Q. All right, so starting out your first Q-School. Obviously weren't old enough to enter last year.
ALEXA PANO: Uh-huh.
Q. How does it feel being here for the first time?
ALEXA PANO: Yeah, it's been a pretty good week so far. I mean, just a lot of the practice and stuff, but I'm excited to have the opportunity.
Q. And then being in that Epson Tour 11 to 35 kind of getting to exempt from all the Stage II and you get some time to go home and rest and prepare for this, how do you think that will help you this week?
ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I think I definitely got a little bit tired towards the end of the season. It was a long stretch, but I was happy to get home and work on some stuff and have some time off before coming here.
Q. And then like you said, I mean, you were 17 for, what, three quarters of the Epson Tour season?
ALEXA PANO: Uh-huh.
Q. Rookie playing super well. Obviously being a rookie you learn and you grow. Now I know towards the end of the season you got a little bit tired, like you said. How do you think that will help shape you for the rest of your career, whether on Epson or hopefully LPGA for next year?
ALEXA PANO: Yeah, no matter what tour I end up on next year, I'm so thankful to last year. I learned so much. I mean, I had a list of things that I wanted to work on and adjust before coming here just that I took during the year last year.
I mean, definitely the sense of trying to reserve energy and putting a little less pressure on myself towards the end of the season was a big thing that I learned.
But all positives that I'm putting towards this week and whatever I'm doing next year.
Q. And then like you said, the pressure builds throughout the season, and especially this week with Q-School in general. How do you keep positive and how do you remind yourself to keep positive and remind yourself why you're playing golf and why you love it throughout the season to keep that lower than usual?
ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I think it's important to just enjoy it. As far as staying positive, just remembering it's going to be a long week or a long two weeks and so much can happen.
No matter what, I'm going to end up being able to play golf next year, so I'll have an opportunity no matter what happens.
Q. And then why do you love playing golf? Like what keeps you out here and keeps you going?
ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I've always been super competitive, so getting to compete out here against the best of the best is what I've always wanted to do. I'm so lucky to get to spend my days on a golf course with great people and doing what I love every day.
Q. And then what do you do during tournament weeks? But especially when you go home and you have the ability to rest and reset, what do you do to keep yourself off the golf course and in the present moment and not focusing too much on what happens on the course?
ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I definitely try not to overdo it in tournament weeks. Like today I'm just practicing and I'll play a lot of nine-hole rounds and a lot of sleep. That's another thing I learned, that naps are so key. Yeah.
Q. Awesome. And then just some fun questions. Is there anything you are binging on Netflix right now?
ALEXA PANO: On the drive up here, because it's about ten hours from home, I binge watched the whole season of Wednesday on Netflix. Yeah, it was really good.
Q. Awesome. And then what do you like to do other than sleep, outside of golf, like activities-wise to kind of keep your life balanced?
ALEXA PANO: I've gotten really into reading this season. I've read a lot of Colleen Hoover books. I finished Verity right before coming up here, so that's been kind of one of my favorite things.
I love when we're playing in a town where there is a Barnes & Noble. Makes it easier for me.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports