U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 7, 2024

Gabby Woods

Southern Hills Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. A lot of players are laying up on 18. Talk about the decision to go with driver there and go over the creek.

GABBY WOODS: First of all, I tried it in the practice round. Me and my caddie decided, we're like, for me being a decently long hitter, we were like, you know what, if it's downwind, why not. I can get the ball high enough to get over those trees, and I've been hitting my driver pretty good the past couple weeks, and I've been confident with it, so why not.

Q. How much did you have in then on your approach?

GABBY WOODS: Today I had 93, and then with the slope it's about add seven, so about 100 yards.

Q. Talk about the match. It was back and forth. Nobody was up more than one throughout the match. What was that like?

GABBY WOODS: It was a great match, honestly. Normally when you're playing on a day like this you've got to win with birdies. I would give some, she would give some. We both drove it in a few places that was hard to get up-and-down for par. But even at that time it was a great match. You still have to work for whatever you had. But she's a very talented player. It was a great opportunity to play with her and see what other people play for and what they play with. Coming from a small town, you don't see a whole lot, and then going and seeing all these big golfers, you see a lot. You see what people can do. But no, it was fun. It was a good time.

Q. You're a D-II golfer but you were the NCAA champion this past year. Does it give you a little bit of confidence kind of flying under the radar maybe in some of these matches?

GABBY WOODS: Yeah, a little bit. I obviously want to do well, but at the same time, I don't really have anything to lose out here. Just go out and play my game, and if it does its job at the end of the day, that's wonderful. If it doesn't, I can't say I didn't try.

Obviously being a national champion, that gives you a big confidence boost that you can do it. It especially helps with those little putts out there. What I had to do what I did then, it helps out in big situations like this time. Yeah, so it's good. It's kind of good to be -- nobody really knows about you. Nobody is really expecting a whole lot except for me and my caddie, so it's kind of nice.

Q. How is your caddie this week?

GABBY WOODS: He's actually my swing coach, and he's actually a longtime family friend. So he's been with me since the beginning.

Q. How has he been helping out there?

GABBY WOODS: It's been great. He keeps me calm. He lets me know when I've done wrong, and I pretty much know when I do, but he keeps me grounded and keeps me believing in my ability. He's great. He's awesome.

Q. You're on to the round of 32. What are you looking forward to tomorrow, and what would a run here do for your golf resume?

GABBY WOODS: Honestly, from where I'm from, getting a chance to just play Southern Hills Country Club again is unbelievable. To get to play six rounds here is great. I love it out there. It's obviously -- like that's not just I'm going to walk in with that mindset. I come to win if I can.