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ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT LADIES SCOTTISH OPEN

July 26, 2017

Suzann Pettersen

North Ayrshire, Scotland

MATT HAAS: We're happy to be joined by Suzann Pettersen, Rolex Rankings 23, 15 LPGA wins. How does it feel to be back in Scotland competing in the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open.

SUZANN PETTERSEN: Well, it feels great. I was here two years ago and I remember when I left here, I thought it was a fantastic golf course. It was a fun golf course to play.

I think it's a good preparation for a British Open and I'm very happy that it's also part of the LPGA so you can have a good two-week stretch in Great Britain or in Scotland this year. I think it's a good preparation, but obviously a great golf course. It was fun to watch the guys play here a couple of weeks ago.

Yeah, it will be a fun week.

MATT HAAS: You mentioned a couple of things, that the guys played here a couple weeks ago, and this is the first time that the LPGA has an event in Scotland before the RICOH Women's British Open. What do both of those things mean in terms of growth of the game over here?

SUZANN PETTERSEN: From a player's standpoint, I think it's nice to get two weeks, because I think sometimes it takes more than just a couple days to adapt to links golf, especially coming from the U.S. where everything is quite a different game.

So from a player's standpoint, I think it's an ultimate warm up for our third major -- fourth major. Sorry, we have so many majors. It's our fourth major coming up. That I think is ideal. The LPGA back in the U.K. for a second week, I think it's fantastic to co-sanction with the best of the European players.

I think it's a great challenge for us as much as it's kind of a change of scenery for the U.S. players, as well. I think it's a good mix and I'm sure there's going to be a good display of golf here over the next few days.

Q. Do you leave here a few years ago feeling it was a chance that got away?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: I remember playing on Sunday, it felt like it was the final group that kind of had a chance and when you're in the final group, you haven't have an eye on what's going on. I remember I got to 13 and looked at the leaderboard and thought, where did she come from. What was her name -- Rebecca Artis. She shot, what, 6- or 7-under on Sunday. She played a fantastic last round and deserved the win.

Yeah, I felt like I came awfully close. But the conditions were a little bit different than it has been the last two days. It was more like this. This is more how I remember it.

Q. What do you remember about the challenge of this golf course in particular?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: I think it was quite windy. I thought it was a very tough finishing stretch. The par 3, 16, 17 and obviously 18 was kind of an easier hole coming down the last four holes, but it was a tough finishing stretch, how the wind was then. That's kind of what I remember most.

Q. You mentioned you watched the men a couple of weeks ago. How important was it to have watched that, and it's already decided it's going to Gullane next year, which is after the men's.
SUZANN PETTERSEN: I think it's always fun to watch the men play if it's a course that you know. You can refer a little bit to your own experience and kind of you know the green areas, you know the tee shots. Obviously it's a little different what they say than what they see from where they tee it up from but from that point I think it's fantastic to see.

The guys just played Birkdale and we were there just three years ago. You kind of feel like you know the course very well, and you know the challenge right on the first tee shot. You can refer to kind of what they are facing, which is the fun part to see the best male players playing courses that we play.

Q. How would you rate your game coming into these big two weeks? Is it an up-and-down season?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: Yeah, it's been fairly good for the most part. I've had some good chances. I feel like I've been one round out of a great week a lot of times this year. I've been in contention several times. Just haven't pulled off a great Sunday, which is what you need on the LPGA these days; the girls are so good. So you can't really get away with an average day out of four days. You need four solid rounds.

Coming in here, like I said, you've got to adjust a little to what this kind of golf gives and you get used to not only carrying but where you're going to land it and how much you want to roll and what links golf is all about.

I like this type of golf. Like I said, I prefer to play a couple of weeks here instead of just like a fast week that kind of goes by too quick.

Q. Have you been to Kingsbarns before at all?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: I've never been to Kingsbarns but everyone I've talked to, they are raving about it. So I'm excited to go there next week.

Q. Big year obviously, Solheim Cup, as well. After obviously the palaver of the last one on European soil; quite looking forward to getting back again?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: Yeah, for sure, the two years has gone by fairly quick. Yeah, it's very close now, only what, three, four weeks out. So it's going to be interesting to see what the team will look like on both sides, really.

But I would say still we are a massive underdog, especially on foreign ground, and with the U.S. Team having played fairly good. It will be a very fun challenge. I think Annika has her hands full at this point trying to create the best team possible to try and win that trophy back.

Q. Did Annika talk to you all about the makeup of the team and any of the potential picks at all?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: I think Annika has been fairly open to all potential team members. I think the key to a great team is communication, and that communication has to come from the top to the bottom.

And so far, I think she's been communicating fairly well with all 12, all 15, all potential players that could go to Des Moines in three weeks' time. But yeah, knowing Annika, she's going to be prepared. The way she played golf, she's also preparing as a captain. I think we are in good hands.

Q. Earlier in the year, I think I spoke to you when you were playing in Morocco, you had kind of like this potpourri of golf clubs. Are you settled now on what you're playing with?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: There's been a few changes since Morocco. I'm very happy with what is in my bag at this point. Four weeks ago I changed to Callaway wedges. That's probably been the major change so far.

We just ended up in quite a fortunate situation. We can literally pick whatever you want to play, with Nike obviously pulling out of the golf equipment side. I've kind of taken advantage of that and tested not everything that's out there but a lot, which is important if you can choose from anything you want.

I think it's important to take your time and don't rush into a certain brand or certain clubs and then you feel stuck all of a sudden. I kind of enjoy the freedom so far. So yeah, I've been a little bit of everything. Still a mixture.

Q. Were you able to see any of the final day of The Open at Birkdale?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: Not really. I kind of missed the last nine which was probably the most epic nine holes in major golf ever being displayed. We were traveling here and I got it on social media. But what a comeback from Jordan.

I saw the front nine, and it's easy to say it's going to be a major collapse, but he's quite a unique player. For him to turn that around is such a mental strength. First of all, the bogey putt he held on 13, and then obviously the birdie 14 -- what did he shoot, 4-under on the last five, 5-under on the last six? Then you deserve the Claret Jug.

Q. Do you know him at all?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: Jordan I've actually never played with.

Q. Just to go back to the palaver point from the last Solheim Cup. You play most of your golf in America. Has there been any reaction at all in the time since then, and are you worried going back to a team environment that there might be some sort of spillover from the last time?
SUZANN PETTERSEN: I think the media was the one who kind of dragged that kind of incident on and on and on, much more than what we players and whoever was involved did. I feel like everyone that was involved kind of cleared that up fairly quickly in the aftermath and all moved on.

You do get reminded by media and some random fan here and there but it was tough at the time. It was a tough loss I think for the European side; that we actually lost the big lead we had going into the finals. I think people kind of forget, it was actually a massive comeback for the Americans to win it.

But going back to the U.S., we are on foreign ground and the crowds are going to be bigger than they have ever been. The more we can keep the crowds quiet, I think that's our biggest goal that week.

MATT HAAS: We appreciate your time. Best of luck this week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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