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U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 9, 2016

Brittany Lang

San Martin, California

Brittany Lang.

Q. Great day out there.
BRITTANY LANG: Thank you.

Q. Was one aspect of the game that was better than most or overall?
BRITTANY LANG: You know, playing in the mornings here is definitely -- I mean, my tee time was absolutely perfect, because it was not cold when I played, so the ball was going and the greens were softer so you could really score on that front nine to get some momentum.

I did everything pretty well. I made a long putt to get the momentum going on 7 or 6. But played pretty steady. I didn't really do anything stupid. I didn't put myself in any bad spots. I let myself be able to make pars and just have really a comfortable day.

Q. Would you talk about your three rough lies on 18? And also the putt, looked like a difficult side putt. What were the lies like?
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, that rough is really thick. You know, you can get a good lie over there. It's a little bit spotty. You can get a good lie. I definitely didn't have one. I just hit a wedge left of the tree. I hit a little bit too far left. And I actually had a really good lie for my second shot, but it's 140 to the pin and I didn't want to force a 9-iron. So that was kind of why it was such a good day. I knew I had to hit an 8-iron over the green, try to get up and down and I was lucky to do that. The putt wasn't too difficult, it was right-to-left.

Q. Were you worried that the second shot might be headed for the hazard?
BRITTANY LANG: I knew it was going to be okay. It was sitting down so much. I didn't think it was going to go very far. I wasn't trying to hit it that far left, but that rough is pretty thick, it will catch it.

Q. How do you feel about where you stand on the board for tomorrow?
BRITTANY LANG: I haven't seen it, but I figure 4-under, best round of the day is probably up there.

I'm excited to be back into the mix, for sure. After yesterday, that was a tough day yesterday. But like I said, my game is really solid and just hopefully can stick to what I've been doing and have a good Sunday.

Q. Was it harder with the wind? Seemed like the wind was gusting?
BRITTANY LANG: Harder than what?

Q. Yesterday or the day before?
BRITTANY LANG: I played in the afternoon yesterday, and I can't tell you a day I played tougher conditions, so absolutely not. Pretty easy conditions out there.

Q. Did you have a number in mind for today?
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, I thought I was going to shoot 5 or 6 under. I really felt good about it. I thought 9:00 was such a good time. The greens were going to be soft and some of the pins accessible, and I was just playing really good. But I'm very happy with 4-under.

Q. Does this course suit your game, do you think?
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, absolutely. I think I really enjoyed our preparation, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. We had a really nice game plan. I've been playing really good coming into this week, and it's my favorite tournament on the schedule. So, yeah, I think it's a good fit.

Q. What are you going to draw on tomorrow from your past experiences?
BRITTANY LANG: Just have to really stick to my process. I've been here before and I think you really have to just get to work on what you're doing, because if you spend a lot of time thinking about where you're going to finish, you're going to drop down pretty quick. So just really do like I did today, not look at the scoreboard, just -- it's easier said than done. It's hard on Sundays, of course. But I'm just excited to be up there, to be somewhere in the mix. And I'm playing good, so we'll see what happens.

Q. This is your favorite tournament. You've had more top-10s in this major than any other major. What is it you like about U.S. Women's Opens?
BRITTANY LANG: What is it I don't like? I love the USGA. I have a lot of respect for them and how they set a course up and how they run things. They're always really special places. It's my country's major. I just love the way they set the courses up. They can be difficult, they can be easy. It's always changing. It's difficult but it's fair, and I just really like that.

Q. What do you expect tomorrow in terms of conditions and setup?
BRITTANY LANG: I actually haven't really thought about it much. I think the weather is supposed to be good again, and I think we're going about the same time, which I think is a huge advantage not playing in the afternoon, the scores will be a lot higher. But I think they might set it up a little bit easier is my guess. So maybe more aggressive mode than you would normally take in a major, I would guess.

