Q. Ryann, what a great round here at Gainbridge. How did you feel now that round one is under your belt?
RYANN O'TOOLE: I feel good. I think it's always a good test and interesting to see how we're going to come out after a few weeks or couple months off. Obviously went into December this last year.
But coming back to Florida, used to live here in Orlando for a couple years, and playing this course I've played quite a few times, it's nice to have this be my starting event.
I was looking forward to it and I enjoyed the first day.
Q. How is the course playing and how do you like it?
RYANN O'TOOLE: The course is playing good. I feel like it's in great shape, to be honest. I noticed that as the day went on the grain started growing back. Coming from the west coast I had to get used to that. We don't have too much grain back home. I had to do some adjustments in the last six holes or so.
You know, besides the last hole I made two clutch putts on 7 and 8 for birdies, so I think it's just staying patient. They definitely got firm. Obviously I tee off at 7:00 tomorrow, so I feel like it's going to be a little more wet, dewy. Definitely different conditions.
Q. We've seen a lot of your workout videos and we've also seen you putting in a lot of work on golf too. Was there anything in particular that you were working on that you looked forward to this week?
RYANN O'TOOLE: Ask me that again. So as far as...
Q. As far as your golf game, you have been working really hard on that as well. Was there anything in particular that you were really hoping to show a difference this week?
RYANN O'TOOLE: You know, I've really feel like I could always get the putter to be better. I felt like I'm fairly a good iron striker. Hitting greens is something that I feel like I do well.
So I definitely felt like I needed to get my pace control of longer putts. I made a couple 20- and 30-footers today, so I felt like, okay, that's starting to progress. I'm definitely seeing it in practice the way putts are rolling, how I'm stroking it.
I can tell coming down the last hole that old stuff kind of creeped in, so go spend some time ironing that back out and getting back to the comfortable feel that I like and see how the rest of the week goes.
Q. A lot of players seem that they're going to hover around minus three, four. What does it take to shoot really low this week?
RYANN O'TOOLE: You know, personally my sponsor I'm staying with, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, he asked me, he was like, What do you think you need to shoot every day? I said, if I could shoot 4-under every day I feel like I could give it a good run.
I checked the first day off the box, so see what tomorrow does. I think again, staying patient. The greens definitely got firm in the afternoon, so I will be curious to see how the first couple holes go tomorrow morning at 7:05?
And from there, just I think stay patient. This is a great golf course. There are some definite tricky pins out there, and I just feel like you have to put yourself in kind of like conservative spots. I think me and my caddie, Reed, did really well today with that and I think it helped.
Q. What did you do during the time off?
RYANN O'TOOLE: Let's see. Okay, so I didn't get to play CME, so after Christmas I went to Toulouse. Never been there before. I got check out the Cenote, so that was amazing. If you haven't been you need to go. That's absolutely spectacular.
Went to Vegas a couple times. Don't recommend that. No, that was fun, too.
Went snowboarding in Aspen. So I had some nice getaways. Felt like I grinded during the week. I was able to take some time, a couple days here and there. Went to Aspen. It was kind of like a birthday trip, so that was nice.
Just I feel like for the longest time I stopped doing stuff like that to prevent and protect the game. You got to live a little bit, enjoy, otherwise it's a constant grind out here. Doing things I enjoy, the beach, snowboarding, surfing, anything like that helps, allows -- now that season is the grind time you welcome it more.
Q. Just to follow up on that, you mentioned you didn't get into CME. Was that a motivator for any work you put in over the off-season?
RYANN O'TOOLE: Definitely. Felt like last year was pretty tough. I don't think it was good in general with the whole COVID thing, but I just felt like it was one of those years that I couldn't get anything going. Then getting COVID and missing the British I think was tough, too. Kind of like two weeks you're absolutely taking off is weird in the middle of the season.
So just trying to find a rhythm was hard, and I definitely this year felt like I kind of practiced up until Christmas and then I knew that when I was go on vacation, okay, that'll be my time off. I'll take two weeks off and then get back to the grind.
I really just felt like I put in a ton of work and today it showed, so I'm happy about that.
Q. Just going to say, one of the big storylines of course this week is having Annika back in the field here. What's it been like for you? Have you seen her on the range or as you're practicing for this round and beyond?
RYANN O'TOOLE: Yeah, I've seen her a little bit on the range. I didn't grow up having her obviously to compete against. I grew up watching her play, idolizing her, following all her wins. I just feel like 72 of them and 10 majors, it's absolutely ridiculous.
But it's really cool having her back. I'm curious to see how she's doing. I haven't checked the scores so I have no idea how it is, but between her and then I saw Yani Tseng is back in the field. It's just nice seeing top players, and I'm definitely excited to see what comes of this week.
I mean, someone I feel like is the GOAT of women's golf I want to see, Hey, does she still have it? Obviously the game has changed a lot. She hasn't been out her for, what, 13 years or something. I started at age 13, so...
Q. Going off that, March is coming up and it's National Women's History month. Apart from golf, was there any female leader that you really looked up to maybe outside of golf in the political scene or celebrity-wise?
RYANN O'TOOLE: It's always hard. You like pieces of a lot of people. I'm not too much of a political person. I run from it these days. It's so oil and vinegar on both sides that I don't like it.
So it's really hard in that sense. As far as figures, it's like you have Serena Williams, Annika, anybody from like Jennifer Lopez, any industry it is. You know, Jennifer Anniston, people that we go, Wow, they've done great in their scene.
And yes, even the political figures, Michelle Obama, anybody. I just feel like to have women that are empowered, striding for greatness, to do what they love and to do best, I just feel like at the end of the day, when we see little girls out here, wave to them, talk to them. I just want to answer their questions or whatever because once upon a time that was me.
I just think if I can do all I can do to be maybe an idol for somebody else, that's kind of what I feel like is my job.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports