KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 22, 2021

Allie Knight

Atlanta Athletic Club

Quick Quotes

Q. If you could, just start off, describe the emotions of getting the chance to compete in your very first major championship.

ALLIE KNIGHT: Yeah, I'm just so excited. I'm so excited. Just trying to soak it all in. I've probably had butterflies for the past few weeks getting ready and everything, and just pumped and just ready to have some fun this week.

Q. How much of a pinch-me moment is it for you being here sharing the stage with the world's best players?

ALLIE KNIGHT: Yeah, I mean, I can't even describe how cool it is just to be walking up and hitting balls next to Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson and all of them. It's incredible.

Q. Where is the accent from, by the way?

ALLIE KNIGHT: From Tennessee.

Q. If you could for me describe what it's like to be a working PGA club professional.

ALLIE KNIGHT: Yeah, it's great. It's very rewarding to be able to have students and share my knowledge of what I know to them and watch them grow and learn. I really love it, to just have that rewarding feeling of sharing everything to them.

Q. You kind of spoke to it, but why do you want to be a coach? What is it in you that likes that?

ALLIE KNIGHT: You know, it's just something that -- it just be able to share everything to them and just be able to -- yeah, just sharing my knowledge to them and everything, just to help. Just feeling like you're helping someone.

Q. How are you able to balance coaching with playing and being able to perform well at the highest level?

ALLIE KNIGHT: Yeah, it's tough. It's very tough. It's a lot of balance and making sure my time management is good and everything. I'm in town a week and then you might be gone for another week for playing in a tournament. It's just very -- you have to plan ahead. I feel like I'm a part-time schedule planner with part of the job. So it's tough, but it works. You just have to find that good balance of being able to practice and play when you can.

Q. Why did you decide to pursue a career as a PGA professional?

ALLIE KNIGHT: I kind of decided because I've realized like whatever I do, I want to be in the golf industry. If I'm not playing, I want to be teaching. So it was just a great backup plan to be able to do that.

Q. How much of an honor is it to be a member of PGA of America and represent the organization this week?

ALLIE KNIGHT: It's fantastic. It's great to just have their logo even on me and to just be here representing them.

Q. Describe some of the support you're getting back home from students or anyone that you're hearing from.

ALLIE KNIGHT: Yeah, I have so much support, and even being so close to home from Knoxville, I think I have some family and some friends that are going to come out and watch, so I should have a good following, which I'm very excited about.

Q. The major atmosphere, can you explain just what that is like, if you've experienced it before?

ALLIE KNIGHT: Yeah, this is my first time, and so just walking up and the grandstands and the ropes and everything, it's awesome. There's nothing like it. It's just everything, the people, the hospitality, the golf course is just in awesome shape. It's phenomenal.

Q. What goals do you have this week?

ALLIE KNIGHT: Yeah, main goal, definitely want to just make the cut, and score-wise if I can just shoot even par -- it's tough, playing tough and very wet out here. So make the cut and get in the money and be on the leaderboard would be awesome.

Q. Who's going to be with you this week?

ALLIE KNIGHT: I've got some family and some friends, dad, grandparents, and then just friends from at home and people I played with in college, college golf. A little bit of everything.

Q. Do you think they'll have a special cheer or shirts for you?

ALLIE KNIGHT: I don't know. I have no idea. We'll see.

Q. Tell me a little bit about your preparation for this. How was the process of qualifying? Were there any special moments?

ALLIE KNIGHT: Yeah, definitely at the qualifier it was definitely special and just coming down at the end, making sure -- to make a par on the last hole to get in because you're kind of on the line, it was awesome. From then I've kind of played in a couple Symetra events and stuff preparing and just as many tournaments if I can, some PGA stuff at home and whatnot, just to have that tournament feeling and being prepared that way, just nerves and stuff.

Q. Do you have other PGA players or other club pros that you've talked to for advice or you've played with them?

ALLIE KNIGHT: Yeah, I've talked to a few people. I've talked to a few people that qualified for U.S. Open qualifiers and stuff like that, and so the advice they told me was play a practice round with a really famous person so then you kind of get that out of your system. So yeah.

Q. What was the practice round? Did you play it already?

ALLIE KNIGHT: No, on Wednesday, tomorrow. Min Lee I'm going to play with and then another girl, Kristy McPherson, who's been playing out here for a while.

Q. Who will be the players here --

ALLIE KNIGHT: Yeah, that would be like Lydia Ko or Lexi Thompson or Brooke Henderson or someone like that. I tried to get a tee time with them, but it didn't work out. That tee time app, it's hard to -- you've got to get on there quick.

Q. Maybe Saturday, who knows.

ALLIE KNIGHT: Maybe so.

Q. Are you ready for that, to play with them?

ALLIE KNIGHT: I think so. I think so. I'd just try to stay in my own world, stay in the zone and just kind of block everything out and just do me.

Q. Have the people back at the club been talking to you about this?

ALLIE KNIGHT: Yeah, they've been questioning me and asking all kinds of questions and emailing me. There will be some people out here, too, rooting me on, some students and stuff.

Q. What would be the things that were funny, their messages?

ALLIE KNIGHT: Yeah, just kind of like, you're going to be on TV? What? What channel? Just stuff like that is kind of cool. Like yeah, turn on The Golf Channel, you might see me.

Q. Were you more busy with lessons because of you coming here?

ALLIE KNIGHT: I have been very busy, which has been hard with the schedule to fit everybody in. It's kind of like, the end of July or August can I get you in, because I'm kind of gone for a few weeks. So yeah, that's tough, but very busy for sure.