AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

April 3, 2026

Asterisk Talley

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Please welcome Asterisk Talley to the interview room. Welcome back to Augusta National.

ASTERISK TALLEY: Thank you.

Q. With back-to-back bogey-free rounds, a new tournament record, you are now our current leader at 11-under par and hold a one-stroke advantage headed into the final round of the Augusta National Women's Amateur. What part of your game has been working best for you this week?

ASTERISK TALLEY: Yeah, I've just been hitting the ball pretty well all week. I mean, I've hit a lot of fairways and only missed a couple of greens yesterday but was able to get the ball up and down. My putting has been pretty good.

So I think everything is kind of just clicking this week. I think it's all connecting, and that's the only reason I shot two bogey-free rounds.

Q. You have two top-10 finishes in each of your two appearances here at the championship. What will you draw on from those experiences as you prepare for tomorrow's final round?

ASTERISK TALLEY: I think just leaning on the experience that I have. I mean, the course knowledge is going to help as much as it can, but just knowing that I've played well not only at Champions, but Augusta as well. It's going to be pretty cool going into tomorrow knowing that I can shoot a pretty good round.

Q. Over the last couple of years, you've had a pretty good record of when you are near the lead or in the lead of being able to finish off a tournament. What's gone into that mindset or just being able to close out a win?

ASTERISK TALLEY: Yeah, I think just knowing that you play well the previous days going into the last day, and I think just looking back on your game from the previous days in the week and just thinking that I got here for a reason, so why can't I finish it off on the last day?

Q. Obviously you've won a lot of tournaments. At what point -- how old were you, would you say, where you got that confidence where every tournament you were going into, you felt like you could win, and what do you think was the impetus behind that confidence?

ASTERISK TALLEY: I feel like I've always had that since I was little. I mean, I kind of got that drilled into me when I was a little kid that, I mean, you only come to tournaments to win. I mean, why would you play one if you weren't going to win, right?

I think just trying to go out there and play your best, and if you don't win, then that's just something you need to work on.

Q. And that was drilled into you by?

ASTERISK TALLEY: My parents, my coaches, just pretty much my whole team around me since I started playing.

Q. We were asking Meja about the scoring always getting better every year. She says the conditions are not easier. So there's only one reason, no? How good is your game getting compared to two years ago or a year ago, and what's making women's amateur golf so good?

ASTERISK TALLEY: Yeah, I think just everyone has the drive to get better every year. I mean, you look at the older girls and you think you want to beat them, so the younger people just work harder. I think that just is why the scores keep getting lower every year, and everyone just gets less intimidated by the golf courses every time you play it.

So I think just kind of using your knowledge every year to kind of get better and knowing what you need to work on going into these tournaments and just kind of the specifics.

Q. A lot of the players over the last few days, they've stressed the mental aspect of the golf when it comes to this tournament. I'm curious for you, with the two bogey-free rounds, is that something that's going to be on your mind to not get a bogey, or are you just going to get rid of that mindset and just play your game?

ASTERISK TALLEY: I think it's definitely going to be a goal of mine going into tomorrow. It's going to be pretty tough at Augusta, but it's a goal that would be pretty nice to have. That might give me the little extra drive tomorrow to play a little better, would be to have a bogey-free round, especially on such a tough course.

I think just the mental side of it is going to be crucial. Knowing this course tears players apart on the mental side, and it can tear anyone up in an instant. So I think just trying to stay strong throughout the whole day, and if you win, win, if you don't, you don't.

Q. You mentioned leaning in on your experience from the last couple of years. What particularly do you think you can use from how you played the last couple of years in this event tomorrow? Is there a specific aspect of your approach to the game or just not feeling intimidated? I'm curious what are you leaning on with the experience?

ASTERISK TALLEY: I think a little bit of both. I think, you know, you have to be a little aggressive at times, and I think knowing the course a little better is going to help you in those situations where you need to be a little more aggressive or you need to hit a good shot in that moment.

I think just knowing where to miss and where not to miss on this course is going to be pretty crucial, and just being around it for that long is going to help a little bit.

Q. Can there be a worry in trying to look at tomorrow as you against Meja and Maria, because you've separated yourself a little bit, or do you think somebody can come back on this golf course?

ASTERISK TALLEY: I think it's anybody's game tomorrow. I mean, not only them, but someone can come back from 6-under, honestly, and especially with the scores that have been for the past couple of years. I mean, it shows that anyone can come back at any moment. Someone can come back on the last three holes, and it can be anybody's game for the entire round.

So I think it's anybody's game tomorrow, and you kind of just have to treat it like everyone is starting on the first day.

Q. I know you talked about confidence being drilled into you, but in other tournaments, not just Augusta National Women's Amateur experience, where have you learned the most about yourself in terms of being comfortable coming down the stretch?

