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ANA INSPIRATION

April 2, 2015

Charley Hull

RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: We welcome Charley Hull to the interview room. Charley, 2-under for today, tied for the lead. Solid round out there. Not a lot of low scores. Take us through that stretch, three consecutive birdies through the middle of the round, that had to kick start something for you.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I had a fast start on 18, which was my 9th hole. I had a pretty good shot into the green, and then I holed it pretty straight for a ten-footer. And then on 1, I hit it pretty close with a wedge, and reached a par-5 -- well, a yard off the green for the 2nd hole, so that kind of got me started around there. I could have holed a few more putts coming in, but I didn't, and then I bogeyed the last because I hit a bad shot into the bunker. But I'm pretty happy with that round as well, because I didn't get here until Monday night 10 o'clock, so I'm starting to get the feel of the golf course now.

THE MODERATOR: Your third appearance here this year. You played super well last year. Is this a course that you get so much more comfortable with every time you play it?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it's amazing because I first played this competition three years ago, and it was my first ever pro event and it was a major, and I was an amateur at the time because I had an invite. I played a pretty good first round, and I finished like 30-something in the end. So it was pretty good. Then coming back last year was a lot of fun. Yeah, I do like this golf course. Who wouldn't? The atmosphere around here is beautiful with the mountains and everything.

THE MODERATOR: Does this course suit your game? I know you're super aggressive, long bomber. What about this course do you like the most?

CHARLEY HULL: I just like, I don't know. I like everything. I like the way it's laid out. I like the greens because usually on a Sunday they get really quick, so you've got to be in the right positions on the green. So it's good if you can stop the ball also because they can roll on coming on to the green. So if you spin it coming into the greens, you have a good chance for birdies.

THE MODERATOR: Now you're splitting time between LET and LPGA with conditional status. How important was it to continue? You've opinion playing well on the LET, to come into this event and play well on this event? How important was that to you?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, definitely. Last week I had to play Morocco because I was defending. I wasn't feeling very well the first couple rounds, but I managed to squeeze into the top 10 again. And this season I've been playing pretty well. Even the LPGA event I played in Australia, I finished top 10 there. So I've had some good form coming into this week. I changed my swing coach at the beginning of January, so I'm pretty happy with the swing changes that we've made.

THE MODERATOR: Who is your new coach?

CHARLEY HULL: Matt Belsham. He teaches a few players on the Men's European Tour, so it's pretty good.

Q. Last year at this event you charged a lot of putts by the hole, and ultimately that ended up costing you in the end. Have you become a little more of a lag putter in the last year? In particularly as you say, the greens speed up on Sunday. What is going to be your approach?
CHARLEY HULL: I actually didn't realize I bombed a lot of putts by, but I probably did looking back on it. But, yeah, I'm probably still the same putter. Again, I left a few actually short. But, yeah, I've matured since last year quite a lot. So, yeah, hopefully just be patient on these greens.

Q. Third shot into 18, were you ever concerned about that just spinning back a little too far?
CHARLEY HULL: On the actual 18th hole?

Q. Yeah.
CHARLEY HULL: I hit it past the pin quite a bit and it had come back, and I thought, oh, I've got a couple of feet. It rolled back a couple bit more, and I was like, uh-oh, but it stopped. I was a little bit nervous when I see it spinning back past the pin. But I hit a good putt as well. So I walked off that hole with a birdie.

Q. When you teed off on 10, the wind was probably at its worst right then. How was that in those conditions?
CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it was windy. The tee shot was actually quite tricky because it was down off the right, and there were some trees, about 20 yards off the tee box that hang over. So you've got to stay left of them and kind of fade it into the wind. But I was pretty happy with the way I hit that shot.

Q. I was just curious what made you change swing coaches, and what you guys have worked on that's clicking?
CHARLEY HULL: Because it just didn't feel like I was hitting it that good towards the end of last year. I was just scrambling very well, and so I felt like it was time for a change, but I'm working on it. I've changed quite a bit of stuff like my set-up, my back swing. When I come down for impact and my finish, it probably doesn't look all that different, but it does look different, but it doesn't look completely different. But it does feel a lot different, and it's still a work in progress. It's going to take me a little while to change it completely.

Q. What has it done? In what ways are you impressed by it?
CHARLEY HULL: I feel like I've compressed my irons a lot more. I feel like I've got a good club and a half out of my irons longer, and I feel like I'm hitting my driver with a lot better touch. Yeah, I just feel more compact, my swing does.

Q. Is this venue the most comfortable you are in the U.S.? Is it your favorite place to play?
CHARLEY HULL: I think so because it's my first tournament as an amateur playing a pro event here three years ago. So it almost feels a bit like home in a way to my pro career or playing in a pro tournaments.

Q. What was the biggest challenge for you today? You mentioned the winds earlier. How different were the two nines in that regard?
CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, to start with it was tricky because of that wind. I felt like putting, some holes down hill, downwind was a lot tricky, very tricky. But I think the front nine, which was -- the back nine which I played first, the first few open holes, they were hard, but it was towards the later part of my round where the wind kept changing like the last few holes I just played. So as well that was a bit tricky as well, depending on which club to hit. Like half 8-iron or a full one. It was quite tricky.

Q. Was that the biggest challenge today for you?
CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I think it was. That's what I reckon it was, the wind.

THE MODERATOR: I know you've won on the LET. Coming on the LPGA you want full status and you want to be out here. You've said that before. What would it mean to come in here and win your first major at this venue?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it would be amazing, but, again, one step at a time.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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