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THE EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

September 14, 2016

Ariya Jutanugarn

Evian-les-Bains, France

THE MODERATOR: It is my pleasure to welcome in the Rolex Rankings No. 2 player in the world, Ariya Jutanugarn. Ariya, welcome back to Evian. Just got done with the pro-am. Give us your initial thoughts on the course, the setup. We'll get right to it.

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: I mean, this year I think the course is a little bit more firm than last year, and to me this course is always really narrow and the greens is like really small, but it's really, really challenge, the greens are really hard, really tricky. Really hard to read the greens, too.

THE MODERATOR: Every week it's a little bit of drama, does Ariya have the driver in the bag. Have you been playing with the driver or do you have any plans to use it?

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: I tried to hit driver on Monday but I'm not really feel comfortable because this course is really narrow and it's not that long to me to hit driver, so no driver this week.

THE MODERATOR: Let's talk about your season a little bit: Five wins, six additional top 10s. I know you kind of just go week by week, but coming into this final stretch of the year, have you been able to sit back and enjoy the success that you've had? Have you been able to really reflect at all?

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: Yeah, I did. I really enjoyed not only the tournaments I win, but to me I can enjoy like every tournament because I think I'm lucky I travel with my mom and my sister so we can have fun and enjoy like any time.

THE MODERATOR: Some people say when you're playing your best, you're unstoppable, you can't be beat. Do you feel that way, when your game is all on, do you feel like you have a chance at winning every week?

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: When I start to play good, I didn't worry or feel I want to win. The only key to me on the course is I really want to be happy, with my caddie, with all the fans, spectators, with the players I play with.

THE MODERATOR: That's the recipe for success?

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: Yep.

Q. I saw your knee was still taped up. How is it feeling?
ARIYA JUTANUGARN: It's getting a lot better after the Olympics. I still have pain sometimes when it gets really tight, but it's a lot better.

Q. How cool has it been, I know we talk a lot about the competitive and friendly rivalry between you, Lydia, Brooke, you guys are one, two, three in the world right now; how cool is that to be a part of something, you being the oldest one at 20 years old? How cool is that to be top three in the world with girls that are doing stuff at quite a remarkable young age?
ARIYA JUTANUGARN: To me it's very cool. It's been like this when we were juniors because we played together, Lydia used to be No. 1, I'm second, and Brooke used to play really good. To me it's just like junior golf again, but we're professionals and we can have fun and make some money, so that's more fun.

Q. Your strategy out here, how often are you hitting 2-iron off the tee? I know you don't always hit 2-iron, but what's the --
ARIYA JUTANUGARN: This week?

Q. Yeah, this week.
ARIYA JUTANUGARN: I think I hit it maybe like five times because some holes I can't even hit 2-iron, so I have to hit like 3-iron.

Q. So how many times did you try driver on Monday, how many holes?
ARIYA JUTANUGARN: On every I don't want to hit driver, but my caddie told me to hit driver, so when I got up on the tee, he's like, hit driver, so I hit like three times on par-5s.

Q. Just the par-5s?
ARIYA JUTANUGARN: Yeah.

Q. Were you not comfortable? Were you not hitting the fairway? Were you hitting it through the fairway? Why did you decide --
ARIYA JUTANUGARN: I think it was pretty good. I hit all of them in the fairway. But to me even if I bring my driver, I'm going to have a big gap between 5-iron and 3-iron, so to me it just feels like more comfortable to have all the irons, 4-iron, 3-iron, no big gap.

Q. Can you reach the par-5s without driver?
ARIYA JUTANUGARN: Yes.

Q. Most people of your age absolutely love walloping a driver. Do you not get that pleasure out of hitting a drive at full stretch?
ARIYA JUTANUGARN: I don't really feel anything because like par-5s, this course, I can reach with my 3-wood off the tee every hole, and I'm not feel like I want to hit driver.

Q. As a child you'd have wanted to hit miles past everyone else in the junior game, wouldn't you? Did you enjoy it then, hitting a driver?
ARIYA JUTANUGARN: Yeah, I still enjoy hit driver, but there's no need on this course and some other course, too.

THE MODERATOR: It's a matter of being smarter?

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: Yeah.

THE MODERATOR: I think I know the answer but I'm going to ask you. You're up in the running, up against Lydia for Player of the Year, some of the end-of-the-year awards. The Rolex Annika Major Award could be decided this week. I know you're probably thinking, don't think about them, but those have to be some pretty nice incentives to play well.

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: Yeah, before this week I'm thinking about that a little bit. Of course I want to win like Annika Rolex award. I want to be Player of the Year. But on top of that, I think if I can have fun and be happy on the course, that's the most important right now, and I think I can have like a good outcome when I can be happy on the course.

Q. Could you have imagined last year thinking, okay, at Evian I could be going into the Rolex Annika Major Award the last week as a finalist? Could you have ever imagined that last year?
ARIYA JUTANUGARN: Last year?

Q. I'm saying last year you couldn't have imagined being up for that award.
ARIYA JUTANUGARN: Oh, no.

Q. What's the reaction been back home since you won the British and all your success this year?
ARIYA JUTANUGARN: What reaction? I think they got really excited because I'm the first one win the Ricoh Women's British Open, the first major, and I think they're really excited and really proud of not only me but all the Thai players because right now all the Thai players getting a lot better, we're getting top 10s, they play like a lot better than before.

Q. How many of the Asian events are you going to play, and will you add more to your schedule if the race is tight for all of those awards going into CME?
ARIYA JUTANUGARN: I'm going to play five of them, so right now I'm going to skip Taiwan.

Q. Is there one award that means more to you than any of the rest, one of the year-end awards?
THE MODERATOR: Like Player of the Year, Vare Trophy, race to CME Globe.

Q. Is there one you want the most?
ARIYA JUTANUGARN: I want to be Player of the Year.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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