ASTERISK TALLEY: I think in tournaments where it gets kind of tight at the end, I've been in those positions where you have maybe a one- or two-shot lead coming into the last couple of holes, and I think it's important to keep your mindset straight and to not let the lead even get ahold of you and think, you know, I have this lead so I can just play free. You know, you still have to be aggressive, and you still have to hit some good shots.

I think just keeping the same mindset throughout the whole round.

Q. Can you give us an exact example of that?

ASTERISK TALLEY: I played Sage Valley a couple of weeks ago, and it was kind of getting tight going into the last five holes. I might have been one or two shots ahead going into the last five. You know, you can leaderboard watch there a little bit when you are playing still, and I knew I had to hit some good shots coming in, especially when someone is shooting a fire round.

You know, when you are coming into shooting 5-under and anything can happen, but just knowing that you need to set yourself apart and you kind of need to get that strong lead going into the last couple of holes.

Q. Asterisk, you had a late caddie switch this week when Myles Russell couldn't make it, and you are back with your caddie from last year. How do you and Ryan know each other, and what makes him a good shepherd for you out here?

ASTERISK TALLEY: He was my dad's old co-worker, so he's known me my whole life. We've played together since I was probably 5. I've known him pretty much my whole golfing career.

He didn't start caddying for me, honestly, until pretty much Augusta last year, and I think, yeah, he's just always been there. I think he knows my game pretty well now since, I mean, he's obviously played with me for a while.

But he knows what kind of makes me a little angry on the golf course, and he knows what kind of calms me down. So I think that's what you kind of need to lean on in a caddie is how to play the course but also someone who knows you well.

Q. You said just now this course can tear you up. Can you give us an example of what you mean by that?

ASTERISK TALLEY: Yeah, I mean, we've all watched the Masters, right (laughing). With all the meltdowns that happen on Amen Corner, and anything can happen, someone can make a 10 or someone can make a 1, right? So anything can happen really.

There's a lot of water on this course. There's a lot of slopes. Anyone can lose their ball or maybe make it, so anything can really happen. That's why I think one or two shots is not going to set you apart from anybody else.

Q. You said you may feel less intimidated every year, but do you still feel the nerves under such a big spotlight? If so, how do you handle that?

ASTERISK TALLEY: I think everyone feels the nerves out here, especially with the crowds and the lights and the cameras. Everyone kind of feels those first tee nerves, and then maybe you kind of calm down a little bit after the first couple, but you kind of just try and set it out of your mind, think this is any other spot.

This is just like how I was hitting on the range 15 minutes ago, and you kind of just need to put that in your mind and say, I've been golfing my whole life, so this is really nothing.

Q. Asterisk, I remember we had Rory and Bryson in here last year, and they talked about what they were going to do while they slept on the lead before their final round. You have two nights of doing that. So what have you been doing maybe when you leave the course or before you go to the course in the morning to kind of keep calm and maybe keep your mind off of it, or maybe you try to not even keep your mind off of it?

ASTERISK TALLEY: I think really the same things I do for any tournament, kind of just do the same things as a normal day. You get off the course. You go eat dinner. You go take a shower and go to bed. It's the same thing. It's the same routine.

I think if you try and differ that, you're probably not going to do the same things you usually do. So I mean, you kind of just do the same routine every day, and hopefully it ends up the same.

Q. Kind of moving aside from this tournament and going beyond that, what is your favorite thing about golf?

ASTERISK TALLEY: I think just the competitiveness. I'm a really competitive person, and I think just getting to play with friends or really that you can play with any ages is super fun. I mean, I can go play with a 6-year-old tomorrow, or I can play with one of my dad's friends. I mean, it's super cool that this game is really diverse, and you can really show your competitive spirit to anybody.

Q. Where does that competitiveness come out off of the golf course in you?

ASTERISK TALLEY: I think just anything (laughing). I'm pretty competitive in anything I do. You know, you always want to win, and I think that's kind of where it all ties together with my golf game. It kind of makes that drive a little more and that motivation a little bigger.

Q. To shoot a low score here tomorrow, the par-5s are key. I wonder if you feel more comfortable in any of the par-5s, and if you can just share your thoughts on those holes?

ASTERISK TALLEY: Yeah, I think a problem that I might have is getting a little too excited going into par-5s. You know, sometimes you can think, oh, I'm going to get on in two, and I'm going to -- this is going to be a definite birdie hole, but you kind of just have to put that out of your mind and think, you know, hopefully I can get on and get a good score here. If you get a little too greedy, then it might end up how you don't want that.

But, yeah, just trying to do the same thing. I mean, trying not to get too greedy with holes like that and trying not to be a little too aggressive because then it could end up going south.

