Q. Playing hide and seek with yourself?
ADITI ASHOK: I think the wind picked up and birdies were tough to come by. I only had two looks, the par 518, obviously and 14. Those were the ones where I had close looks and I missed a 6-footer on 14.
So that was the only chance I feel like I had. The rest, I mean, I didn't have many -- I had a couple long approaches where I was just scrambling for par anyway. 17 I had a five hybrid, and 16, which is a short par 4 but with the front bin downwind, it's as good as I long approach because it's some 30 feet away. I think the only other chance I probably would have had was the par 3 -- sorry that was 15.
16 was a 9-iron where I hit it a little left. I feel like if I hit a good iron shot I could have made birdie but I had to scramble. Those four birdies put me back in a good frame of mind, but obviously would have like to be more under par than 1-under.
Q. Would you say the back nine is a bit more difficult?
ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, I think it's tricky. I think the finishing holes are tricky. Of course it's one of the greatest courses; we know that. Just these finishing holes, you get the par 5 and after that, unless you hit a good shot, you can almost drop a shot. It's one of those, where if you hit a good shot, you're making birdie but if not, there's a lot of trouble.
I would say overall, yeah, maybe the back nine is a bit harder.
Q. Is there a different mindset when you play a tournament like this, field of 60, no cut on Friday night. Does it give you a better chance or allow you to attack and score?
ADITI ASHOK: Not really. I think the way I'm playing, it doesn't affect the cut much, or on Friday if I'm around the cut line, that's when I'll probably look at it. But otherwise, my strategy doesn't change whether there's a cut or not. Maybe I could have been more aggressive yesterday but I felt like the greens were receptive and I played early in the day, compared to today where I was late. So the ball was releasing more.
Yeah, I think I could have been more aggressive yesterday but I think my strategy is usually the same whether there's a cut or not.
Q. Here it's like top three or nothing.
ADITI ASHOK: Yes.
Q. And considering where you were last time around, if you were there at the same place on the fourth day, what would you do?
ADITI ASHOK: I think I would have probably missed left on the drivable par 4, 17, because they moved the tee up. That's when they blew the horn after I hit my drive. I didn't think much about it because I hit the green and missed right. That was the only birdie chance I had to make. 18 was a hybrid for me. So I just had to hit the green and make the putt, which I did.
But I think 17, if I had driven it left in the bunker or even short, I would have a better chip up to the hole. Whereas I hit a about pitch from the rough, almost a flop shot but I was still ten feet away. So I left myself a better angle, just would have made the percentage of making a birdie higher. And then if I make birdie -- who knows, maybe I bogeyed 18 and we would be having this conversation again.
I think that was the only thing I felt like I could have gained a shot because they moved the tee shot and I didn't. I left myself a tough shot; if I had an easier shot, I would have put it closer.
Q. Any thoughts on the third and fourth round? It's a gettable course.
ADITI ASHOK: It is. I think today I saw the scores, some players have shot really low rounds. So I know there's a low round out there. I just have to go out there and shoot it. Usually third day is moving day, so just going with that mindset.
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