DANA OPEN PRESENTED BY MARATHON

July 17, 2024

Allie White

Highland Meadows Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome to the press area with Allie White here at the Dana Open. Allie, this we just talked about, your third time here at the Dana Open. Can you just tell you about when your experience has been like at this event and how excited you are to be back for the third time.

ALLIE WHITE: Thank you for having me today, Emily. Yeah, so when I was a kid I probably tried the Monday qualifier about six times and I think I missed by one or two strokes about five times.

I really, really wanted to get to play in Ohio for my family and friends. When I finally made it through the Monday qualifier was just a big moment for me, and I didn't make the cut that year.

And then a couple years later I came through on the Epson Tour fill and I was like, I'm for sure going to play a little better this time around; didn't quite get it done.

Then there was a year in there where I was -- the COVID year, and my caddie ended up having a false positive so didn't get to play that year.

So anyway, I'm ready. I'm ready to have a good year here and I'm excited to be here. Ready to represent. I know I'm from southern Ohio, different culture down there, but we love all of Ohio in Ohio.

Yeah, really pumped to be here.

Q. I know you have had many Epson Tour experiences, couple LPGA Tour experiences, especially this year at KPMG Women's PGA Championship. How does all that sort of sit with you? How much do you like just being out on the LPGA Tour and getting these opportunities to play with the tour players?

ALLIE WHITE: Yeah, you know, I played over like 100 Epson Tour events, and being on the Epson Tour is a really awesome way to work on your game and see the country and make a lot of wonderful friends. I'm so grateful I got to do that. It was a big part of my life.

But you definitely always -- if you don't get to play a ton of LPGA tournaments, maybe if you played LPGA tournaments all the time you take for granted, oh, wow, I have fans and I have media that wants to talk to me; people are excited about this.

Those Epson players -- Lilia Vu was out there for a year. Korda was out there. Brooke Henderson was out there. They're really good out there, but you don't get fans and that feeling unless you're out here.

And given, it's a cut above out here for sure, but to get to have that big time, big stage feeling and when you're somebody that's only gotten it five or six times in your life, you're going to soak up every minute of it and try to just stay in the present and have a wonderful time.

Q. So you talk about representing for Ohio even though you're not from this part of Ohio. What has it meant to see the Dana Open, despite its name changes over time, persist for 40 years in this state at the event it is for the LPGA?

ALLIE WHITE: Yeah, it's unbelievable. It's a huge commit tonight women's sports. Tammy green -- so I work at Lancaster Golf Club now. Work most of my time and I get to play a little bit.

Old time pro Tammy Green came down because lot of gals are getting ready for the Senior Open at Fox Chapel.

She's from my area, and Ohioan, and she was like, oh, you're going up to Toledo. I would like to come up there and kick your butt. (Laughter.)

Yeah, all the Ohioans know about Toledo, and that we've been such a solid force for the LPGA for so long is great and I hope we keep getting better.

Q. You spent plenty of time coaching. Just how has your mindset as a golfer changed seeing it through the lens as a coach?

ALLIE WHITE: I think my best mental years in my game - hopefully they're ahead of me and hopefully this week - but when I was a grad assistant at Ohio University you get to see players developing and see some of the mistakes.

You're like, wow, you know. I saw players grow and get a lot better. When they were really hard on themselves and they mentally -- if they had a day where they beat themselves, it really put it home to you. You're like, oh, you really have to be your own best friend on a golf course.

I would always tell them, BYOB, be your own bestie. Not the other meaning of that. (Laughing.)

But yeah, you really see what you got to do when you're out there trying to coach people to do it. You're like, I ought to take some of this advice.

Q. How do you bring that this week when you say you're not maybe on the course as much as you normally are? How do you approach a week like Dana Open?

ALLIE WHITE: Yeah, I think I'm really lucky, A, for two reasons. I have a great team here. My caddie is a really solid man, Shaun. At home, I have a really great team taking care of the golf course that I'm super thankful for. Wonderful staff.

So not feeling any home stress. They're running an outing for me this weekend. We've got the Masonic 13th District outing at Lancaster this weekend. So I'm not worried about them, and I know I got Shaun and my family here this week.

They'll be helping me just breathe and play one shot at a time.

Q. How do these experiences help you be better is a as coach when you go back and talk to your students about playing on tour?

ALLIE WHITE: Yeah, it certainly helps with the more instantaneous respect aspect. Oh, you were just playing a major a couple weeks ago? So makes -- I think people are like oh, maybe I should listen to her.

I gave a kids' clinic on Monday and some of the kids were like, so my dad said you were on TV the other week. You're like, yeah, yeah, that's true. So you're instantaneously cool.

With the players that are more developed and a little better and ready for course strategy stuff, like definitely when you play golf, you got an edge on the coaches that just do swing coaching.

You can be swinging it really bad one day and figure out how to score. That's hopefully what you can give to people if they're coming for this kind of lesson.

Q. You mentioned a ton of support. Your family will be here. Who else will be coming out? Anyone making the drive up supporting you this week?

ALLIE WHITE: Yeah, it's going to be a wild crew. We got the uncles coming from Cleveland. We got maybe Jeremy and Natalie coming from Athens. The folks, sister coming from Nashville. My best buddy from high school might make the weekend.

A lot of them are contingent on making the weekend. My golf coach, he has to work all week. Yeah, Kelly from EagleSticks might make it for Sunday.

Anyway, I'll have to keep that as motivation.