Q. Marissa, I just want to talk about the last couple days for you. When you got here Monday you were in the Monday qualifier, and here you are in contention heading into the final day. Just take me through the last couple days.
MARISSA STEEN: Yeah, it's been kind of a whirlwind. Been a really busy week obviously. But I think the course fits my game really well. I've played it once before this week a couple years ago and always really liked it. I always know it's this great condition.
I told Oren (phonetic) on Monday when we got here for the qualifier, As long as I get these putts online they're definitely going in. These greens are so good. Yeah, I've had a really positive outlook the whole week. Golf has felt really easy the whole week, which is a really nice feeling to have.
Yeah, it's been good. Been in a great mindset. Great golf course, great weather. What else could you ask for really?
Q. Just take me through what happened on Monday. Going through the qualifier what was going so well on the first day, and did you have this adrenaline of wanting to make the first tournament of the year?
MARISSA STEEN: To be honest, obviously I wanted to qualify, yes. Like I said, I just had a sense of calm. Like I wasn't like forcing anything. I wasn't trying to make it happen. I just went out and played and felt really relaxed, very comfortable. I think anyone out here would say that's when we all play our best golf.
So yeah, like I said, I didn't really make too many mistakes. I think I was 2-under at the turn and was like, Let's just keep it going. I'm playing well. Like I said, it was just very calm. Felt very easy.
Q. And the last two days you've been pretty consistent out here and the consistency has been the key for a lot of these players when it comes to the Lake Nona Golf Course. What was different today and what was maybe different when it came to some of the conditions out there?
MARISSA STEEN: I feel like really the big difference between the first round, today, and then yesterday was I just made a lot more putts. Yesterday I was all around the hole and just really didn't get them to drop. Was just a little bit off here it there. I can't telling Oren, We're putting good rolls on it. It's going to be okay. We're doing good stuff.
The first round in today I matched up more of those lines and saw more putts go in. I've been hitting it pretty well all week overall. Been hitting a lot of greens, a lot of fairways.
Q. And you were just telling me your caddie is actually a friend of yours.
MARISSA STEEN: He is.
Q. From the Orlando.
MARISSA STEEN: He is, yep. I met him, I don't know, seven or eight years ago, seven due through some mutual friends down here. Yeah, so we golf together quite a bit when I'm down here in the winter and he lives close by. I was like, Hey, do you want to caddie for me on Monday? And he was like, Sure, but then I can't do the tournament.
I'm like, Okay. I was like, I'm sure I'll find somebody. They would have to be in the bubble and all that. Once I qualified on Monday or I could tell I was going to be in I was like, he can't leave me. You got to figure it out.
I was lucky that he was able to rearrange his schedule for me.
Q. How has that helped your confidence having someone so familiar on the bag?
MARISSA STEEN: Oh, it's been great. He keeps me in a really good mindset, good head space, and very positive. Before every shot is like, Just trust it; hit it. We chose our shot, just hit it. And really takes any doubt out, any of that sort of thing. So he's really done a good job keeping me in every shot.
Q. Aside from the bogey on the last hole, the front nine looked spectacular. What was working so well on the first nine holes?
MARISSA STEEN: Oh, everything. I was giving myself really good looks and then I made four great putts. And definitely starting with birdie on the 1st was good. And then I felt like the up and down on nine was a good up and down and good momentum going into -- up and down for birdie -- but going into the back nine.
That pin, if you get past it it runs away pretty quick. I was pretty happy with the bunker shot and rolled a good putt. Yeah, like I told him in the back, we weren't quite matching up the putts on the back nine but I said, we're doing a lot of good things. If they don't drop that's okay, but we're not giving anything away either.
Q. We've seen you out here a couple years. You were a rookie in 2016. What does a round like today do your with our confidence in a tournament like this?
MARISSA STEEN: Yeah, gives me a lot of confidence. Yeah, like I said, I'm just happy. My game feels solid. I feel very comfortable. I feel, like I said, very calm on the golf course. I feel like, yeah, just get up, see the shot, hit the shot. Trying to keep it really simple.
Q. You said you felt like a sense of calm this week. What do you attribute that to? Anything you did or worked on in the off-season?
MARISSA STEEN: I did work a lot with my swing coach, but I think there was -- so actually had someone pretty close to me pass away. Actually my boyfriend's brother passed away in a car wreck just before Christmas. That put everything in perspective for me. It really -- I'm getting cold chills.
It really just made my realize that golf isn't -- I love it. It just put things in perspective. It's not the end of the world if I shoot a bad round or miss a cut. Like I said, I've just been playing very freely. Anyway, so yeah.
It's been hard on everybody. Yeah, so it's been -- yeah, that's it.
Q. I'm so sorry.
MARISSA STEEN: Thank you. It's okay. You got to take it day by day. Like I said, it has really put things in perspective for me. Really, like I said, sometimes I used to feel like I was living and dying by my golf game. The last two, three months I haven't, so...
Q. What is your boyfriend's name and how long have you been together?
MARISSA STEEN: Justin Spencer, and we've been together about two and a half years.
Q. Was he close with his dad?
MARISSA STEEN: It was his brother. Yeah, we golfed together quite a bit. He was a big golfer, yeah.
Q. What was his name?
MARISSA STEEN: Chase Spencer.
Q. Kind of feels like you have this renewed sense of this 2021 season maybe compared to other seasons because of what you've been going through in the off-season.
MARISSA STEEN: For sure. Definitely. Like I said, a renewed, yeah, just thankful to be here and really just take every day as it comes. Again, not live and die by one golf shot or round or tournament really.
Q. Even if you're not living and dying by the shot, it must feel nice to be in contention here?
MARISSA STEEN: Oh, for sure. It's awesome. I'm loving it.
Q. What do you think it would take for you tomorrow to come away with your first LPGA Tour victory?
MARISSA STEEN: Honestly, just keep playing the way I am. Like I said, been hitting a lot of greens, playing well. Just, yeah, want to go out and have that sense of calm, not force anything, and just take what comes. So can't control everything out there.
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