is that 9-iron, wedge?

RYANN O'TOOLE: Pitching wedge, yeah.

Q. You talk about playing okay but not seeing results. Is that sometimes harder than if you're scraping it around?

RYANN O'TOOLE: Yeah, like I wasn't having errant misses, explosions. It was just odd. Just felt like it wasn't sharp. It was like when I went into PV I had brand new irons I played one round with. I felt like I didn't have wedges dialed in at all.

I was just going out going, this could be a disaster and ended up finding myself in a playoff. I was like, go figure that. Since then I've been playing much more consistent and feeling much more comfortable but was not producing numbers at all, one offs here and there.

It's funny, because I always feel like you can miss the cut by one or make the cut by one and then the weekend can change everything. It's tough.

Q. You look on the last week with Linnea making the cut on the number and winning on Sunday, is that a reminder of what can happen out here?

RYANN O'TOOLE: 100%. That's why I keep going back to PV. I was 4-over. I was out of the cut completely and turned it around and finished 1-under and then played well on Saturday and played really well on Sunday.

It's just like you never know. You go from staring at, I'm going home to I'm in a playoff or could win. Yeah, it just goes to show you that four rounds matter. If you can't get those four rounds, then you never know.

So...

Q. What's going to be the biggest key tomorrow? Going to be a packed leaderboard. Someone will have to break free out there. What's the key for you?

RYANN O'TOOLE: I think the key for me is to keep doing what I'm doing. I think it's really pick good targets, pick, you know, some conservative lines, be aggressive when you need to be.

I think it's staying patient. You're going to get to some easy the par-5s. If you par it, don't get discouraged. I think if you can go out and get to 5-, 6-under in the round again you're going to have a good chance.

I feel like this course out here, 3-under is like level par a little bit. And then you take a little bit off the top from there.

So doesn't look like too much wind so I think the course is going to play receptive, and see what happens.

Q. I don't know how close you were to Lexi's group but she had a big energy going today. Big stretch.

RYANN O'TOOLE: I did. I saw that. I was like, wait a second, who is over there? Nelly missed the cut. I'm like, Oh, okay, Lexi, yeah.

Q. What's that energy brought to a tournament like?

RYANN O'TOOLE: It's awesome. I think we got a great fan base out here. Grand Rapids does a wonderful job, Meijer does a wonderful job in promoting.

But the energy, especially down at the pit is awesome. It's great. Great to see the support, the fan base. It feels like a major this week as far as like the attendance. Really thankful.