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UL INTERNATIONAL CROWN


July 19, 2016


Charley Hull

Jodi Ewart Shadoff

Holly Clyburn

Melissa Reid


Chicago, Illinois

KRAIG KANN: Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome again to the 2016 UL International Crown. There are two teams, two countries represented here this week that were not a part of the inaugural UL International Crown back in 2014, and one of them is here right now. That is team England, who has qualified thanks to the likes of Holly Clyburn. We've got Charley Hull, Mel Reid, and Jodi Ewart Shadoff. First off congrats on being in the event. You are in Pool B with the United States, Japan and Thailand. Talk about the opening day and maybe the importance of that in just a bit, but I want to get some opening thoughts. Talk about qualifying to be a part of this event. Charlie, you first. You've played in a Solheim Cup. What is this like for you? I know it's only been a day or so.

CHARLEY HULL: Well, I was really looking forward to it because it kind of reminds me of being back in amateur golf playing for the European Team Championships or something like that. So you have a lot of fun, and especially Solheim, as well. You have great fun during team events because it's so individual, golf is, and we play like two events now, one each year as a team. It's great fun. I really enjoy it.

MELISSA REID: Yeah, I think that golf should have more match play events in my opinion. We really enjoy it, and we kind of all grew up together, playing with each other in a lot of match play situations.

Yeah, I miss match play. Obviously Solheim Cup is a highlight every two years for us guys, but I wish there was some match play events in golf, really.

KRAIG KANN: Jodi, you've had a really good year this year and kind of climbed the ranks to help your team qualify and to be a part of this. What does this mean personally to be here with your teammates this week?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, I mean, it's already been a really fun week. Solheim has definitely been a highlight for me, so to be back in a match play situation with these guys, it's going to be really fun, and I think even just today, we bonded so well as a team, I think we have a really good chance.

KRAIG KANN: Holly, what are your thoughts? This is early days for you on the LPGA, and now something like this, which has to be a thrill. What do you think?

HOLLY CLYBURN: Yeah, like you said, it is a thrill, and it is early days, but yeah, it's fantastic, and I couldn't have asked for three better women by my side.

KRAIG KANN: Mel, this event is different than Solheim Cup because you're not playing with continental Europe. There are four from Team England here. This is a different type of dynamic. What does it feel like just to be a part of one country here?

MELISSA REID: Yeah, I mean, you're extremely proud. I'm very patriotic myself. I've represented Europe, like you said, but to represent my country of England where I'm from is a huge honor for me.

Like Holly said, I couldn't ask for three other girls that I get on really well with, and obviously three great players, as well, on either side of me.

Yeah, it's going to be a really fun week, and that's kind of our aim for the week is to have a lot of fun and hopefully play well and shock a couple of teams hopefully or a couple of countries. Yeah, I'm just very, very proud to be representing England this week.

KRAIG KANN: Jodi, about the format, there's a lot of difference in this versus playing in a Solheim Cup. Points accumulate during the week. You're in pool play and you've got to get out of that just to get to Sunday to have a chance to win this. Does that intrigue you? Do you like that aspect of it?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, I've always loved match play, and I think everybody here really thrives on the match play competition. Every day is going to be hard. Everyone has to play their own game and just fight for their own points.

Q. I think if you polled everybody that's in the media center right now, you guys would be the dark horse favorite because of your match play experience and because of the fact that you have played in these international competitions as England before. But the one difference here is you don't have a captain, it's just the four of you out here together. Who's going to be making the decisions and who is already gelling as the team leader here?
MELISSA REID: We have no idea. We just kind of go on with it, really, to be honest.

HOLLY CLYBURN: All four of us are captains.

MELISSA REID: Yeah, we're pretty easy going to be fair. With the pairings and stuff, we've been pretty easy going.

Yeah, there's no massive egos in this team, which I think is also a huge bonus. But yeah, I mean, it's just -- we just enjoy each other's company. We had a practice round today, and I'm sure we'll just -- I don't know, just keep having fun. That's just all it's about, really. Yeah, we are the dark horses. I wouldn't say that we weren't. We are. We understand that. We understand that we're not favorites, but hopefully we can, like I said before, shock a couple of teams.

We have got a lot of match play experience, and that's probably something that's certainly on our side.

KRAIG KANN: I have it on very good authority that we even struggled to find a spokesperson for tonight's gala from Team England because nobody wanted to raise their hand and jump forward to do that. Mel, you took part in media day. Jodi and Holly, you actually also took part in Arkansas in promoting this event. I know Team England wasn't a part of this in 2014, but how has the conversation changed in two years' time about this event, the UL International Crown, people talking about it, wanting to qualify, all that sort of stuff? What have you heard and how big is it to you, Holly?

HOLLY CLYBURN: It's a big opportunity to be here, and for England to be here, it's massive. You've got so many players out here very highly ranked, and for all four of us to be here is massive.

It definitely is a word on the street, and if we can carry that on from this week and then for two years' time, it will be fantastic, and we can be there it will be more better.

