KROGER QUEEN CITY CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY P&G

September 20, 2024

Maria Fassi

TPC River’s Bend

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, here now with Maria Fassi after her second round here at the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G. Just take us through the first two days of play. What's been working out there on the course for you?

MARIA FASSI: Yeah, I think the course fits my game, fits my eye. I think the fairways are quite generous so I know I can kind of hit driver and not have to be afraid of it kind of going into the rough or something.

Like I think it's a good setup for me. I've enjoyed it since practice round on Monday. It's been an interesting week. I've been battling some pain on my back and only played nine holes on Monday. That's all the practice I did before Thursday.

So that might be a new, I don't know, idea to consider. So, yeah, just I mean, I think the heat has helped to keep me mobile and stuff.

My team and I have done a good job making sure my body is as good as it can be before I tee it up. Once I'm out on the golf course I think we've done a very good job of taking advantage of the times that we could and then playing smart, playing to the fat parts of the green, and then just kind of having a two putt and waiting for the next opportunity to show up.

Q. Only one bogey on the front nine between the two rounds. Something different you're seeing on the front or is the front playing a little better for you? What's the difference there?

MARIA FASSI: Yeah, I think the front is definitely a little easier. I think you have a stretch on the back, like 12 is a tough par-3, and 13, 14, 15, I think they're good golf holes. I think if you manage to kind of keep it around par on those four for the whole week, you're probably gain agriculture few strokes on the field.

So, yeah, like I said. I think we have had more opportunities for birdie on the front. We've taken advantage of that. Yeah, I mean, I think we got to clean up a couple things but overall, yeah, just very happy with where we are at. It's been a very hard year, and it's nice to see two consistent rounds posted.

Q. You go birdie, birdie, make the turn, make another birdie and blitz it on your back, which is the front. What mentally shifted or how do you turn up the heat coming in late here?

MARIA FASSI: Yeah, I mean, I had a bad start, bogey, bogey. First hole I was like 15 feet from the pin and three putted.

And then had a bad swing on 11, whatever. Ended up making bogey, bogey to start the day. My caddie just kind of grabbed me and he's like, hey, we made two bogeys yesterday. Like we're done for the day with bogeys. Let's restart, refresh. Let's go back to hitting good, quality golf shots.

I haven't told him this yet, but he doesn't realize how much that actually really helped me and calmed me down. Yeah, I think we played as aggressive as we could, but then also I think I played smart.

It's rare. (Laughter.)

But, yeah, no, I mean, just happy that we're seeing the results. We've put a lot of work, and to see two good rounds, to see a lot of my mental mistakes kind of become lesser and lesser, it's a lot of work, and, yeah, I'm happy I found a groove on the back nine today.

That's kind of what I want to keep going for the next couple days: good feels and know that there is a lot of opportunities out there for me.

Q. How have you stayed patient when things haven't been going your way?

MARIA FASSI: My team. I mean, I've wanted to quit a lot of times this year. I've done a lot of changes. I've done a lot of work behind the scenes that hasn't paid off.

Yeah, I mean, they've helped me tremendously. I wouldn't be here without them, like not even close. Not on because of the golf aspect, but more the emotional and personal aspect. I've had to rely on them a lot more than I normally would or more than I would want.

Especially Donny, my caddie. He's a great caddie. He's gotten other offers to go work for people and he stayed with me. Yeah, just I love everybody on my team, and they've really helped me just kind of try to see the big picture, stay in it, stay true to my process, and hopefully we have another two days and we can enjoy a good week, just kind of put us in a better place with only a few tournaments left in the year.

Q. Off the golf course, it's now Hispanic Heritage Month. I know how proud you are of your Latina heritage. Just to be able to represent your community every week out here and the way you do with such class and integrity, what does that mean to you to be able to show another little Latina girls they can come out and be a Maria Fassi?

MARIA FASSI: Absolutely. It's awesome. There is not a whole lot of us out here. This year we have three Mexicans on tour. We lost Mariajo earlier this year. She retired on the Latina gang I guess.

There is still a few of us out here. It's always nice to see younger girls that come up and have somebody to look up to. I know I did with Lorena when I was growing up. It's a lot easier to think that you can do something when you see somebody that looks like you in those positions.

So, yeah, just extremely proud and humbled that I get to be somebody people look up to, and definitely always extremely proud to represent Mexico everywhere I go.