Q. Here with Ally Ewing. 8-under day. I want to talk about the six birdies on the front nine, which was your back nine today. Six in a row. What was just working?
ALLY EWING: Yeah, you know, it's really funny. On hole 2 I hit a wedge shot fat and then I chipped in for birdie.
So it was kind of -- to start the string that way was -- it was going from needing to get a ball up and down for par to an unlikely birdie.
Then I just executed some really good shots coming in. I hit some close, made a couple of putts around 20 feet that kind of kept the string going.
The last two birdies were a couple wedges that I hit really close. So it was just one of those where they just kept coming and it's kind of the patience game.
Q. You're not the first 8-under we've seen this week. I didn't see an 8-under out there this morning. What were the conditions like that were really lending themselves to scoring?
ALLY EWING: Yeah, the course is soft still with all the rain that we received, some pins that obviously are tough. I think 18 is just a really hard hole, especially as soft as it is, which was my bogey of the day.
But, you know, you hit a lot of wedges, it's soft conditions, but you still have to make putts. I executed some really good putts, so that's good. That's big for my confidence and just the state of my putting, just seeing some putts go in.
So I'm excited to see a low score. I don't think I've had one of those in a hot minute, so good to see.
Q. You have been kind of quietly working your way through the season. This is the first round we've really seen you take it super low.
ALLY EWING: Yeah.
Q. What did you work on ahead of this week or what have you been working on that everything clicked at once?
ALLY EWING: Yeah, I've been hitting it great. Driving it great. It's just kind of been -- mentally I've kind of struggled with the putter. I've seen some putts miss and then I've gotten down on myself.
I've just kind of really -- I've worked hard with my coach and we kind of pinpointed a really big key for me. I think just it's kind of freed me up.
But it's also helped me to consistently hit some good putts. For me, if I'm hitting good putts I'm happy, because you can hit a good putt and the ball doesn't go in, but you can hit some good putts and the ball goes in.
I'm just trying to stick with the game plan and continue to execute.
Q. What was the key? You can't leave us hanging.
ALLY EWING: Well, my tempo had gotten off. My stroke had gotten really long. So for me, I've just kind of tried to get it really balanced. That's kind of the key.
So really a lot of tempo work for me.
Q. Do you use a metronome?
ALLY EWING: Yeah, I've used a metronome for years actually. But Blast Golf that you kind of put on the butt of the putter has just kind of helped me kind of see some numbers and some tempo and stuff like that.
Q. Just noticed a black ribbon on your hat.
ALLY EWING: Yeah.
Q. I've seen a lot of players with those black ribbons obviously with the Queen passing yesterday. What does it mean for you to be able to show the support to not only the country of England, but your fellow players out here from the UK, from, Australia, and from Canada?
ALLY EWING: Yeah, I think it's a sad time. It's a sad time for them. Any way we can show support in a passing and a loss of someone close to a country, close to family, obviously the family is going through a lot at the time.
My sister-in-law is in London now doing school, so she sent some pictures, and just the state of everyone is really low. It's a hard loss. Yeah, just showing the support with the black ribbon and the royal family, just a little bit there just to show or thoughts and consideration.
Q. Looking ahead to the rest of the week here, two days left. Not to switch the subject abruptly, but you're going to be in contention heading into the weekend. Just how excited are you to be back in that spot, and what are you really going to carry with you into Saturday and Sunday?
ALLY EWING: Yeah, that's what you do. You play to be in contention. I think early on in my career that made me really uncomfortable, and I think there are sets of circumstances that I'll run into over the weekend where I'll have some uncomfortableness, and I think the biggest key for me is just learning to accept those and not try to push them to the side and not realize -- like try to downplay them.
So I know I'm going to be uncomfortable. I know I'm going to have to persevere in difficult circumstances. For me, it's just always one shot, one hole at a time. Hopefully good golf takes care of that.
Q. The greens seem to have firmed up a little bit.
ALLY EWING: Yeah.
Q. I've seen a lot of balls hit and bounce. How important is it to get the right numbers given some of these locations?
ALLY EWING: Yeah, absolutely. I think early on in the week you kind of had to shift those pitch numbers, and just seeing a little bit more -- you're still seeing some wedges that will kind of spin back, but occasionally you do see that couple hops and then stop.
Then your longer approaches, seeing a little bit of release. So I'm a big target golf, execute, pitch numbers, so I'm just kind of -- my caddie, Dan, he takes great notes. Just seeing an 8-iron release this far or a pitching wedge release this far or 5-iron release this far, and just kind of building off that and kind of really picking out our spots we want to pitch and taking really good notes.
Q. You have played really well at golf courses nobody has seen before. Now here we are at another one that everybody is seeing for the first time. What do you think of it, and do you kind of take some confidence knowing your history there?
ALLY EWING: Yeah, I think this is a great golf course. It's old school. Really soft conditions, as we've talked about with the rain. But it is drying out. It's firming up. I wouldn't say it's firm quite yet, but the greens are drying out.
I think there is just a freedom in seeing shots hole by hole and there is no past memory of anything. So, yeah, it's new, but it's exciting to be at a new course. Fans, we've got some great Cincinnati fans that are showing up and supporting the LPGA. That's always fun to see at an LPGA event.
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