U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 20, 2014

Minjee Lee

Q. How was it out there today?
MINJEE LEE: It was okay. I hit it better today. But my -- I didn't putt as good as yesterday. So when I was trying to make up-and-downs it was a little bit more harder. But I'm happy with my 1-over. I think that the pins are playing pretty tough, although some of the tees are up today and you can drive one of the par-4s. But I think that the pins are playing pretty tough.

Q. Yesterday there weren't a lot of red numbers out there. Would you be surprised today to see people going low?
MINJEE LEE: I think it's similar to yesterday. The pins are more of them are up the very back. So if you go a little bit over, then you're all the way down the gully. So I think it's going to be similar and whoever plays smart golf I think they're going to score well.

Q. Do you like your position going into the weekend?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, it is my first and I'm in contention, so I can't ask for anything more, really.

Q. Are you very happy with the way that you're playing right now?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, there's always room for improvement, but I think every day, if I try and go one lower than the score that I've had the previous day, then I'll be doing pretty well.

Q. With two good rounds under your belt, do you feel you have a good chance to be in it on Sunday?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, I think so. I would like to. It depends on tomorrow and just go step-by-step and you can't really get ahead of yourself out here. It will play really tough if you do. So just one shot at a time.

Q. All the amateurs are making good showings out there. What do you think about how the amateurs are doing in the field in general?
MINJEE LEE: I think that a lot of the amateurs are really, really young and, well younger than me, so I think that they're very, very talented and once they get more experience and just go out there and play and get the experience, I think they're going to do really well.

Q. What has it taken to be in contention and, in other words, what have you done consistently to have you near the top?
MINJEE LEE: Just around the greens when I miss them I'm missing them in the right spot so I can, if I need to chip, I can get them to the pin and get it pretty close. So just like making a 4- or 5-footer, that's really important and just chipping well around here.

Q. Is it difficult to get momentum going like getting a birdie and then capitalizing on that?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, around here, I think so. Because you have an easy hole, then you've got a really hard hole, then you kind of got a medium hole. Which can go both ways. So I think it's hard to make birdies in a row here, so just whenever you can, just you got to capitalize on what you can get.

Q. Karrie Webb was telling us yesterday that she still gets very nervous and mentally it's the toughest thing for her, the mental part of the game, especially when you're playing under the kind of pressure that you will in a Major Championship in this kind of a setup. And yet here you are playing in your first, an amateur, and you seem to have such composure out there. You seem like have you a pretty good control on your nerves. Talk about that.
MINJEE LEE: Well, I've never been really like a very nervous person, so I just, when I do get nervous, I try to settle myself down, eat something or just think about something else. So, yeah, just off the tees, everyone's going to get nervous on the first tee, so, yeah, just, I try to keep myself under control.

Q. Do you think that's the key to your success as an amateur, you've had such a great amateur career.
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, I think so. Like just your mental, I think mental is really important in this game. So having a strong mental game is really helpful.

Q. How does it feel to have your name up with Karrie Webb's on the leaderboard?
MINJEE LEE: It's pretty cool. I grew up looking at her as my idol, so it's pretty cool to be up there with her.

Q. She has a program where you came to the U.S. Women's Open the past couple years thanks to her, right?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, yeah. I got the chance to stay with her at the U.S. Open last year. I got to watch with one of my friends who also won the Karrie Webb Series Scholarship. So, yeah, we get to spend a week with her at the Open, which is priceless. It's like the best experience ever. So, yeah, it was good last year.

Q. When was the first time you met her?
MINJEE LEE: Oh, first time I played the Aussie Open we got to play nine holes with her as a practice round, which was a couple years ago.

Q. Do these courses, does this course remind you of anything back at home or anywhere you played previously?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, more of the sand belt in Melbourne. The greens are kind of like that, just around the greens, but it's not the same. It's tougher here. But it kind of is like that. So I think it's helpful that I have played over there.

Q. When you were at the U.S. Open spectating with Karrie, did you look ahead to being here in this arena and competing?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, actually, last year I was, I was having a great time watching, but I was like, I really want to be in the field and playing. So, yeah, I'm happy that I am here and I just want to play my best.

Q. What did you learn from Karrie from watching her and talking to her about playing on the biggest stages in the game?
MINJEE LEE: She's really, really focused and even just in practice and everything, she's like mentally sound. And she's just like really focuses in on what she has to do. So I think that's just kind of what I got most out of her experience.

Q. What was that honor or scholarship that you got? Was it named for her?
MINJEE LEE: The Karrie Webb Series Scholarship.

Q. And what does that do, really?
MINJEE LEE: She gives us some funding through our golf association, Golf Australia, and we just get to spend a week with her at the U.S. Open.

Q. If someone opens up a three or four stroke lead this afternoon on the field, what will that do for you going into the weekend?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, just stick to my game plan. I want to get as close as I can, but --

Q. Hope they come back?
MINJEE LEE: No. Just try and chase them, really. But I'm going to stick to what I've been doing all week. So nothing is going to change.

Q. Clearly, you don't have as much experience as many of the LPGA pros in the field but yet you've competed a long time at a high level. Do you feel like you have the skills to win here?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, I think so. Well, I was quite close at the Aussie Open the beginning of the year and a couple of the other tournaments beginning of the year, so, yeah, I think I have the ability to contend and I think in the future I'll be able to win some tournaments.

Q. How much of a confidence boost was that to contend in those events in Australia?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, it was a big boost. Obviously I can kind of say I can contend now, so, yeah, I think it's a really good confidence booster.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports