PORTLAND CLASSIC

July 31, 2024

Gigi Stoll

Columbia Edgewater Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome Gigi Stoll to the Portland Classic media center. You're a 2024 rookie. This is your first time playing in this event as a tour member, right? Just want to know how excited are you to be making your LPGA Tour debut at the Portland Classic?

GIGI STOLL: I'm really excited to be back in Portland. Extremely thrilled to be back at Columbia Edgewater. This is an amazing venue. Should be a lot of familiar faces here the next couple days, friends, family, and it's nice to be an LPGA Tour member and be back at this event.

Q. So cool to be first time on the tour, earn that card. The excitement, the actuality of it all for you, how mind blowing has this year been that this is what you worked for, to get that card carrying member, and here we are back at home?

GIGI STOLL: Yeah, I'm just enjoying every little people I have out here. This is really what I've been working for, just get a couple starts and get the opportunity to be a full time member out here is the goal at the end of this year.

It's nice to be back in Portland. It's good to see a lot of familiar faces. I feel very welcome and very much at home. For this event to be on the schedule and for me to get a start here as an LPGA rookie is just huge.

I'm happy to be here.

Q. You've played in it before; you've come as spectator, a fan I am assuming before.

GIGI STOLL: Many times.

Q. What is the significance for girl golfers growing up around here to see the best of the best are here, and you probably saw, I could probably do that, too?

GIGI STOLL: Yeah, you know, I grew up -- I was the standard bearer out here. I remember I was eight years old. I was coming down with the final group, Lorena Ochoa, and one of the big things is she was talking to me on the last hole.

She took the time to ask me if I play golf. That's something I really try and do for the fans out here, little girls out here, little boys, anybody who is out here rooting us on.

It's a full circle moment to be back out here and to be able to do what I hope to be doing. I looked up to a lot of the girls growing up just coming out here to this event at Columbia Edgewater.

Q. So you've been around now. You've seen so many courses, so many events. How does the Portland Classic stack up?

GIGI STOLL: This is a great event. I've talked to quite a few girls out her this week. The course is in one of the best shapes that we've had all year. It's pristine out here. You can tell the staff has been doing a fantastic job getting the event ready.

New clubhouse, good purse; we're all excited to be here.

Q. Maybe a little more fan club than normal following you around with friends and family here.

GIGI STOLL: Yeah, look forward to it. Should be some good spectators out here the next couple days rooting me on and I'm really excited for that.

Q. Most of your family still all live here, yeah?

GIGI STOLL: My mom lives in Las Vegas but my dad and some siblings live out here in Oregon.

Q. When you come back, what's something you got to do?

GIGI STOLL: Eat good food. There is so many good food spots. I got breakfast in morning from Jam. Just eat good food. That's really the biggest thing out here.

Q. Now that you're one of the pros and been around for a while, what do you think your role is for other kids that come watch or see you on TV, that you're a kid, now a grown woman from Beaverton, from here, that's made it.

GIGI STOLL: As competitive as it is, I like to have fun you know. If you're following me around this week you'll see I'm pretty light, I'm chatting with my caddie, we're having fun, smiling.

That's really what it's about. At the end of the day golf is just a game, but we're here to have fun. The score doesn't really resemble who I am, but I can just control how I act at the end of the day.

Q. You took seventh at the Dow Championship and just have had some good showings lately. How would you say you feel about your momentum and where you are with the season?

GIGI STOLL: Yeah finishing seventh at Dow was a huge momentum boost just being out here my first year. It kind of proved to me that I can be out here and show these girls who I am and where I stack up against them.

I've made the last couple cuts in a row and it's helped. I feel like my game is really trending in the right direction to be at a venue that I know very well and I'm very comfortable with. I'm excited to stack up and see how it goes here.

Q. How many rounds would you say you played on Columbia Edgewater in your life?

GIGI STOLL: Probably played this golf course 40 times in my life, yeah.

Q. What do you like about it?

GIGI STOLL: This is just a very traditional Oregon style course. Reminds me a lot of the venues that we would play growing up: tree-lined, small greens. It's just a course that fits my eye really well. I placed pretty well my last start here and it's just a venue I really enjoy.

Q. We were talking with Caroline yesterday. She said you two played a lot of junior golf together growing up. She said you haven't asked her for any advice since you've been out on tour. She wasn't offended, don't worry. Tell me a little bit about your relationship with each other and how cool is that that you're a tour pro out here with her?

GIGI STOLL: It's exciting to have Oregonians out in the field every week on the LPGA. Oregon Golf is growing. It's very strong. We've always had a really competitive junior golf program.

It's just exciting to see a couple girls just out on the biggest tour there is. So it's cool to be out here and if I ever need anything I'm sure I can hit up Caroline.

Q. Do you know Victoria Gailey at all?

GIGI STOLL: Yeah, a little bit. We played a little bit. She's a bit younger than I am though.