THE MODERATOR: All right, here with Leona Maguire after her second round at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Just take us through the day today. Anything different you saw from the course compared to yesterday?
LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, course is firming up a lot. It's dried out quite a bit, especially from yesterday morning where it was still quite dewy when we played.
Fairways are running a lot faster and greens are starting to firm up. That first bounce into the greens has got quite a bit bigger. So really just having to adjust to that on the fly.
It was quite warm this afternoon as well, so the ball was traveling, so hit quite a few more 3-woods off the tees today than I did yesterday.
Q. What were you starting to take advantage of on this course and what are you still trying to figure out?
LEONA MAGUIRE: I think it's a balance. I think it's a balance between risk-reward. You can be that bit more greedy off the tee to give yourself a shorter chance in. Especially now that they're firming up.
But at the same time, some of those necks and those fairways get really narrow with the overhang, and they're just narrow period.
So, yeah, it's just getting that balance right of knowing when to attack and when to be smart about it.
Q. That final stretch, getting so firm, just how difficult are those three closing holes?
LEONA MAGUIRE: 16, 17, 18?
Q. Yeah.
LEONA MAGUIRE: I hit 3-wood off 16 today. Hit driver yesterday and got pretty much the exact same place as we did yesterday morning.
18 almost got in two, which weren't even getting close yesterday morning. So I suppose that was a nice bonus on 18.
Yeah, it's just getting firmer and faster. I keep hearing everybody say it was firm and fast in '16, so it seems like we're going to get a little bit more of that feel over the weekend.
Q. I know the trees, it's not a links golf course, but that firm and fast feeling, do you think that helps you being where you're from and having that experience playing that golf?
LEONA MAGUIRE: I think you just have to use your instincts a lot more. Especially you can't have sort of preconceived idea that it's definitely driver or definitely 3-wood on a certain hole. You have to take it for what it is when you get there.
With the fairways firming up you could hit about three or four different shots off any of the tees and nearly end up in the same spot on some holes depending on which one of those downslopes you hit.
So it's definitely you kind of have to be patient, but at the same time, not be too conservative with the fact that the greens are drying out. You don't want too long of a club in your hands, so you just have to get that balance right.
Q. What are you looking to capitalize on over the next 36 holes?
LEONA MAGUIRE: More of the same: keep driving it in the fairways as much as possible. The greens got pretty bobbly this afternoon, so try and hole a few more putts. Always the key over a weekend at a major.
Q. You contended at this championship last year. What did you learn from that weekend experience?
LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, I think I learned that I could contend. I had the lead I think it was Friday night going into Saturday, going into Sunday, so I knew I hung on to it Saturday and didn't hang on to it Sunday, but at the same time, I knew I could do it.
This is a very different test to Baltusrol. At the same time, it will test patience and execution in the same way.
So I think the biggest takeaway was knowing that I don't have to play perfect golf to be able to contend. I haven't by no means played perfect golf this week. Nobody will.
So I think that's going to be a big key this weekend, just trying to play as well as I possibly can and just, yeah, patient and be kinder to myself. I wasn't very kind to myself on Sunday at Baltusrol last year. Be a bit kind for myself this weekend.
Q. It was a stunning turnaround for Nelly Korda today. Going from 69 to 81 today.
LEONA MAGUIRE: Oh.
Q. Can you put into context how difficult this golf course can be if you're not on your game?
LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, absolutely. That's golf. That's golf right there. A lot of people -- I went up into the KPMG tent yesterday after my round and I think I got asked three times what the hardest hole on this golf course is. There really is no answer to that, because every hole is the hardest hole if you miss the fairway or you get stuck behind a tree.
If you hit it in the fairway, you can give yourself a good birdie chance. If you miss the fairway, it's the hardest hole ever. And that's nearly every hole.
So, yeah, it's one of those. You can make your life as stress-free or as stressful depending on how you execute a lot of those tee shots.
It's a major championship. It's fair test I think, but it really punishes you if you're even the slightest bit off.
Q. Maybe on that subject, can you talk us through your with back nine today? You had the four birdies, the bogey, and the double. How up and down that stretch was and how you felt you managed through it.
LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, didn't feel as up and down as probably the scorecard looks.
Had a nice birdie on 11. That pin was really tricky sitting up on a plateau considering how firm they're getting.
12 went through the back of the green and missed a short putt there, which I didn't think I hit a bad putt. Just sort of bobbled on me.
And then, yeah, it was nice to get sort of that birdie bounceback on 14.
And 16 holed a nice putt down off the slope.
Just hit a bad shot on 17. Completely miss-hit it and came up short in the water. It was one of those just take my medicine with the pitch and make 5 and move on.
It was nice to finish strong and make a birdie on 18 to give some momentum into tomorrow.
