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SHOPRITE LPGA CLASSIC PRESENTED BY ACERMay 28, 2015Minjee LeeGALLOWAY, NEW JERSEY Q. What's it like coming into this week after the results of two weeks ago? MINJEE LEE: Well, we had a week break, so I'm kind of toned down a little bit after last week, because I just kind of showed last week, and nothing was too hectic. I don't feel like much is different. I just feel like I'm still doing the same things, and I'm still going to work hard. And so nothing is really different. It's just I got a title to my name now. Q. When you came out here, what were your expectations? Did you think you had a chance to be so successful so quick? I mean were you just taking it as it comes? I mean just what were your feelings about how this would go basically? MINJEE LEE: Well, at the start of the year I was just like, oh, I got on tour, so I just want to learn and just take in the experience. I wasn't really expecting much. I just kind of wanted to just play and just get into the swing of things. Yeah. Q. There's so many good young players like yourself out there now, so many good ones having good years like yourself. Do you take any confidence from them, they've done it; I can do it too or‑‑ MINJEE LEE: You know, I don't think it's that confidence. I think it's a different word, like you kind of get pushed in that way because you want to do well as well. So I don't think it's like‑‑ Q. Motivated sort of? MINJEE LEE: Yeah, yeah. Motivated, yeah, to play well because they're doing so well and they're rookies as well. Q. All right. And lastly, when did you start thinking about turning pro or joining the tour? Was it 12, 13, 14 or was it one specific event? When did this sort of become realistic? MINJEE LEE: Like turning pro? Q. Yeah, or coming and joining the LPGA? MINJEE LEE: Or my decision to turn pro? Q. Right. MINJEE LEE: After the world am, or before the world am, I was like, with my coach, I think after the world am would be a good time to turn pro, and like we spoke all, I mean with golf Australia as well, and we just kind of discussed it and I was like, oh, yeah, it would be a good time to turn pro, and if I get into Evian, it will be such a good way to start my debut. So yeah, just‑‑ it was a really good timing because Australia won the world am. So it was just a really good time to turn pro. Q. And lastly, what's been the biggest adjustment? What's harder? Is it the golf or is it the travel, managing your time? Is it the on‑the‑course stuff or off the course stuff that's been the adjustment? MINJEE LEE: I think because I was already traveling last year and I kind of got the feel for how much you have to pack and unpack and how many hours you have to go and stuff like that. I think it's more like mentally playing out here week in, week out, because all the girls are so good, so you just have to mentally adjust. Even if one week is not your week, then the next week it could be your week. So just getting your head around that and just playing. Q. Have you ever had a stretch as good as that Back 9 on Sunday? MINJEE LEE: I think so, like when I was an amateur. I haven't really had that much time as a pro yet. Q. What was different about your game last week? You've had a great rookie year all year, but now being in contention on the weekend. What was different two weeks ago? MINJEE LEE: I think the first two rounds I like set myself up really well, and then the third round I wasn't‑‑ like for the fourth round I wasn't ahead. So I was behind, and I just‑‑ I don't know.  I just kind of played. Like I didn't really think about the lead. I was just‑‑ I was just like playing. I wasn't thinking about it. And normally I'm like, oh, I might make the cut here. Like it was just a weird mentality that I had that I've never had before. So it was kind of‑‑ I just kind of changed the way I thought. I was like, I'm out here because I'm good enough. So yeah, just kind of a different thought process, and I just played without much thought. I just played golf. Q. Where does that make you better? Is that striking the ball or is that putting? Where is that? MINJEE LEE: I think just like committing to each shot. And I like played all the shots that I wanted to play. Like even if it was a little off, I was still okay. Yeah, just my putting was crazy. I don't know. I don't know what happened there. Q. At what point did you know you were in the lead? MINJEE LEE: I saw the leaderboard on‑‑ what's that hole? Just before the par‑5. Q. Okay. Before you made the eagle? MINJEE LEE: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I saw the leaderboard that hole, because there was no leaderboard on the par‑3 or the hole before that. So I was just, oh, I'll be pretty close. I knew it was like 13 or something then. And then I made the eagle. So I was like, oh, I'll be ahead then. Q. Was that pretty surreal for it to be against Alison, too? I know you competed against each other in amateurs, and to look over and see her as the one kind of battling you there on the Back 9? MINJEE LEE: I mean, yeah, I