THE MODERATOR: Strong finish birdieing three of the last four holes. Give us some thoughts on that finish and what it's like now to be tied for the clubhouse lead.
ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, the last three holes I had a couple shots that were just a good number for me and I hadn't really had any short approaches all day, maybe just a couple. So, yeah it was good to have the same number like two times and hit a couple of good putts as well.
THE MODERATOR: The shot at 18 looked a little dicey in the air. Did you have confidence that it was going to clear the whole time?
ADITI ASHOK: I hit it like a hair thin than I wanted to, but yeah, according to the number it should have flown and it did so it's all good.
THE MODERATOR: Take some questions.
Q. What club did you hit in on 18?
ADITI ASHOK: 7-iron.
Q. How many hybrids did you end up hitting today or do you find you hit a lot of them or no?
ADITI ASHOK: Not as many as yesterday, but still probably at least five or six hybrids. Maybe more. Yeah, I think three of the par-3s were hybrids and then at least three other par-4s, so at least six hybrids.
Q. You're used to seeing others out there a lot farther than you. Does this course neutralize that do you think?
ADITI ASHOK: I think so. Especially because the greens are so tricky. I mean it's not just how short a club you have in, you still have to hit a good shot or hole a good putt. So yeah, definitely I think that equalizes it a little bit.
Q. Based on what may happen with the weather and the memo that was sent out yesterday, how do you prepare yourself for tomorrow that it may or may not be the final round?
ADITI ASHOK: I think just -- I mean this whole week there's going to be so many girls making birdies, especially because the weather's warm and the conditions are favorable. So I think whatever holes I get to play, whether it's 54 or 72, I'm not really going to sit on anything, I'm just going to try and be as aggressive and make more birdies.
Q. Do you have a preference, do you feel like this should be 72 holes or if you can't, 54?
ADITI ASHOK: I mean, either way is fine. As long as the course is playable and it's not unfair weather, I'm happy.
Q. You talked yesterday about the impact in Rio of what you did there the first two rounds. What do you think it's going to be after today and you have allowed yourself to kind of dream about that medal, because it could be tomorrow if we have 54 holes?
ADITI ASHOK: Oh, yeah, for sure. It's kind of like everyone's thinking about it, everybody's here to kind of do that. So it's definitely at the back of my mind. But, yeah, on the course I'm not really thinking much about it I'm just trying to hit the best shot I can hit. And hopefully people back home are watching it a lot more. I know a few of my friends are staying up to watch, which is cool.
Q. Did you get much reaction on social media to yesterday? I saw you retweeted a few pieces about yourself and seem to be getting a bit of stir on that?
ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, definitely because that's exactly what the Olympics does for a golf in India. Olympics is huge. In a regular event people just wouldn't follow it as much, even if it was a LPGA event or a major. So, yeah, I think the buzz has been good so far.
Q. I don't think you had a umbrella once today. Did you?
ADITI ASHOK: No. Not yesterday, not today.
Q. When is the last time you carried an umbrella on the golf course when it wasn't raining?
ADITI ASHOK: Never. Probably I'm just used to the heat so it's fine. I think I get more tired holding the umbrella than the sun, so I prefer not to.
Q. The difference of having -- who caddies for you on the Tour?
ADITI ASHOK: Sometimes a caddie but mostly my dad.
Q. What's the difference between your dad and your mom as a caddie?
ADITI ASHOK: I think when my dad's there he knows my game a lot more, probably sometimes more than I know myself, so I always feel compelled to rely on him sometimes. Whereas this week I know my mom's there, I can ask her anything, but in terms of like golf advice she may not be able to help me as much as my dad. So I'm just, I guess I'm committing to my decisions more and being more decisive on my own.
Q. If you were to be really, really honest, is your blood pressure higher when your dad is caddieing or your mom?
ADITI ASHOK: I think it's both the same. I think probably higher with dad. I think it's a little more chilled out with mom, which has helped this week.
Q. You mentioning obviously you're used to hitting longer shots in, longer clubs in. But what sort of mentality over the years have you employed to sort of be at ease with that?
ADITI ASHOK: I think I've worked on my short game a lot and I've just genuinely enjoyed practicing the short game more than any other part of the game and I could spend six, eight hours just practicing chipping or bunker shots. So just having that confidence that even if I miss a green I can make a par is what gets me through some of the longer venues and gets me through some of the rounds where I know girls are going to be hitting from like 40, 50 yards in front of me.
Q. So when you see someone like Nanna hitting it on the last so far down you just block that out?
ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, well obviously I'm in awe of it because it's something I can't do, but yeah, of course. I mean everybody has their own game, their own strategy and no golf course is -- there's different ways to make a birdie or a par, so it's all fine.
Q. So just finally, just that short game love do you think that comes from starting out as you were talking about yesterday and?
ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, for sure and I think generally as a kid I was not, I was kind of frail, I wasn't the strongest kid, so it's not like I enjoyed hitting balls for an hour or two. I think even now an hour is probably more than I would expect. So, yeah, just as a kid being able to practice a lot more short game and that being fun.
THE MODERATOR: As it plays out, if you are kind of in the final group heading into tomorrow or into the weekend, do you have some experience that you might rely on or something recently that took place that you might rely on just to be prepared for that moment.
ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, I played on the LET in the final group a few times and a couple weeks ago at Dow I think I was in the leader group the final two days, so that was a good experience, just getting used to the cameras being there and the crowds and stuff. So, yeah, I think it's just more focusing on my game and what I've been doing the last two days.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports