U.S SENIOR WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

August 4, 2024

Pat Hurst

Fox Chapel Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We welcome Pat Hurst to the flash interview area hereafter the fourth round of the U.S. Senior Women's Open Championship. You tied the championship record with a 5-under 66. Can you describe that round for us.

PAT HURST: Yeah, started off pretty well. Made eagle on 2 and then birdied 3 and kept going from there. Had one bad hole where it was a three-putt, but I don't know what my stats are. I hit a lot of greens today, so that helps, and the putting was much better today.

Q. Talk about that eagle; it basically jump started the round. How did you make the eagle?

PAT HURST: I just hit it up there to about a foot, so that makes it easy when you don't really have to think about it. Like you said, it jump starts the round. As long as you keep your head in the ballgame -- I started off well the last three days, and I'm not used to playing this much golf as a senior, so it was a lot of fun today.

Q. What was your yardage in on your approach, and what club did you use?

PAT HURST: I used a 5-wood. I don't know what my yardage was.

Q. When you got to the back nine, you birdied 12, 15 and obviously 18. Can you talk about a few of those birdies?

PAT HURST: Yeah. 12 was actually a good putt. 12 was right here, and I probably hit it about seven feet and made the putt.

15, I took a different approach where I hit the ball just above the bunker on my drive, but I hit a good wedge shot up to the green and sunk about a 25-footer or so, so that was probably the longest putt that I made all week, which was nice.

Then just kept it going. Then 18 I hit a really good drive, had about 200 to the front. Didn't roll out, landed literally on the front and just two-putted from there.

Q. Considering all the rain we've had and the inch of rain we got last night, how is the course playing?

PAT HURST: Course is okay. Got a couple of mud balls out there. Yesterday I had a little bit more, but overall the course is playing great. For as much rain as we had this week, I think it drained pretty well.

You've got to expect that there are going to be some mud balls. I hit the ball pretty steep and kind of comes down at an angle where you're probably going to get some, but I tried not to let that bother me and I just played the shot as I would normally play it without the mud on the ball.

Q. Later today when the leaders come through the last stretch of holes. What do you think might be the key holes or key shots for the leaders coming down the stretch?

PAT HURST: I don't really know the Japanese players, and there's two or three up there, up in the top 10 I would say, maybe four. I don't know how many. But I know coming down the stretch, I do feel like I hit the ball fairly long, so 18 for me, I could hit it on in two. Took a chance where I hit driver off the tee. I really think 17 as the signature hole, you know how that is. It's playing about -- I know we had to carry it at least 168-ish to get over the dip in there and to carry on to the second part. That's going to be playing long for some players.

I mean, it's a good golf course. Coming down the stretch, you still have to keep your head in the ballgame and play some good golf, and the putting is where it's all at.

Q. On 17, is it hard to get that ball back to the back hole location?

PAT HURST: It's just over the -- I don't know what you call it, the swale --

Q. Biarritz.

PAT HURST: It's just over the Biarritz. With the greens being soft, I think it makes it easier because you can carry it -- as long as you know you can carry it that far over it, then you're fine. I think if the greens were firm without the rain, then it would be a lot tougher because you just don't know how much it's going to roll out.

Q. Is it more important to keep the ball in the fairway or is it all about putting?

PAT HURST: I think it's more important where you put the balls on the green in relation to the pins out there. You've got to be on the right quadrant of the greens, and that sure makes life a lot easier out there.