AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

April 3, 2025

Megha Ganne

Quick Quotes

Q. Just talk through that grind out there today.

MEGHA GANNE: Talk through the grind out there today? It was a lot of good stuff. Hit a lot of really good shots. Didn't hit anything that I wasn't like super like upset about, but just wasn't in great position.

Handled it really well. Tried to create momentum within holes and grinded it out for what I thought was a pretty good 73.

Q. How big was that last putt?

MEGHA GANNE: Huge. I told Brooke walking up to it that this is going in. So once I say that, it's like -- I don't abuse the power of saying that that often, but I was like this is definitely going in.

Q. How long do you think that putt was?

MEGHA GANNE: Probably -- it was like nine paces, so just under 30 feet.

Q. A lot of Stanford players playing well. What will it be like for you tomorrow playing against your teammates?

MEGHA GANNE: I can say that it's kind of what I predicted. This is what it feels like when I'm at practice or qualifying every day. So it's cool to see the same faces teeing it up at Augusta National, and I'm excited for them.

Q. A lot of your teammates say you guys are just genuinely close. Why do you think you hit it off so well with them?

MEGHA GANNE: I don't know. We're not exactly all super similar, but something about the chemistry works. I think Coach Walker just recruits really good people, and we have a lot of fun off the golf course together.

Q. During that down time in that first nine that you had, you were sitting down talking to your caddie. How does that affect your mental side of the game, if at all, when you do have that down time on the course?

MEGHA GANNE: It's just important to have someone you're comfortable with on the bag. It was pretty slow out there, so, yeah, it was nice to have a familiar face and just -- yeah, no pressure in the time in between shots.

Q. You've seen just about everything at this championship. Can you describe the difference between playing the second round holding the lead versus playing the second round and maybe being on the cut line, trying to make sure you make it?

MEGHA GANNE: This is so much better (laughter). I had one of the easier days out there today. The people on that cut line, I've definitely been there. Those are the real heroes today, not the people at the top of the board.

Q. But similar pressure just knowing that everyone is chasing you, or is it a little too early to think about that?

MEGHA GANNE: A little too early to think about it. What I've noticed through these four years is you genuinely have no idea what that final day is going to look like based on the first few.

My coach was telling me to just treat these 36 holes at Champions as a 36-hole qualifier, and then Saturday is a completely new tournament. So I'm kind of trying to separate the two in my head.

Q. There's a lot of ladies over there congratulating each other, a lot of hugs going on, a lot of pictures. Can you remember maybe your favorite made cut year?

MEGHA GANNE: The first cut I made here.

Q. That was your favorite?

MEGHA GANNE: Yeah, that was my favorite. It was good. Because the year before, you took a picture of me crying on 18 green. Then the next year was a picture of me really happy. It's in the records.

Q. What did you do on 18 that year to cry?

MEGHA GANNE: I missed it by one after a very bad finishing stretch. Which can happen pretty easily.

Q. How long did that stick with you?

MEGHA GANNE: I'd like to say not that long, but it stuck with me for a pretty long time.

Q. Until you probably made it?

MEGHA GANNE: Until I made the cut the next year, yeah.

Q. When you look at the leaderboard and look at Lottie, Kiara, you, a couple of your teammate who you know are good chippers, what goes through your head knowing this is the premier amateur tournament now and the leaderboard is filled with the studs?

MEGHA GANNE: Yeah, I'm really honored to be up with those names. Lottie, she's world No. 1 for a reason. The rest of the top of the board looks like the rest of our college tournaments, so this really is a premier event.

I think a lot of the big names are coming to the top of the board, which is, I think, really exciting for us players to battle it out on Saturday.

Q. Is getting off to a strong start on Saturday, is that important, or is it one of those things where they say the tournament doesn't start until the second nine in the final round?

MEGHA GANNE: No, I think the tournament starts on the 1st hole so... (laughter).

Yeah, I think strong starts are something that I try to make happen.

Q. What will you mentally do to get ready for Saturday?

MEGHA GANNE: I'm just going to detach from these few rounds for the next 12-ish hours, take tomorrow as like a little bit of rest day, and then also prep for the next one.

Yeah, just treat Saturday like a new day.

Q. When you say detach, how do you to that?

MEGHA GANNE: Just spend time with my family, not talk about the rounds too much, leave it here because not much is going to carry over from here to there.

Yeah, just leave everything on the golf course and go have some good quality time with my family.

Q. You mentioned you and your teammates hang out a lot off the golf course. What are you guys' favorite activities together?

MEGHA GANNE: I don't know, like everything. We don't really have that many activities. We honestly just sit around and talk to each other for hours. We just enjoy each other's company, long conversations, long dinners.

Yeah, just the in between moments, I'd say, between class and practice, we'll just yap to each other for hours. I think those are the best type of friends that you don't need anything to go do.

Q. What are you most excited about playing at Augusta National on Saturday? What are you most looking forward to?

MEGHA GANNE: Hopefully some really good golf, yeah.

Q. Do you have kind of a routine the night before a big final round for good sleep or what you like to do to unwind?

MEGHA GANNE: I've never had trouble sleeping, and I haven't really done anything to do that. Just not going to look into it and going to keep that going.

Q. Have you taken the sleep class at Stanford?

MEGHA GANNE: I have, yeah. I'm in that with Meja and a couple of my other teammates.

Q. Rose just took it. She said it was pretty helpful.

MEGHA GANNE: It's supposed to improve your sleep through the quarter, but at the beginning mine couldn't get any better than it does. I'm not sure I gained a lot from the class, but I learned about other people's sleep.

Q. You came in peak.

MEGHA GANNE: Yeah, I did come in peak.

Q. Did you pass?

MEGHA GANNE: I did pass the class, yeah.

Q. How many hours do you get?

MEGHA GANNE: I get like eight to nine pretty consistently. Nine, I feel good, yeah.

Q. Are you one of those people that can fall asleep anywhere, sleep through anything, or you have to be in your comfort?

MEGHA GANNE: Just once I hit my bed at night, then I'm good.

Q. Does that change when you're close to the lead?

MEGHA GANNE: No, hopefully not. Didn't change yesterday.

Q. When you first started playing golf, did you ever expect the game to be this big on the women's side of things when it used to be a predominantly male-dominated sport?

MEGHA GANNE: I think when you're a kid it's always big in your head. No matter what your dream is, you don't really take into -- you don't do it for this is how many people are going to be watching. You do it because you love it.

I would like stay up late at night being like this is a putt to win the U.S. Open. I'm not really thinking about everything around me. I'm thinking this is the putt and there's the trophy to win it. I can't say I gave it that much thought when I was younger.