KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 25, 2026

Alexa Pano

Hazeltine National Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Alexa Pano is with us now at the 2026 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Alexa, really strong start for you today. What went well out there for you?

ALEXA PANO: Felt really confident out there. Practice rounds felt really good. And this is just a beautiful golf course and I'm really happy to be out here.

Felt like I put myself in some really good positions out there, whether it was off the tee or just playing it a little safe on the greens and kind of hit all my marks.

Overall a really solid day.

Q. Obviously had that eagle there on 11. Walk us through that hole.

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, so I knew I kind of wanted to get down there a little bit on the left, good angle to the pin, but there is a bit of a tier so you can't really see much. My goal was to just kind of land it over that. It was kind of funny. I hit it and I thought it was really good, but I said go and my caddie, Kyle, said sit. And then as soon as I said, no, go, it dropped in and you could hear everyone cheer.

It was a good feeling. It's my second hole-out in two weeks and never had a hole-out on LPGA before that. Yeah, it's fun.

Q. You've had an interesting two weeks trying to learn a different looper. What's it been like to have your dad still as your coach and have a different person on the bag?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I think it's been a little easier than I thought. It's been a good just vibe switch. I think I'm enjoying it and obviously went well today, so all positive things. And glad my dad is still here helping me out.

Q. We love Rick. How do you take this momentum and build on this going forward?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I think just trying to go out there and make solid swings. My goal for this week was just to really focus on where my feet are and focus on the shot at hand, so just going to keep doing that, yeah.

Q. You've obviously been in the spotlight since you were a teenager. What do you think the biggest thing you've learned over the years is?

ALEXA PANO: Definitely a lot of patience. You lose a lot more than you win out here and that's kind of a change from like junior golf and even amateur golf. You're not at the top of the leaderboard as much as you think you should be. You really have to trust the process and just keep putting in the work.

But it's worth it for days like today where it pays off or weeks where it pays off.

Q. Is the learning curve playing in major championships different than regular LPGA events?

ALEXA PANO: I would say so. I think the more experience you get the better. I think the more that I play in these events the more comfortable I get. But I can definitely remember being a junior golfer and qualifying for like U.S. Opens and such. The tournament felt much bigger than me. Now it's kind of like have a bit better grasp on it and feel a lot more comfortable at these events.

Q. So going back to 11, I think 267, 256, and then 69 for the hole-in-one.

ALEXA PANO: Yeah.

Q. Or to put it in the hole. What was the club selection?

ALEXA PANO: That for me was just a little 58-degree. I was trying to land it about 60 yards and go right at it. It's one of those -- one of the more accessible hole locations today. I mean, a lot times on this course you're playing at the middle of the green, but I was kind of thinking, okay, could leave myself a good opportunity for birdie here. Even better, didn't even need the putter.

Q. And your 3-wood is 256?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah. Got a good bounce.

Q. How much of an advantage it is here to hit it straight and hit it long, no?

ALEXA PANO: I think, yeah, definitely hitting it straight is the most important thing on this golf course. It makes it a lot more accessible from the fairway. The rough is very patchy and has some really thick spots. The more you keep the ball on the fairway the better. Distance never hurts, so.