U.S. GIRLS' JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

July 19, 2024

Rianne Malixi

El Caballero Country Club

Press Conference

Q. Question of the hour is did the momentum flip or did you feel the momentum flip on 10 with Koo's missed putt or on 11 with your birdie putt?

RIANNE MALIXI: Honestly I didn't know what was happening. But, yeah, well, I think things took turn when I birdied the par-5 which is 12.

Q. Yeah. Is 11 the par-5? 11 is a par-4. She birdied 12, too. You had to make a putt to tie her.

RIANNE MALIXI: Yeah, just needed to see a putt drop in before going to the next tee so it was a clutch putt.

Q. And you felt a switch there?

RIANNE MALIXI: Yeah.

Q. But on 10 she was 1-up and had a birdie putt to win a hole; wasn't very long and missed it; 2-up at that point.

RIANNE MALIXI: Actually I didn't watch her putt because I knew that she was going to make it, so I went to the next tee and then heard from my caddie, oh, she missed it. I was like, oh, okay.

Q. What did you think in that moment?

RIANNE MALIXI: I was like I'm surprised that she missed the putt. I went back to the present and just really focusing on my game plan.

Q. You're now in back-to-back finals. Last person to do that was Eun Jeong Seong '15 and '16. What do you think you'll do differently tomorrow that you didn't do last year?

RIANNE MALIXI: Honestly, I will be sticking to my game plan, just really taking it shot by shot and taking my time in between shots. Yeah, just really focusing one shot at a time.

I think that will be an important key for tomorrow.

Q. And you and Asterisk have a little history at Sage Valley. Played together at the final round, went one and two.

RIANNE MALIXI: And we roomed together.

Q. In a hotel or...

RIANNE MALIXI: In a cottage.

Q. On property?

RIANNE MALIXI: Yeah.

Q. So you got to know each other?

RIANNE MALIXI: Just a little bit, but not too much. But I know Asterisk is a really good player so I have a huge respect for her.

Q. You've had a pretty good year.

RIANNE MALIXI: Yeah.

Q. What do you think it's going to take tomorrow to knock somebody of her stature -- she's already won a USGA title this year.

RIANNE MALIXI: With my experience playing professional events it will be really helpful for this week. I know there will be a lot -- like there is like really good players in the field and just really handling pressure this week, especially for tomorrow.

It will be a 36-hole match, so just handling pressure, yeah.

Q. Earlier in the week you mentioned positive thoughts being something that's helped you a lot. Just talk about now you're in the final match, how much of those positive thoughts helped you throughout the week and maybe even this afternoon?

RIANNE MALIXI: Yeah, made a huge difference. Like 100% sure it made things much better for me. I've been hitting a lot of good shots and just really boosted my confidence.

Really self-talk is really good for this week, yeah.

Q. Is there anything you say to yourself more than anything else? Do you have any specific phrases or anything?

RIANNE MALIXI: Honestly, I tell myself that, yeah, Rianne, you have a history of making good shots, and just imagining flashbacks of those shots and then, yeah, not really quotes or things.

Q. Just kind of a mindset of I've done it before I can do it again?

RIANNE MALIXI: Yeah, kind of like that, yeah.

Q. Lastly, just preparation for tomorrow, what will you do tonight? Confidence levels going into tomorrow?

RIANNE MALIXI: Yeah, I'll be resting. It's been a long week. Definitely will be resting later and hopefully have good food and then straight to bed.