got to play with her on the third day. So that was pretty cool. Like we haven't played together in so long, since the U.S. Girls. So Alison was like, I haven't played with you in so long. And I was like, yeah, I know. But yeah, I mean I have a good rivalry with her, but you have a good rivalry with all the girls out here. You want to be the one who comes out on top. It's pretty much the same with everyone than with Alison. Q. I know you played golf and amateur golf with Lydia, Brooke, Hyo Joo. Who was the biggest rival kind of coming up? MINJEE LEE: I mean Lydia was always like the person to beat, like we wanted to beat Lydia, because she was like at a lot of the events that I was at, and the‑‑ I didn't really meet Hyo Joo until the World Am in Turkey, which was like, I don't know, a couple of years back. And she turned pro like after that. So I didn't play with her at all pretty much. And Brooke, she‑‑ I didn't know her very well. Like she was a bit younger than me. Q.  And to World Am last year; is that right? MINJEE LEE: World Am, and just before that I think she played like the U.S. Am or something like that. I'm not sure. Q. Was that a relief not to have to open qualify? MINJEE LEE: Oh, yeah. I mean I wasn't going to‑‑ I didn't want to get up and play the six holes the day after. So yeah, it was‑‑ Q. Instead, you only had to play two. MINJEE LEE: I know. Yeah, no, it was good. I mean I didn't want to do it even when I was practicing for it. So. Q. Did you get to do anything fun to celebrate your win? MINJEE LEE: We went to‑‑ not really, because all the girls were back home. I went to watch Pitch Perfect. So it was good. Q. That's a good way to celebrate. MINJEE LEE: Yeah. And then I just had a lot of food. And like I said, I was going to buy lots of food. Q. Any big purchases now that you're a winner on tour? MINJEE LEE: No, not yet. I haven't really had time to shop. And I was in Maryland and I don't think it was a good shopping area. Q. Okay. Is there something you've got picked out, though, as what might be your first purchase? MINJEE LEE: I mean I was going to buy a dress, but yeah, I didn't feel like going shopping because I don't really like shopping. Q. No cars or anything? MINJEE LEE: Cars? No, I actually have a car at home, which will probably go to my brother, but I don't know. Q. I know Karrie tweeted that she was disappointed she couldn't be there on Sunday. Have you chatted with her since? MINJEE LEE: Oh, yeah. She was here, so I spoke to her in dining a couple of days ago. So yeah, no, she's really happy for me, and yeah. Q. Where is your home base in the U.S.? MINJEE LEE: Oh, I don't have one yet. Q. Don't have one yet? MINJEE LEE: No. Q. So what are you doing? On an off‑week, where do you go? MINJEE LEE: Just shooting around, going places early on. Or just going to my friends' places. Yeah, just people that we know, if it's on the way. Yeah. Q. Is that difficult, feeling like you don't have like a home base to settle down in on that off week? MINJEE LEE: No, not really. I mean sometimes I want to go home, but it's just unrealistic. Yeah, so I just like to‑‑ I mean I see places and feel like I'm kind of in my gap here just going places and not actually having a home. I do have a home, but it's different. Q. It's a unique kind of gap year. It's playing professional golf and touring the country. MINJEE LEE: Exactly. Q. Any congratulatory messages that like stand out, from back home maybe or celebrities or anything? MINJEE LEE: I don't know if Arnold Palmer does it for everyone, but like he wrote me a letter and emailed is to me. So that was nice. Q. That's very cool. MINJEE LEE: And do you know Matthew Pavlich? Q. I don't think so. MINJEE LEE: He's a really‑‑ he's famous in Australia. AFL is not anywhere else except for Australia. So he sent me a message saying well done. And I know the Dockers are doing really, really well right now. So some great stuff for them. That's my team, because I'm from Fremantle. Yeah, just like all my friends, and I think that is more special than someone that I don't really know. Although I appreciate like the messages that I got from []Pav and Arnold. Q. Is this course at all similar to Kingsmill? It's not one of the longer tracks on tour? MINJEE LEE: It's very different. I mean it's flat and you can't really see like the‑‑ you can't really pick out a spot to hit it at. It's open but it's not open. And it's really‑‑ it's quite windy. I mean Kingsmill wasn't too bad, not too many times of wind. Yeah, it's a little bit different feel. It's a three‑day event that I don't know if you get that often. Q. Three times a year. That's it. MINJEE LEE: Yeah. Okay. I haven't played many three‑round events. Q. Does that change anything going into it? MINJEE LEE: I don't think so. It's still like two days and the cut. It's pretty much the same. I guess you can‑‑ it will help you to have good scores at the start of the week than more towards the end of the week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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