AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

April 3, 2026

Eila Galitsky

Quick Quotes

Q. How are you?

EILA GALITSKY: Good. How are you?

Q. How was the round today?

EILA GALITSKY: It was great. Always nice to get to play Augusta National.

Q. I mean, this is probably, what, your seventh, eighth time playing it. Sixth maybe?

EILA GALITSKY: My sixth. Yeah, my sixth.

Q. Does it ever wear off?

EILA GALITSKY: No, still don't know most of the lines on the holes, but no, it's just great. Only get to play here once a year, so yeah.

Q. What was yesterday like for you of missing the cut so narrowly?

EILA GALITSKY: I mean, it sucks. Obviously I want to play tomorrow, but you know, I gave it a run, and that's all I could ask for.

Q. Did you know when you were coming down -- I mean, you have birdies there on I think six, seven, eight. Did you know, I might need to close with birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie to --

EILA GALITSKY: Oh, yeah, 100%. Well, I birdied six, and I knew, okay, I have a chance here. Then on seven I hit it right off the tee and then left my second shot, and I had, like -- I was off the green. I was probably 20 yards. I'm, like, oh, just lag it up there. You know, now I'm done.

Then somehow it rolled in, and I'm, like, okay, well, I guess I need to make two more. Then on eight I hit it to, like, 10 feet and lipped in the putt. I was, like, okay.

On the last I just missed a 10-footer to make the cut, but yeah, I was fully aware.

Q. This time I guess it was last year on Saturday you fired one of the low rounds of the day. I guess yesterday were you thinking, man, if I could just make the cut, there's a chance I could really go low because I did it last year?

EILA GALITSKY: Oh, yeah. I love this golf course. To me, it's easier than Champions. Yeah, I just can't wait for the day that we might get to play here all three rounds. That would be awesome.

But, yeah, I really was hoping to get to play here tomorrow.

Q. Last year you seemed to really turn it on, coming into this event and then afterwards with the NCAAs, the regionals, the NCAAs. What clicked in that time period for you during your freshman year?

EILA GALITSKY: I think it's just the knowing that I have my three senior teammates that really have my back, but this year I just kind of feel like they're gone, and I have to kind of step up to the occasion.

I mean, it's a lot of pressure for myself, and I think I've just put that on myself a little too much, and I just have to rely on my teammates and just get myself back into that mental space that I was in last year.

Q. How does your mindset shift when I guess you probably feel like maybe you have to carry more of a load?

EILA GALITSKY: I mean, it's definitely -- in the back of your mind, you are, like, I need it play well instead of just being free and letting stuff happen. I think that's what really hurt me this tournament is the need to feel like I have to play well instead of just letting stuff be.

Q. Do you feel like coming out of this or I guess the next week or two that there will be a chance for a reset for you heading into the SECs?

EILA GALITSKY: I mean, I really hope so. I just need to, you know -- what I really need I think is to just take a couple of days off and just really reset, have good time with my friends and just step away for a couple of days to just get a fresh mind and come back and keep working hard at it.

Q. I guess where do you feel like kind of things drifted for you this week? Was it just the driver?

EILA GALITSKY: Honestly, it was any time I had to make some sort of a full swing. If I putted last year the way I putted this year, it would have been something, because honestly, my putter was on fire this year. Honestly it could have been a lot worse. I think I hit, like, five fairways in two days. I lost five golf balls and somehow still managed to shoot even par, so yeah.

Q. What did you learn last year from winning SECs of, like, I don't know, having the chance right as a freshman to come in and hold the trophy and understand this is what winning is like?

EILA GALITSKY: I mean, it's a great feeling. I've never been part of a team that won something, so it's just a great feeling, like, celebrating all together.

I don't think I've ever seen Coach Kalen that happy ever, so I just really want that feeling to come back, and I hope we can manage that again this year.

Q. You were finish no phenomenal year in match-play.

what is it about your personality, your demeanor, or your game that allows to thrive in match-play?

EILA GALITSKY: I mean, I don't know if it's for everyone, but for myself if somebody hits it 40 past me, I probably would be really scared as well. I think my driver is definitely a strong suit in match-play, and I just think -- well, for me, match-play, I don't have to beat 122 players. I just have to beat one, so it makes it a lot easier.

Q. Does your mind work in the way where, I don't know, you can kind of just -- you singularly focus on that one person, and then it just makes life easier?

EILA GALITSKY: Yeah, I think so, but I need to do the same with the golf course instead of actually, like, with myself, so...

Q. How do you do that? How do you change that? Is that something Coach Kalen talks with you about?

EILA GALITSKY: Yeah, I feel like match-play you can play so much more aggressive, and that's usually how I like to play golf. I like to hit shots and just put that pressure on myself of, like, okay, if I miss it, it could go really wrong; but if I pull it off, it would be a miracle. That's what I play for.

Even when I'm in the trees, I'm, like, well, I can make birdie from here. I just like that.

Q. Did you have any of those today?

EILA GALITSKY: Yeah, I had a couple of birdies out of the trees today. Luckily, did not lose any golf balls today, but I had my fair share of trees.

Q. Like where?

EILA GALITSKY: 10, hit the trees on 10. 11 was all right. 13 I hit the trees. 14 I hit the trees. 15 I hit the trees.

Q. So was your ball just not hooking?

EILA GALITSKY: Yeah, it was just hooking. Well, I didn't shoot -- actually, like, my overall score wasn't too bad. I think I shot 1-over today, but considering how many trees I hit, it was great.

Q. What has this year been like for you of year two at South Carolina of not being new to college anymore, not being new to Columbia anymore?

EILA GALITSKY: It's not been a great year for my golf, I have to admit. I've not played the way I was hoping to play or know that I can, so I'm just hoping to turn it around any time soon.

But I just think there's no, like, element of surprise anymore. I know my way around, and it's more responsibility I feel like because I'm not a freshman. A lot of people expect a lot more from me, so yeah, it's just been a little tough.

Q. I guess is there something of last year -- you kind of came in, everything is new. I assume you probably weren't thinking a whole lot because just had to go do it. Do you feel like this year because things are new, do you have more leadership that you've almost had to think more, and maybe that could be a reason for some of the struggles?

EILA GALITSKY: Yeah, definitely. If you ask my teammates, thinking is not my strong suit. I'm more of a doer. It's more of I don't ask permission. I kind of apologize afterwards.

But, yeah, I'm trying to get the hang of this leadership role and being more responsible, and I think moving forward it should be better.

Q. You were mentioning that you were going to take a couple of days away to try and get that reset or whatever. Are you just going to go off the grid for a couple of days and try and not think?

EILA GALITSKY: Yeah, well, I don't really want to think the next few days about golf. Well, obviously I'll be here tomorrow, so I'll just be enjoying good golf and trying to soak that into my game a little bit and, yeah, just have a good time with my teammates, because all of them are coming out here, which is a bit unfortunate because they can't watch me. No, it will be fun. We'll have a good time.