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RICOH WOMEN’S BRITISH OPENAugust 2, 2017Catriona MatthewFife, Scotland COLIN CALLANDER: We have 2009 champion Catriona Matthew with us, welcome. You've obviously had a chance to have a good look around the course. It's going to be a little wet after all the rain we've had the last couple of days. CATRIONA MATTHEW: I mean, it's not wet but it's not firm. There's no standing water or anything. But it's in really good shape. The greens are nice. The greens are going to be the challenge with all the undulation. The course, yeah, it's looking really good. COLIN CALLANDER: How are you playing coming in? You were Top-10 last year and looking to build on that, I imagine. CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yeah, nice to have another one of them. I've been hitting the ball really well. Just need to work on my putting this week. Q. Obviously a major championship at stake but with the Solheim Cup coming up, obviously you'll be a part of the team no matter what, but how much is playing your way in weighing on your mind this week? CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yeah, obviously I'd love to have a good week this week and try and play my way into the team. I mean, certainly it's in the back of my mind. You don't want to -- at the end of the day, if I can go out and play good golf, that will take care of itself. It's there but I'm not trying to think about it too much. Q. A lot of players are sacking their caddies at the moment. Is there something you have to share with us this week? CATRIONA MATTHEW: Well, I have the same one as last week, so I'm doing well. Q. Seriously, in relation to having the Scottish Open the week before this one, do you think that was a success? CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yeah, I think it was a big success. The event was definitely bigger for us, going to the same venue as the men. I think it worked well. I mean, I think hopefully some of the players that played there will play well this week like they have done with the men, and that will encourage more to play in the Ladies Scottish Open next year. I think it's a great thing to come. Links golf, when you do pick it up, to have that kind of extra week just playing in the wind, you just get used to the kind of shots and how far you hit it into the wind or downwind or whatever. It's definitely good practice. Q. With 1 million pounds going into the women's event and six million into the men's event -- does that trouble you at all? CATRIONA MATTHEW: Well, I think that's -- you know, it's obviously closer than it might have been ten years ago. I think the quality is moving in the right direction. Obviously in an ideal world, you'd love it to be the same amount in each. But I think certainly we're heading in the right way. Q. How much are you inspired by being a former winner here, and how much can that inspire you to give that performance you need to get into the Solheim Cup? CATRIONA MATTHEW: Well, it's always nice coming back. I suppose it's different because you're coming to different golf courses but it's nice coming back to a tournament you won, especially being a major. There's that extra buzz about it. Yeah, it's always nice. Q. When you look at a top of a leaderboard in a women's event at the moment, the players are South Korean or Asian. What is it they are doing or what have they been doing over the last few years? CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yeah, I think that's the question all the other countries are wanting to find the answer to. Obviously they have got a good work ethic, but then so do a lot of other players. You know, I think obviously if I knew the answer to that, we'd have more Scottish golfers coming through. I think it's just the sheer numbers, perhaps that play golf in Korea. I think I read somewhere they had like maybe a thousand young girls who were scratch and better. So if you have that, those numbers, you're going to produce some top ones, and then I think they pull each other. They are all wanting to be the top Korean and that competitiveness just pushes them on. Q. What can we learn from them to try and move the standard? CATRIONA MATTHEW: I think it's just trying to get the numbers. If you can just try and get more and more people, more and more girls and boys playing the game over here, because I certainly remember when I was an amateur, there was a group of about maybe four or five of us who were all pretty good and we kind of pushed each other. I think when it's just you, it's difficult. You need the others around to push you and make you keep wanting to get better. Q. If Annika does pick you on Sunday night, will you keep your role for the assistant captain for the team, as well? CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yes, I would. When she first asked me, she said, "You know, what you want to play as well?" And I said yeah, and she was quite happy with having a playing vice captain. Obviously you have Annika and you have Maria. So I think there's plenty of people there to have one of the vice captains playing if that does happen. Q. How disappointing is it for you that there does seem to be a lack of female golfers coming through in Scotland? CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yeah, it is disappointing. There haven't been a whole lot, really, in probably the last 20 years. I think we had Kathryn, myself and Janice who all play on the LPGA and obviously since that we have not had anymore. A few on the LET tour, but none have made the next jump over to the LPGA. Obviously I would love to see more coming through. I'm not going to keep going forever, so we need some more coming through. Q. So you do feel that perhaps there's something to do to do that? CATRIONA MATTHEW: Well, I do work with the SGU and the performance committee, and the framework seems to be there. Like I said, it just seems to be getting the girls interested in golf, getting numbers playing it. If you've only got a pool of 50 to pick from, it's tough it find that kind of one or two that are world beaters. Q. What do you think's held you back this year and what did you find last week? CATRIONA MATTHEW: Well, certainly the start of the year, I was hitting it awful. So actually hitting the ball better now. My putting's not been great. You know, just been working on it. Just trying to get -- I tend to stand a little close with my putts, trying to square up and at least start the ball on line. We'll see how that works this week. Hopefully got it fixed. Q. There were some pretty serious rumours about the financial stability of the Ladies European Tour. Is there a way to maybe stabilise it and provide that steppingstone for the young players to get on to the LPGA Tour? CATRIONA MATTHEW: Obviously I don't really play much in Europe but you know, they have obviously been having their issues with the Commissioner. I think we need to try and get that sorted and see what direction they are going to go in there. I think the product's there. They have got a lot of good players. It's just perhaps they have had the wrong person at the head, so hopefully if they can get that resolved, it can start building itself up again. Q. You're playing with Leona Maguire, have you played with her or her sister before? CATRIONA MATTHEW: Yeah, well, because they are twins, aren't they. I played with one of them in Ireland a few years ago. I'm not sure if it was Lisa or Leona, so I'm not sure. COLIN CALLANDER: Thank you very much for coming in and good luck this week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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