LOTTE CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY HOAKALEI

November 8, 2024

Nataliya Guseva

Hoakalei Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, Nataliya. Kept in it all day today. Walk me through what your third day here at LOTTE Championship was like.

NATALIYA GUSEVA: It was great. I enjoy playing out there. Still a lot of wind; not as much as yesterday. Super excited for tomorrow as well.

Yeah, probably also final group. It's been my first time playing in the final group and it's different feeling, but the most important thing is I had fun out there.

I didn't really think about winning anything or doing something special today, so, yeah.

Q. Any nerves on the first tee knowing it was your first final group on the LPGA Tour?

NATALIYA GUSEVA: Honestly, no. I just tried to play normal round of golf like I'm doing in a practice round or something like that.

You know, in the end the day it's just golf. It's not pressure from crazy work. Yes, for sure it's work for us, but it's enjoyable work. It's a game. You have to treat it as a game.

That's how you know you're not going to have pressure, you're not going to have a lot of expectations, so just having fun out there, yeah.

Q. I know A Lim was in the group ahead of you but seemed like you guys were trading the lead and the birdies all day. Did you notice that on the leaderboard?

NATALIYA GUSEVA: I noticed it a couple times. I heard a little bit of claps but didn't bother me. I knew that there is going to be someone out there chasing a win as well.

So we were just trying to put out the show out here, and, yeah, enjoy ourselves.

Q. A lot at stake for a lot of players. A lot are hungry like you for the first victory. Sounds like from what you're saying that's fun for you.

NATALIYA GUSEVA: Yeah, for sure. I enjoy fans. I enjoy interacting with fans, smiling, and just sometimes he have chatting with them.

I think it's pretty cool. We're just trying to put the show out here and make fun for them as well is the most important part.

Q. So you went to the University of Miami. Good year for football, right?

NATALIYA GUSEVA: Yeah.

Q. And you're from Russia. So do you feel like you represent both?

NATALIYA GUSEVA: Yeah, for sure. It's a big thing, representing both. I enjoyed my two years in University of Miami. I'm still always go 'Canes.

Yeah, like I love the team out there. I had a great coach. There is a new coach right now. She's amazing as well. I'm really thankful what they did for me as well as the Russian Federation.

Q. When did you come to the U.S. from Russia?

NATALIYA GUSEVA: I came here when I was 16. Before that I was playing a lot of junior golf in Europe and was living there. That's really helped me to get here and to really settle myself as a college golfer and then as a professional golfer.

Q. Just what do you think was most successful about your game today?

NATALIYA GUSEVA: I would say the most successful was probably the front nine. I was really in the present in a way. The back nine I started to a little bit thinking about, oh, what's going to happen tomorrow or something like that, which I really would not want to do tomorrow.

I will just try and keep that momentum going and just, yeah, enjoy myself.