Q. Phenomenal bogey-free day. How are you feeling after day one?
ALLY EWING: I'm feeling really good. I think coming off a good week in ANA just trying to keep momentum going, really trusting my ball striking, ability to drive it out here in Hawaii.
Certainly great views so you can appreciate a lot walking around the golf course. Yeah, I'm just really happy that I got off to a good start. Leaderboards everywhere, so I think the course is playing pretty scorable.
You know, I think birdies are out there. Getting around it bogey-free was really good for me for a good start.
Q. Great way to start the week here, especially the birdie on 18. That was motoring across the green. What were some the birdie opportunities like for you just this entire day?
ALLY EWING: Yeah, I think before the wind really picked up I had some really good looks, maybe inside 15 feet that I made birdies on. Made a couple really good par saves, too. So that putt on the last was obviously the longest putt that I made today and it was carrying a lot of speed. Certainly glad it hit the hole.
Yeah, just gave myself a lot of good opportunities. Played the par-5s really well; 3-under on the par-5s. So I think just key to score something play the par-5s well, give yourself a lot of looks, and I gave myself a lot of looks. Missed a few putts that I just lipped out. Got one back there on the last.
Seeing it go in from that long distance, yeah, feeling good.
Q. Love to see little ones like that.
ALLY EWING: Yeah.
Q. You talked about your ANA finish, T7 finish for you. What's it like carrying that momentum? We had that off week, so how did you think about carrying the momentum into this week despite having the off week?
ALLY EWING: Yeah, I took a little bit of time at the beginning of the week when I got home, just some rest.
And then so much of it I think is just about keeping the same mindset, the same things that I have feel-wise in my swing. And I think so much of my golf game is about trusting my ball striking, so getting to a golf course that's kind of windy, really relying on good contact and giving myself looks. Certainly what I'll try to do the next -- tomorrow as well.
Q. I was going to say, what's the strategy like when you know the windier conditions are going to be out there tomorrow afternoon?
ALLY EWING: Yeah, I think it's the same. It kind of picked up on our back nine, so there are some holes out here where if you get a little too aggressive you can spin it. A lot of false fronts, so some of those front pins you go ahead and hit it past the hole and take a 15-footer straight.
But sometimes you have a 25-footer. It's just kind of trying to give yourself the best look. If it's a 25-footer, that's what it is. Yeah, I'll just go out with the same mindset and try to have a lot of the opportunities and see what we do.
Q. And you have been to Kapolei Golf Club before. You came here you were telling me back in college, so this isn't first time you've seen this course. Were you remembering those memories out there today?
ALLY EWING: So actually we played at a different golf course, but we were in Hawaii. So kind of the same sort of feel with like windy conditions and stuff.
And obviously I'm not -- I've been to Hawaii several times with the LPGA, so, yeah, just getting around the golf course you can expect wind in Hawaii.
Yeah, good feels. Great views. Going to try to keep it going.
Q. Today they released a story with Chad, your family friend from Fulton, Mississippi.
ALLY EWING: Yeah.
Q. What's that like for you to watch him do so well on the Korn Ferry Tour this year?
ALLY EWING: Yeah, it's so exciting. And Fulton, Mississippi just a great community. We've had so much support, and Chad I think is just a testament to how hard he's worked. Just another small town guy that's playing well enough to see him on the PGA Tour.
And we've all known that he's had the game for this long and it's certainly good to see the good golf come to fruition and him in a great position to get his PGA Tour card at the end of the year.
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