LPGA Q-SERIES

December 11, 2021

Pauline Roussin-Bouchard

Magnolia Grove

Press Conference

Q. So as if your week couldn't get any better, I mean an ace on the 13th hole today, take us through that golf shot, that reaction and what that feeling was like.

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: Well so basically first thing first, during the practice round we were joking around with my caddie, coach, physio, that I didn't have a hole-in-one for the last 10 years. And I said, well this is the perfect week to have one. So I was just, I mean I really hit it pretty close to the pin for the last week and this week, so I mean it was just perfect yardage, perfect shape, perfect back spin and yeah (laughing).

Q. So did it hit the backstop and spin back in?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: Yeah. Someone sent me the video because there was someone filming so I have the video.

Q. What club did you use?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: Wedge.

Q. Pitching wedge?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: Yeah.

Q. What did you write on your ball? It looked like por Francois. What did you write on the ball?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: Oh, I said, por Francois, which means for Francois, so for my physio. Because we said, on the practice round, if I have a hole-in-one this week I would give him the ball. So it is, I signed the ball, gave it to him.

Q. Kind of evaluate your round today. Another solid day. You've had seven rounds in the 60s now. You talk about your personality and your game and playing happy golf, but what is it in your game that you found like your swing or what have you been working on that's really just clicked these past couple weeks?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: I guess -- I mean, I've been working hard for these two weeks for the last couple of years since I've been in the U.S., obviously. And I don't know, I've been working on every aspect of my game and everything is here, is with me and even when it's not and I feel I'm lacking something I have other keys to rely on, whether a particular way of thinking I guess and so it's like even if I don't have all the arms I want, like if I'm 70 percent of my game, I can be a hundred percent of that 70 percent. So that's kind of the main goal and that's what I'm trying to do pretty much every time. So I guess the last seven rounds it was just solid putting, solid approach shots especially and solid driving, because I've been in the rough probably just two or three times, that's it. I actually missed one with my 3-wood so I was like, Come on, you're more precise with the driver, come on.

But anyway, it's just, as a whole it's just good and I've been working the last two weeks, I kept working on things. I didn't just let things happen.

Q. Hole-in-ones. How many have you had and how many have you had in competition?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: Oh, I think it's my fourth one in competition and I had five total so, yeah.

Q. When you talk about getting to that hundred percent that have 70 percent, over the years when did you kind of, when did that kind of click for you? Or was it more of a recent thing?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: So I've been trying to work on that for the last, I don't know, three, four, five years, but I guess it was really obvious for me at the Palmer Cup this year when I played the Palmer Cup in June my game wasn't there. Like I didn't swing it the way I wanted, I didn't putt it the way I wanted, neither chipping, it was just off. And I just found something else that would make me play good without having my usual game and so I guess it unlocked something in me and now I'm confident that it can happen and I can play without it.

Like, it's more difficult, I give it more energy, but I guess it's all about experience and I experienced that during the Palmer Cup and obviously it helped with the atmosphere and all that, but it's something that I've talked about with my mental coach and that we've been picturing and how I've been feeling about this moment and so now I know how to talk about it and what can help me in this experience.

Q. Was that sort of relief like ammunition to kind of give you assurance when you decided to turn pro?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: What do you mean?

Q. Like did it renew like your confidence?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: I mean, it didn't really do much turning pro. I guess it's just a change of status, because I've been working since I have very young for that. My life in the U.S. has been very intense and it's exactly the same -- I mean after turning pro was exactly the same, so nothing changed, even in school, because I had to go to school.

So I guess it just, obviously playing well this week I'm happy because I've been working on it and sometimes even if you work for something you're never sure to have it. So, I mean, it gives a bit more confidence and it's very nice, nice feeling, but, yeah, at the same time just I didn't really, I mean think about it more than that.

Q. It's just always going to be that way?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: Well I just didn't think that it would change -- I mean, I wanted -- I didn't want like the fact that I'm turning pro to change me. Or to change something I've been doing or since I've turning pro I'm going to change my staff. No, it's just opposite way. I've just been working on what has been working for me and I've been just, I can improve in ways, but I'm not changing it.

So I just get, I stick to my routines and either with like myself and with my staff, so same team, same people around. It can evolve, but we didn't change much.

Q. What's the reaction been, have you heard from a lot of people from home? I feel like every time I post something on Symetra Social Golf Channel France is like, What?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: It's been huge. There are a lot of people sending messages and I wish I could quote every one, but I can't, but it feels so nice to feel all that support, because I mean it gives some kind of energy, it's reassuring to have this kind of energy behind and it's like no matter what, so it's really nice. I would like to say thank you to everyone even if I can't respond to everyone because sometimes it's hard, especially during a tournament where I'm kind of off my phone, I see everything, so, yeah.

Q. Are there any dramatic changes between Stage 2 or did you just kind of keep everything the same?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: I really tried to keep everything the same except that so at Q-School, so the second stage it was just four rounds, so the main difference that this week and last week was eight rounds, so it's like my mindset was in a mode where I mean I still have a hundred something holes left and so I just, I don't know, I just stayed patient, I wanted to be in the same mood and the same energy, same atmosphere as Q-School, like second stage, so, yeah, I mean second stage inspired me for this week, definitely. It's a different tournament, I like to rethink about everything, but it's definitely, I took a few things from Q-School.

Q. Did you take exams during Q Series or did you finish them before you came here?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: What do you mean?

Q. Your final exams.

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: Oh, my final exams. My last one was on Wednesday afternoon, so this week. So I'm done (laughing). Yes. But, yeah, I had last week I had to finish a couple things for my psychology class and it was like 30 pages he's say, two pages and then it was long to write but we had some time to do it so it was fine and I kind of tried to organize myself to not to have too much during Q-School.

Q. How do you maintain that intensity like off the golf course? Because I feel like you always talk about your routines and I know you hit it hard in the gym, hit it hard with practice, do you ever do anything where it's just like, whatever?

PAULINE ROUSSIN-BOUCHARD: I'm a huge TV show fan. Like I can be, how do you say, binge watching? Yeah, I can do that for like hours when I have a good TV show to watch. Right now it's kind of, there's a lack of TV shows because I've seen everything. But I don't know, I draw a lot, that's my calm time, my meditation time and, I don't know, yeah, I'm, yeah, I'm calm when I sleep (laughing) yeah, I don't have any energy left so I'm just out. But TV shows. Watching Showtime.