DIO IMPLANT LA OPEN

April 22, 2022

Ryann O'Toole

Wilshire Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. I know at the end, the wind really started to pick up and you just kind of commented on you were hoping it blows a little bit more. But overall your thoughts on today's round?

RYANN O'TOOLE: I struck it really good again today. I hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens. Putting was very hard today. I mean, morning round and poa annua and the slopes of these greens, it was very fast. I think going from afternoon to this morning, there was a little adjust that I had to do. I felt like even six-footers you literally were just tapping.

That kind of hurt me a little bit, I think, as far as trying to just get the ball on line. Like you had to play so much break because you're hitting it so soft, so that was a little transition, but for the most part I struck it really good.

As bummed as I am from my two-bogey finish, because I three-putted, I'll take the positives into this weekend.

Q. You had a couple birdies before.

RYANN O'TOOLE: Yeah.

Q. Take me through what happened there on 2 and 3.

RYANN O'TOOLE: Yeah, let's see, 2, just a good par-5. I laid up short, gave myself just an easy lob wedge in and stuck it to five feet. Again on 3, I tried to -- I think the goal on that hole is to push it as far up as you. I think a lot of girls lay up too far back and you then are battling this tree. So I tried to send it as far up as I can and then had an easy sand wedge in and made the 12-footer.

Before that, I probably missed a six-footer on 1, I missed a four-footer on 18 here, a six-footer on 17, so I'm striking it good. Like I said, greens are just hard, so I can't say, oh, putting is bad, I just think it's -- there was a couple holes today that I probably played six feet of break on some of them and still watched it break past. It's just different.

Q. I would say poa annua is like that whenever we come out here to LA, but being a UCLA Bruin yourself, you're coming back here every year. Despite what's going on on the course you definitely have some positives outside the ropes.

RYANN O'TOOLE: A hundred percent. Going to UCLA we played out here every Wednesday morning, so I'm used to teeing off at 7:00 a.m. out here, no warmup, just playing. Even to this day I'll still say what I did in college: These greens are hard. It was then, it is now. I think you just have to be very smart out there. Scores are not easy. The wind has picked up, so I'm hoping that this can still -- 2-under still keeps me in a good position for the weekend.

Q. What does it mean for you to be able to come back to LA and for the first time with fans since 2019?

RYANN O'TOOLE: I like representing the school I came from. I'm proud to be a Bruin. There's quite a few Bruins out on Tour, so I think we hold strong with that collegiate alumni.

Just to be able to come back to stomping grounds is fun. Four years of driving up at 6:00 in the morning to this golf course, that brings back a lot of memories traveling around, so it's nice.

Q. How has this course improved or how is it different from the days that you played this as a college player until now?

RYANN O'TOOLE: The fairways are changed. It was not -- there was not grain. It was ryegrass, so that was really different. The poa annua still was the same. But yeah, we didn't have as much grain around the greens or the fairways. Completely different. They added a ton of bunkers since I played. They've changed the configuration of the bunker esthetically, so they're a lot more penalizing. I think they used to be just round and simple, now there's a lot more to them. I think they've definitely made this course harder in that regard because back then I think the only defense was the greens, and now I think it requires a lot of stuff.

Q. You talked a little bit about really taking advantage of when you can those par-5s. How impressive is it to be able to say that you can take advantage of the par-5s when you can even when you have those three-putt kind of moments on some of the other holes?

RYANN O'TOOLE: I mean, you have to. You have to stay patient. It's even interesting just even whether it be the par-5s -- there's only three par-5s out here, so I think that changes scoring a little bit.

There's a couple shorter holes which you try to take advantage of, try to put yourself into position, but for the most part, it is, it's playing smart on quite a few holes. It's certain pin locations that are not easy. We may have a 9-iron into No. 9 but that pin tucked right where it is is very difficult. It sits on a 3 percent slope, so you're just looking at hookers coming in.

Q. I know you said you're still trying to find your way around these greens today, but what will you take away from today and yesterday as you head into the weekend?

RYANN O'TOOLE: To be honest I really think you have to stay patient. I'm going to go practice some more speed stuff, as much as I can, and then it's just -- there's definitely -- just playing a little more break than what you see and a little softer so that way you just -- time and time again, you just have more tap-ins and just take it as it comes and allow them to fall. I'll just stay patient. Typically I know how to make putts, so that's not a problem. I'm putting well. So I'll just let it be from there.