Q. Asterisk, do you have a favorite hole or favorite shot out here? Is there a hole or shot that scares you a little bit out here?

ASTERISK TALLEY: I think definitely any shot on 11, 12, or 13 is going to be pretty fun to hit. I mean, I just love those holes so much. They're so scenic, but yet, so fun to play. They can be the toughest holes on the course sometimes, so they can be not so fun if you put yourself in a bad position.

So I think those holes can go both ways. It's kind of a double-edged sword.

Q. Going back to Ryan, you mentioned he knows what makes you mad or angry out there and what he does to help you calm down. What does make you mad out there? What really irks you, and what does he do to help you calm down?

ASTERISK TALLEY: Honestly just hitting a bad shot can kind of ruin your whole round, so I think just trying to calm down after you do something that you didn't want to. I think after you miss a short putt or you miss a green, I think that can kind of dictate what happens for the entire hole or maybe even a couple of holes. I think that can be something that costs the tournament or even costs the round.

So I think that's just kind of something you have to put in perspective, and you have to dial down and kind of calm down before you hit your next shot.

Q. Meja mentioned the firmness of the greens out there today. What was your take-away from the practice round?

ASTERISK TALLEY: I think they were pretty receptive. They weren't too hard to get close to the hole today. I mean, they might firm up a little tomorrow. They were a little soft and moist in the morning, so I think it might be a little different if they cut or roll them, and they might take some moisture out.

I think other than that, they might be pretty accessible tomorrow. So I'm excited to get a little aggressive tomorrow and hopefully shoot a low score.

Q. Asterisk, about a decade ago Jordan Spieth was a junior in high school, and he got in contention at the Nelson, and the big talk that night was that he may not be able to attend his high school prom because he got into contention. Your senior year of high school, do you have any conflicts or any big social events or school events coming up?

ASTERISK TALLEY: Not right now, no. No, I don't really know when our prom is or anything. So there might be something going on that I don't know about, but I don't really go to those anyways, I guess, so I don't really pay attention to really any big events like that.

But, I mean, people at school might be having a ball that I don't know about (laughing), but I mean, yeah, I think I might be having a little more fun than they are.

Q. Do you have any equipment changes recently that we should know about?

ASTERISK TALLEY: Not really, no. I mean, pretty much everything is the same as it was probably a year ago. I mean, obviously just using the newest driver, I guess. That's about it that I know of, but pretty much everything else is the same.

Q. I understand you recently got your driver's license. Wonder if the game of golf delayed that process any?

ASTERISK TALLEY: A little bit, yeah. I got my permit back in May of last year, and I didn't get my license until January. So, I mean, it delayed it a couple of months just because I get so busy out there. I'm never really home.

When you're under 18, you have to do a couple of hours of driving instruction or whatever that's called, but yeah, I couldn't really do that until Christmas vacation, so that was a little delay there.

Q. You and Maria both played really well at Southern Hills. What about her golf game impresses you?

ASTERISK TALLEY: I mean, everything. She's just really good, and she can hit the shots when it's necessary. I know that her and Anna went to 20 holes, I think, so obviously she was able to extend that and bring that back.

Obviously she has that drive in her that everybody needs, and I think that we're all trying to find this week to play some good golf tomorrow.

Q. You mentioned some of the meltdown moments that have taken place on these grounds, but now that you've gotten to see this property and relish in the experience multiple years, what in your opinion captures what is Augusta National?

ASTERISK TALLEY: I think it is just pretty much as hard as it looks. It can be pretty easy if you hit the good shots, but I mean, you put yourself in a bad position on one hole, and it can go really downhill. I think that's what this course kind of captures is just every shot kind of needs to be perfect and precise.

I think if you hit all the good shots, then you might shoot 64, but if you put yourself out of position on a hole, you could shoot 74, so it's really different.

Q. Is there anything about the history or the drive that particularly makes you feel like this week is so special?

ASTERISK TALLEY: Yeah, definitely just the legacy of this golf course and the history that it has. Getting to just hang around here, you know, the drive down Magnolia Lane, you kind of just reminisce on all the things you've seen before, and kind of just it feels different that you're here now than watching it on TV.

Q. Are you someone who allows yourself to think about what could happen tomorrow? If so, how is this tournament maybe different than what it's been like in the past when you think about hoisting a trophy?

ASTERISK TALLEY: I think I do allow myself to think about it a little bit, but I also try to kind of keep it on the low. I try not to over think about it obviously. But just thinking of how cool it would be to hoist that trophy tomorrow would be pretty nice, but I also try and put it in perspective that I still need to go out there and shoot a good round tomorrow to even get that chance of touching it.

So just trying to honestly play my game tomorrow and kind of thinking of the course before I think of the awards ceremony or the cool things that would happen after.