JM EAGLE LA CHAMPIONSHIP

April 17, 2025

Ashleigh Buhai

Quick Quotes

^ Ashleigh.

Q. Here with clubhouse leader, Ashleigh Buhai. Put together a really good round today, especially lots of birdies on the card; no bogeys. Tell me how great that feels and talk about the day a little bit.

ASHLEIGH BUHAI: Yeah, obviously any day you have a bogey-free round, that's a good day. Yeah, was very patient; hit a lot of good shots. I mean, you have to hole a lot of good putts as well. But I felt the pins were in locations we could access them today as long as you use the slopes correctly.

I feel that's kind of what this course is like. If you hit it into the right bowls you'll get good results; otherwise you can short side yourself very easily and it can't be fun.

Q. What were some of the top shots you feel like you had today?

ASHLEIGH BUHAI: Kind of finding it difficult to remember the course right now, to be honest. I hit an 8-iron into -- we played the other way round -- into 17, which I thought was a very good shot. Got me to 5-under on my front nine.

And then kind of the wind picked up a little bit on my back nine and hit a few longer clubs in and stayed patient. I hit a, what's it? I can't remember when I play the other way round. I think it's 6, the par-3.

Q. Yes.

ASHLEIGH BUHAI: Yeah, so I played it a little longer. I hit a really nice 5-hybrid into there and holed about a 12-footer.

Then lipped out for 10-under on the last hole. It's kind of crazy you're disappointed to lip-out for 10-under, but obviously it was a great day.

Q. Did you feel like a day like this was coming?

ASHLEIGH BUHAI: Yes. To be honest, I've been playing some good golf. Played well at the Match Play. I thought I played well in Phoenix. The course doesn't suit me much because I don't spin the ball very much and it was so firm those two weeks.

My caddie said to me, the minute we got on a course where you can hold the greens a little bit we are going to do well. I've been trying to stick to the same thing I've been doing for the last couple months. It's been very consistent season so far; finally today it all came together.

Q. What have you found that you have to do well around this golf course to be successful?

ASHLEIGH BUHAI: You got to be a little creative, which I think plays into my hands. I like to see different shots, especially off the tee. I feel it suits a drawer a little bit better because there is a few shots off the tee box where I kind of hit 3-woods just because I hit a fade and there is a tree up the left, or -- so it's just about playing to the right spaces and thinking your way round here. You can't just get up and hit it. I think that's why I like the course, too.

Q. How would you describe the weather out there today?

ASHLEIGH BUHAI: It was chilly, yeah. And then the ball wasn't flying as far. Flying at least five meters shorter, so you had to calculate for that and make sure you can commit. Often sometimes you're like, oh, you're scared it could go a little further, but I was proud of how I committed to every shot today for sure.

Q. Just wanted to ask since you're at the top of leaderboard now, what are some ways you keep your focus on your own game?

ASHLEIGH BUHAI: Just getting over every shot and committing to what I have to do. You know, I've kind of got a swing thought, a putting shot and a chipping thought. When I get over it, that's all I got to do, is commit to that. Obviously I'm not going to get it right all the time; today I did luckily.

So that's all I'm trying to do when I'm out there to be honest. Yeah.