U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 5, 2020

Gabriela Ruffels

Woodmont Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. A little odd with the off day yesterday. How did you spend your time?

GABRIELA RUFFELS: I actually had two finals. I'm taking two summer school classes. It actually worked out perfect that it was a day off because I could focus on my finals. I went to the driving range a little bit, and other than that, just kind of stayed inside.

Q. A bit of a shaky start; how were you able to bounce back? Is it better to start off on the back and get the rough holes out of the way?

GABRIELA RUFFELS: Yeah, I definitely think the back nine is the tougher nine, so I was -- it definitely was a shaky start. I three-putted the first and then bogeyed my third hole, so I actually was really proud of myself the way I was able to get it back on the front and made two birdies after that.

Q. You're headed back to match play. Is there any point this summer since the college season ended that you've felt like you might not get an opportunity to play this summer, this year, where you thought this wasn't going to happen, that you'd be here today?

GABRIELA RUFFELS: Oh, for sure. I mean, with everything going on, I did not think that they were going to hold the event. I didn't think that any sporting events were going to come back until next year. But I mean, once I found out, I was super excited and super -- yeah, just super happy to be back here and try and get it again.

Q. What have you done since the college season ended until now? I know there have been few amateur events, but you've played some odd different events that wouldn't be on your normal schedule, but what have you done out of the ordinary since then?

GABRIELA RUFFELS: Obviously at the start, not much. But I went to Florida for a little bit and spent a month with my brother over there, so that was awesome. I got to see how he practices, how hard he works. Then I went back to California and played in a couple Cactus Tour events. I played in two in Las Vegas. That was really good practice. And then a couple weeks ago I went to Jacksonville and played in the men's amateur event there. I didn't play great, but it was the best challenge ever and really, really good practice for this event.

Q. What did you pick up with your time with your brother? Is there anything you took from his practice or anything that you saw that he did --

GABRIELA RUFFELS: Yeah, we're both very different people. People say that we're complete opposites. He is very technical. He'll spend a lot of time on the range. He works with his coach a lot, whereas I'm more I like to get out on the course and do my practice. I'd rather play 36 holes in a day than be on the range for like three, four hours. But the biggest thing I took from him was his work ethic and how much time he does spend out there and how professional he is with his practice. Every minute he spends is worthwhile, and I think that's the biggest lesson I got from being with him.

Q. You and Justin have a really close relationship. I love watching you guys work together on the course. How important is it to have him on the bag this week, and what was he able to tell you when it got rough in the early stretches to get you back on track?

GABRIELA RUFFELS: Yeah, he's the best. I think if anyone knows my game, it's Justin. He watches me every day in college. He's around me every day, being my coach. Even from the start we've got along really well. But he kind of just said, this course is tough, and it's playing tough, and just kind of keep steady, keep going, and you never know what can happen. I was able to get it back with three birdies.