BANK OF HOPE LPGA MATCH-PLAY

May 25, 2023

Maja Stark

Shadow Creek

Quick Quotes

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Q. Here with Maja Stark winning 2 & 1 today. Walk me through what was most successful for you.

MAJA STARK: Probably my patience. I didn't get too nervous when she won a hole. I guess I got a little head start because she didn't start out that great. Me neither, but I think I was 3-up through 4, so that kind of gave me a cushion so I could be a little bit more -- swing a bit more freely, I guess.

Q. That big lead in the beginning, how much did you think it was an advantage leading in the rest of the way?

MAJA STARK: I think it was an advantage for like the first nine, but then I lost a couple in a row, and then it feels like oh, no, I can't lose this lead so I got a little bit stressed by that. But I figured it out, but yesterday I kind of had the same thing, so I was 4-up through 9, I think, and then I lost four in a row because I got really stressed when she took one hole.

Yeah, it's an advantage and a disadvantage, I guess.

Q. What was kind of the mindset when you felt kind of her gaining some momentum? What did you do mentally or what did you say to yourself to take the match in your favor?

MAJA STARK: Well, I just thought it was important to act the same way I do like between the shots because during the shots, I feel like I'm always the same, even if I'm playing bad, if I'm playing well. That wasn't really anything different, but I notice sometimes when I'm stressed or when I'm not playing well that I stop talking to my caddie or I start looking down on the ground, so I was focused on keeping the conversation up and acting like normal.

Q. First time in this event; had you ever seen Shadow Creek before this week?

MAJA STARK: No. I watched it a fair bit on TV.

Q. Do you feel like you were at a disadvantage coming in having not played here? Or is it the type of course where you just have to hit precise shots?

MAJA STARK: I think you just have to hit precise shots. I think we did our preparations as we should, so we always know where to be. So it wasn't any -- we didn't have any strategy misses today. I just think it was the execution that maybe wasn't that great all the time.

But yeah, I don't think you can really prepare for such a difficult course like this.

Q. How about tomorrow with a 2-0 record now? Do you change your strategy, or do you just keep the pedal down and keep doing what you're doing?

MAJA STARK: Yeah, just keep doing what I'm doing. I can still miss out, someone can pass me, can end up being -- I guess there's a playoff maybe. So I'm just going to do what I've been doing because it's obviously been working the past two days.

Q. Have you been to Vegas before?

MAJA STARK: Nope.

Q. What are you thinking of Vegas? Are you having any fun away from the course?

MAJA STARK: We went shopping a little bit, but we kind of got lost in a shopping center because it's so huge and there's casinos everywhere and we didn't really understand where the exit was. We haven't really done anything else. Long days. No, we live right by the strip, so we probably should go out more, but we don't.