JM EAGLE LA CHAMPIONSHIP MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 27, 2023

Linnea Johansson

Quick Quotes

Q. What a day, 7-under bogey free here at Wilshire Country Club. Had a lot of birdies on the card. Tell me about your round and what was working so well.

LINNEA JOHANSSON: I mean, obviously a great day, great round. Played fearless golf today and really went after a lot of pins and managed to hit them very close and roll in the putts. I actually managed to roll in the longer ones more than the shorter ones. It was just a great day all-around.

Q. What did you work on ahead of today that helped you with your putting out here? I know these greens are tricky.

LINNEA JOHANSSON: So I didn't play last week, so I got a week to really work on my game and really, really grind. So I've been working a lot on my swing and trying to get a little bit more consistent ball flight, and I think that was very helpful today because I was able to attack a little bit more of the pins out there and give myself chances. The greens can be tricky, a lot going on, but I managed to read them and match the speed today, and they dropped for me.

Q. We've seen you not at your best the last couple years, but you've been playing some solid golf and finding your stride this season. How cool is it to get a good round under your belt at a golf course that doesn't play easy?

LINNEA JOHANSSON: Yeah, obviously it's been a little ride for me the past couple of years, struggling a little bit out here. The girls are good. It's the best players in the world, so it should be tough, and so it is. It's tough for everybody.

But days when it clicks and when you really hit the shots that you want and manage to roll putts in, that's the days you really enjoy it a little bit more, and it's competitive out here, but starting off the tournament here like this, it's great.

Q. We always love watching you play well. What are some of the things -- maybe not putting specific but ball-striking specific that you've been working on that really showed up today?

LINNEA JOHANSSON: I mean, pretty much working a little bit on my contact with the ball and just trying to get a little bit better contact and a little bit more consistent ball flight so it doesn't leak both directions for me, so I kind of can rely on one thing. Been working a lot on that the past week, and clearly it's been helping me today, giving me a little bit more confidence.

Q. Are you a high-ball hitter, low-ball hitter, and do you hit a fade or a draw?

LINNEA JOHANSSON: I like to hit a little bit of a draw and like to hit it a little bit higher. Working on that, and keeping that consistent. But sometimes it goes a little bit lower than I want and I miss it both ways. But today was better.

Q. Tell me about the driver; hit 14 of 14 fairways out there, perfect in that regard. What was working well with the driver?

LINNEA JOHANSSON: I was making good decisions out there, clear targets, and just swinging it away, picking my line. This is the line we're going, and I was just swinging my best all day. I said on my 17th hole, which was the 17th hole of the day, it's like, I think I hit all the fairways today, and my caddie goes, yes, but the job is not done yet. Then I hit the last hole, too, so it was great.

Q. What did you learn today that you'll carry with you as you look ahead?

LINNEA JOHANSSON: I mean, you just have to stay patient out here. If you start to miss you can get some tricky short game shots and you can get some tricky putts. That will happen, too. We have a lot of golf left, three more rounds to play. You've just got to stay patient and keep doing what I'm doing because clearly it's been working. But tomorrow is a new day. You never know what you're going to get tomorrow. You never know if the swing might not be there tomorrow as it is today. The only thing I can do is just rely on what I did today, and hopefully I can have it with me for the next three days.