Q. So obviously coming into Q-Series No. 11 on the Epson Tour official Money List. That initial disappointment I know was tough, but how do you kind of shape your mindset heading into the week knowing that your game was in such a good place when you left it last?
BAILEY TARDY: Yeah, I kind of just took the confidence that I built in the last three events, and I played a couple events before Q-School or this week. And so, I don't know. I just kind of used that and the preparation I did for those three events, just kind of rinse and repeat, if you will, and just kind of kept the same mindset that I had for the last three events.
Q. And then you played at Pebble Beach Pro-Am, right?
BAILEY TARDY: Yes.
Q. Can you talk me through that a little bit, what that experience was like and how it kind of was some positive light in your world right before Q-Series?
BAILEY TARDY: Yeah, you know, that week is just kind of a very relaxed week with a little bit of golf in between. I mean, it was just nice to be in competition mode, and obviously in Pebble Beach as well. I'm living in Orlando right now so going out to Pebble kind of gave me different weather, environment to practice and play in.
I haven't really played in cold weather. Luckily it's going to be pretty nice this week. But that was kind of a benefit from going out there, is I got just a different atmosphere of weather, wind, fog, just stuff like that.
Q. Awesome. And then obviously like I said, you were playing well at the end of the Epson Tour season. How do you think that helped prepare you for the competitiveness of this week and the tediousness of the eight rounds?
BAILEY TARDY: Yeah, I mean, I don't really think of it as Q-School. I just think of it as just like two more events, going out on the road. I don't know. I mean, we played four in a row at the end of the season, and so you just kind of build off that.
It's a lot of golf, so you can't really get upset over a shot or even a bad round. Eight rounds is so much golf and really anything can happen. Just kind of got to stay positive and just not beat yourself up or get too down.
Q. Going off that, what do you do during the long stretches, like those four weeks or the two weeks this week? I know back in Daytona you had your dog with you. How do you leave the golf on the course and keep that positive energy and just take a step back from the game once you leave the course for the day?
BAILEY TARDY: Yeah, I just kind of get my mind off golf, go do something fun, whether it's with my friends or boyfriend. I don't have my dog with me this week, but I just try to go get my head off the golf course and leave golf there and just kind of rest.
I think one of the biggest things I learned with my rookie year on Symetra, now Epson, is that off the golf course I would go workout and I would go back to the golf course and then come Sunday I was drained and I was so tired mentally, physically. I was just exhausted.
So just pacing yourself. These are two long, long weeks mentally and physically, so you just got to get your down time when you can and just trust your practice was -- you follow your game plan for practicing and go from there.
Q. And kind of on the same note, when you're on the golf course, obviously not every shot is going to go your way and the game of golf is constant up and downs. How do you keep positive and remind yourself why you're out there when it's not necessarily going your way?
BAILEY TARDY: Just, yeah, back to trusting like just the practice and the preparation that you put in all season up to this point, especially when you're playing in really South Alabama in dormant grass. You're going to not only get bad lies and bad kicks, bad breaks and the golf course is going to be wet.
So, I mean, at the end of the day everybody is playing the same golf course, and that's something you can't control, are bad breaks. You just control what you can, and what you can't, let it go. That's kind of what I've always done. That's just I guess what I'm going by this week.
Q. And then obviously the goal is to make it out of this week into next week, but out of next week with an LPGA Tour card for next year. What are you doing this week both on and off the course to get yourself in a good headspace to be in contention for that?
BAILEY TARDY: I don't really know. Just not really getting too caught up. Just continue playing my game. It's just one shot at a time. You can't really get too caught up with the outcome of these two weeks or even just the outcome of this week.
You just take it one shot at a time, one round at a time. Go to bed, leave golf at the course, and wake up ready to go the next day.
Q. Awesome. Do you have any smaller -- not small, you know what I mean though -- more short-term goals than get you're card for the next two weeks?
BAILEY TARDY: You know, my whole goal over this season was to be consistent and stay level minded. In the past after a bad round I would be so angry and so upset, and then after I would play good I would just be on Cloud 9.
So I just tried to stay level and just patient really. I think that was one of the biggest things that I struggled with in years past.
I mean, I'm going to play my golf, and if that's good enough to get my LPGA card, then great. If I get beat by other people, then that's what happens. But I'm just going to go out there and try to play my best and play the game I know how to and see where that puts me in the pack.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports