Read a transcript of the post-Round 2 interview with Akshay Bhatia and Jennifer Kupcho.
Read a transcript of the post-Round 2 interview with Akshay Bhatia and Jennifer Kupcho.
Q. Here with Akshay and Jen after their second round here at the Grant Thornton Invitational. Obviously a different format today, but it seemed you guys carried your momentum forward from yesterday. How did it go?
AKSHAY BHATIA: Yeah, I mean, we started out so good, I think we were 3 under through four. I mean, just an amazing start in this format.
It’s just so different, every shot counts. You know, we hung in there. We had a couple kind of sloppy holes and lost a little bit of momentum, but that back nine we hit some good shots. She obviously made that putt on 18 which makes a big difference for tomorrow.
Q. Any thoughts on that?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: Same.
Q. I know this format sort of feels like the make or break. How good does it feel to get this tricky format out of the way headed into the final day, a little easier hopefully?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: Yeah, I mean, alternate shot’s definitely the hardest format. I think just staying in it. I mean, what we shot today was a great score, they just played way better. But I think we held our own and I think we’re both just excited.
We’re still in the tournament. I mean, anything can happen tomorrow. I think we really just like dug in and stayed in it and that will help us going into tomorrow.
Q. Can you give us a little insight in your strategy on the greens in terms of helping each other read putts and how you’re similar in that or maybe different in green reading?
AKSHAY BHATIA: Yeah, I mean yesterday we had a really good flow together. I felt like when I saw her hit a putt, because she went first every time, I had a really good gauge of what the putt was doing.
So today we kind of carried into like trying to still help and most of the time we were seeing the same thing. It’s nice when we’re both kind of agreeing on most of the things.
Now, I didn’t execute a couple short putts today, but all in all it’s just kind of teamwork, trying to make it light. We both had a lot of trust in each other just knowing each other for a couple days, so it was good.
JENNIFER KUPCHO: Yeah, I mean, I agreed. I think especially in alternate shot, I’ve always found that if I read the putt, if the person misses, whoever it is, I have a better read on the comeback. So I just really like to stay in it and kind of keep my head in it, and that’s why I also read putts while he’s putting as well.
