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Kentuckian Emma Talley will be playing in the Marathon Classic in Toledo — where she has had great success the last three years — starting today coming off an impressive fourth-place finish last week. It was her best performance of the season on the LPGA Tour capped off by a career-best 8-under par 63 in the final round.
Talley talked about her game, coaches, expectations, and more at Wednesday’s press conference:
CHRISTINA LANCE: All right, here with Emma Talley at the Marathon LPGA Classic. Last time we talked to you was off a 63 last week in Dallas, career low. You had opened the week with a 65. You got your usual big smile on your face, but it’s even bigger. How are you right now?
EMMA TALLEY: Yeah, when you asked me to come interview I was so excited because I haven’t been in this spot in a long time. I started well last week and finished really well. The middle two rounds were so-so, but my dad was like, This was the first time I’ve heard you be upset about shooting even par.
Yeah, I feel back to myself again. I’m hitting the ball really well and can’t wait for this week.
CHRISTINA LANCE: You and I were just catching up about what life has been like for the last two, three years since rookie season. If you don’t mind telling us, you had a great rookie year. Things derailed a little but you are figuring out. What’s your journey been over the last few years?
EMMA TALLEY: Yeah, I think when I turned pro I had also been successful as an amateur and then was successful on the Symetra Tour and then came out my rookie year and played really well, but I didn’t win my rookie year. So I think I started having a bit of wandering eyes and kind of questioning my process and what I was doing, and I changed up a lot things.
My long-time coach since I was nine years old, we split for about a year and a half. I tried some other things, I tried — I changed golf balls. I did everything you’re not supposed to do, and what got me here.
And then in December, I went back to my coach and he looked at me and he was like, What are you doing? So I been working really hard. The last six months I’ve been working as hard as I’ve ever worked before. At one point a couple months ago I was like, Man, I don’t know if I can keep doing this and not seeing results. I kept telling my dad, It’s there. I don’t know when the results will come. And then finally it did.
It couldn’t have been at better time because it got me into a few tournaments upcoming. It was really a blessing. I had no idea that last week was an option to qualify into tournaments and it was.
CHRISTINA LANCE: What have you been working on and what’s the name of your coach?
EMMA TALLEY: So I’ve had added a few people to my team but also gone back to my roots. I took — my swing lessons are from a guy called Todd Tremble in Paducah, Kentucky. I’ve been with him for now forever minus two years. All my success has been with him, so shout timeout Todd.
And then Barry is also in Paducah, Kentucky and I been practicing with him with my putting. And Gareth Raflewski, he is kind of a new guy on my team, and then I actually hired a sports psychologist in October, which has been huge for me getting back to my roots. His name is Paul Dewland out of Orlando, Florida. He’s like completely changed who I am in a good way.
I had never known that I needed at sports psychologist, and honestly he’s been my therapist a lot, too. It’s nice to have someone to talk to that with help you. I been really working on my mental game the past six, eight months some he’s been a huge addition.
CHRISTINA LANCE: The mental game, the physical side, you mentioned you changed golf balls, changed clubs, you changed everything. Are you back to normal?
EMMA TALLEY: Yeah, so actually I’m back to myself. Like I said, everything feels really good at the moment. I’m just excited for this week and the rest of the season.
CHRISTINA LANCE: The good finish last week you mentioned jumped you the priority list or up the CME points and got you into Evian, so that did make that quick stop back in Nashville good, right?
EMMA TALLEY: Yes. I actually didn’t even expect — I had a flight home on Sunday night just because. There weren’t that great of flights coming here from Dallas. I love my bed I’ve decided in Nashville, and I don’t get to go back. I was like, Oh, I’ll just make a pit stop. Luckily enough I did because I didn’t have any warm clothes, so I got to repack my bags. Even though I only got five hours of sleep it was a good five hours.
