Q. All right, here with Steph Kyriacou after her first round here at the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards. Came back a little bit after the first couple holes and dominated the rest of the way. What worked for you out there?
STEPHANIE KYRIACOU: I think I just tried to make pars out there. It was quite tough. The course is tricky. There are lots of undulations and the wind was up, so I just tried to be patient. You're going to have a lot of 40-footers, two-putt pars, so, yeah, just really tried to make pars out there.
Q. After the second hole, took the lead; never really gave it back. What's the mindset or maybe going through your mind as you're building up the lead or maintaining the lead throughout the rest of the match?
STEPHANIE KYRIACOU: I don't know. I feel like in match play I get a little bit more aggressive because you kind of only have to beat one player that day.
So I just had my foot on the gas. I was a bit more confident in the shots I had to hit because it's either you do it or you don't. That kind of mindset helped, so I'm just going to take that into the next couple days.
Q. How were you able to combat some of the conditions along with Shadow Creek being a notoriously difficult course?
STEPHANIE KYRIACOU: I like playing in the wind. It's great fun, and match play makes it a whole lot more fun, too.
Yeah, you can be more creative. You can hit all the wild shots; shape it a bit more. I enjoy it, so it's not really too much of a challenge for me.
Q. In conditions like this, is it more of a mental battle or more figuring out the wind directions and the bounces?
STEPHANIE KYRIACOU: A little bit of both. I think obviously if you know the wind it would help, but I think the mental part is quite important, too. You have to be pretty brave in these conditions and take on some shots that you wouldn't in a regular tournament.
So I think, yeah, being confident, being brave is kind of key out here.
Q. Is that also because it's match play you have to be braver than you would in stroke play?
STEPHANIE KYRIACOU: Not really. I would just say -- no, not really. I think, yeah, you kind of -- it's either you do it or you don't. That's similar in stroke play, but there is less on the line in match play. If you make a triple you just lose a hole. You're not 3-over par kind of thing.
So, yeah, that is kind of my mindset on it.
Q. And then I was going to ask, how much of maybe a competitive advantage do you think you have amongst others that you have such a positive attitude about when the conditions are like this? How does that set you up for the rest of the day kind of?
STEPHANIE KYRIACOU: Yeah, so I grew up playing in the wind. It's not uncommon for me. It's kind of my norm. I think that's why I don't stress as much as someone else would. I've had a lot of experience in the wind. Same with links golf. I love links golf because you can be more creative.
It's just what I grew up with. It's a bit more comfy or I know how to get it around in the wind.
Q. We just had Maja in here talking about sometimes you have to aim over the water to get it into the fairway. It's very uncomfortable to hit some shots like that. Do you feel very comfortable hitting different shots like that because of the wind?
STEPHANIE KYRIACOU: Probably not. It's still quite scary aiming over the water. Like I said, you either trust it or you don't. Then if you start to like not aim over the water you're in the left rough.
It's just you kind of have to do it really.
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