Q. Given your experience in majors and in this major in particular, how does it change when you get to Sunday?
BRITTANY LANG: It changes a lot. Every part of you wants to be pulled to the outcome, to be pulled, oh, wow, wouldn't it be so great to win. And the more you think about that, the quicker you're going to move down the leaderboard. You just have to have a lot of discipline. It's something I'm working on. I've only won once, so obviously I'm not doing a very good job with it. So it will be a good test tomorrow.

Q. You said you don't look at the board during play, but I assume you'll look at it tonight. When you see the names and you see Lydia up there, given how well she's played the last couple of years, what does that mean?
BRITTANY LANG: Lydia is a great player. I'll definitely look at the leaderboard. Yeah, she's so steady. There's so many good players, but she's something else. She's super steady.

But, you know what, it's a U.S. Open, you never know what's going to happen, you just keep working on what got you here, and you never know. It can be tough. She doesn't falter much, but there's a lot of other good players up there.

Q. Would it be helpful to be in the last group or does it matter?
BRITTANY LANG: I think for me I would personally -- I'd be more comfortable not in the final group. But if I happen to fall there, it would be good experience.

Q. What's your favorite memory from Cherry Hill? That was a big week for you.
BRITTANY LANG: Oh, my gosh, yeah. My favorite memory? Probably just being there with my parents and I hadn't really played in many LPGA events, just seeing all the great players on the range. I remember hitting next to Annika and Meg Mallon and all the great players I used to watch. Just thinking I'm playing with these girls, how cool is it seeing them ten feet from me. I was in awe.

It was a beautiful place and I was so nervous all week, but I just did it. Hands were shaking, super nervous, because I'd never played in front of that many people.

But I think the birdie on 17, on Sunday, was pretty special to just be able to pull some shots off and hear the crowds. But that was a great week.

Q. Do you have a rooting section here this week?
BRITTANY LANG: I do. I have my family here. I have my mom, my dad, my brother, and my brother caddies for me, so I have everybody here and it definitely helps.

Q. Was there a hole on the back nine when towards the en of tomorrow will play a key role, you think?
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, depending on what they do with the tee box on 15, you know, because there aren't like a ton of really birdie, birdie holes. And that one, playing downwind you can really make a birdie or an eagle there, you never know, if they move that up. But the back nine is tough. It depends on where they put the pins at. Not really one that comes to mind to say.

Q. If they were to move it up on 5, is that possibly --
BRITTANY LANG: No, I talked about that with Luke, and I don't think it makes sense. I mean, if you can hit an iron and a wedge and get a birdie look, which you will, you're going to hit an iron in the fairway, get a wedge. If you're left, it's not good. If you're long, it's not good. I don't think that's a smart play.

Q. There's not enough reward?
BRITTANY LANG: There's really no reward. I don't think you can hold it. I think it goes over the green and that's not a good spot. You can make a 3 just as easy as you could with the driver play.

Q. Where can you be aggressive with your length?
BRITTANY LANG: I think when you get a wedge in your hand, you know, depending on the wind and the conditions, I think when you get wedges, if we tee off at the same time we did, you can really use some of those slopes, but you can hit it at the pins with wedges and definitely be more aggressive.

Q. I imagine you would be super nervous being a teenager at Cherry Hills. Is Ko's calm something that even impresses fellow pros like yourself?
BRITTANY LANG: You don't know what she's really feeling under there. She looks really calm, but I guarantee she feels the same things we do. She does a better job controlling them. There's no way she's walking down here and she's as calm as she is on the outside. She's feeling the same thing, she just does such a great job controlling it. She gets back to what she's doing, and she just executes and it's impressive.

Q. What everybody strives for?
BRITTANY LANG: Absolutely. She's the master of it, it's unreal.

Q. Would that be intimidating when you look at somebody that doesn't look like they're feeling the heat?
BRITTANY LANG: No, I don't spend a whole time looking at my competitors, so, no, not really. I'll have my hands full tomorrow enough.

Q. Did you attend any U.S. Opens before you played in one?
BRITTANY LANG: To watch? I don't think so, no. Just on TV.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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