KRAIG KANN: You're the No. 7 seed. I'm trusting you wanted to be a part of this event. I know some of the countries that aren't here, some of the players would come up at the end of a tournament and go, where did so and so finish. Was that something that was on your mind?

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, it was great. Like I was thinking about it, and I think it was at ANA this year, talking to my caddie about it, and Holly had a good week the week before at the Kia, bumped us up. I'm really pleased for her and I'm buzzing for it. I just enjoy the four players I'm with. I was listening on the golf course today, all the banter flying around, and it's great fun. I think all four of us have got similar games, and I know that -- there was a bit of clowning on the golf course, so she can joke around and have a few drinks with, so I'm looking forward to the whole week, so it'll be fun.

KRAIG KANN: Mel, you were at the media day. You got to see the buzz here in Chicago. That was just one event among the publicity tour that we've done. What did you sense about coming here to Chicago?

MELISSA REID: It was certainly a big buzz for Thailand during that day. It's huge. There's been a lot of effort, a lot of preparation that's gone into this event. The golf course looks fantastic, the grandstands, everything about it is amazing. Like Holly said, it's a huge opportunity for us. We're quite a small nation to a certain degree compared to a lot of other nations that are here, and we should all be very, very proud of ourselves for being in this team.

Yeah, we're very excited. There's been a lot of publicity about it, a lot of talk about it this year, and it's nice that it's finally here.

Q. Do you guys have much of a rivalry with the Americans? Is there anyone you want to take down?
KRAIG KANN: That is the Day 1 match-up on Thursday.

HOLLY CLYBURN: Yeah, it's a big day, I suppose, and it will be the talk of the press and the TV for Thursday because it's probably one of the biggest games out there first out. Is it a rivalry? Yeah. I think it's going to be a fun game, and we'll just see what the outcome is at the end of the day.

MELISSA REID: We told Jodi that she's got to get rid of her little American twang. She's got an American husband, so that needs to go away straight away so we've given her some Yorkshire lessons.

KRAIG KANN: What are your thoughts on playing Team USA right out of the chute?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: It's going to be tough for sure. All four players are playing really well, but again, it's match play, and all four of us thrive on match play situations. I think there will be a lot of birdies, and yeah, I think it's going to be fun. But I do think that the U.S. is probably going to be the hardest day.

Q. I'm curious when you all first started playing together for Team England. Do you know around what age that was?
MELISSA REID: Well, I've known Jodi since I was about 12 or 13. I've known Holly since, what, 17, 18? Charlie wasn't probably born then, so I've only known Charlie for about six or seven years I would say. But yeah, Jodi is the one that I've known the longest. We used to play foursomes and four-balls together growing up. We've known each other for a long time, all four of us.

Q. Was there any sort of extra motivation to get here given that Spain won this the last time, fellow European players? Did you watch?
HOLLY CLYBURN: Did we watch? A little bit. Motivation because Team Spain are not here or because --

Q. No, because you guys usually compete alongside them in the Solheim Cup.
HOLLY CLYBURN: Oh, in the European Championships, et cetera? Yeah, I think when I was playing amateur golf for Team England, Spain were the team to beat. They were always strong, and they still are strong. Even last week England took them down in the European Championships.

I think it spurs you on as much as possible.

Q. You obviously go week to week competing against each other. What's it like shifting your mindset to now playing alongside the people you usually compete directly against, joking around, having fun? What kind of mindset shift does that require?
CHARLEY HULL: I don't know really. Like I get on well with these guys anyway. I kind of -- sometimes I hang around with one or the other and have a practice round or whatever. It's good fun, but I feel like our mindsets are pretty similar, so it's easy to bond. It is kind of interesting how we are playing against each other all the time but now to be a team. But I think because of the experience from playing in England when we were younger as amateur, it's easier for us to bond.

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, I think like Charlie said, the fact that we have so much experience playing together over the last 15 years or so, it's very easy to be a team. At the end of the day, we're playing four-balls, so we're playing our own ball, our own game, and it's a lot different than having to play foursomes where you're doing alternate-shot. Mindset doesn't really change for me at least.

KRAIG KANN: Mel, what would it mean for Team England to have a crown each, four on this table and then the big trophy, as well?

CHARLEY HULL: Do you get a real crown?

MELISSA REID: Well, I'll probably wear it to the British Open next week to be honest, just on the first tee. It would be huge for us. We would probably do the standard English thing, have a massive celebration on the plane.

But yeah, you know, it would just be huge for us. We know that we're probably one of the underdogs, and everyone likes an underdog to win. Hopefully we'll have a little bit of support out there, and yeah, it would just be fantastic for us. We'd all celebrate like any English would, I guess, just be very proud of ourselves.

KRAIG KANN: And to the point that was made with next week being the Ricoh Women's British Open, to hop off an airplane wearing your little crowns, Holly, what do you think?

HOLLY CLYBURN: Yeah, it would be pretty awesome really. I'll be driving with it on my head and people will be down the motorway wondering what the heck is going on.

KRAIG KANN: Good luck. Have a great afternoon, and thanks for coming in.

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