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CANADIAN PACIFIC WOMEN'S OPEN

August 22, 2017

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

THE MODERATOR: Hi, everyone, we are happy to welcome Augusta James, Brittany Marchand, AC Tanguay, and Jennifer Ha.

Brittany, let's start with you. You've had quite the past couple of weeks. Maybe you can just talk a little bit about your victory?

BRITTANY MARCHAND: Yeah, so I had a good first couple of weeks obviously the first week, the PHC Classic, and that was a good win, obviously. I wasn't really going into the week thinking I need to win this, but I played well. Obviously, the second round with 8-under, and then finishing out strong, that was a cool experience. Then the PGA of Canada Championship, that was a good tournament too. Obviously, it was kind of cool to playoff against my friend here.

But, yeah, it was a good two weeks the last three weeks, but I had a week off in between.

Q. Augusta, pretty much a home game for you. Not too far away from Beth. What are you looking forward to this week?
AUGUSTA JAMES: Yeah, getting to see some familiar faces for sure. Like you said, it's kind of a home game. I've been fortunate enough at the Hunt Club they've allowed me to come up and play a couple times this week. So I'm looking forward to getting to see the different people that will be out here supporting the Canadians.

Q. AC, maybe you can just talk a little bit about your summer and maybe how you're feeling coming into this week?
AC TANGUAY: Yeah, I've had a really great time this year. Just elected to play on Symetra Tour, so in a way I tried to build some confidence in my game. I'm really excited to be playing LPGA this week. It's so nice to be here. My game's feeling good. It's week one out of seven, so just really looking forward to get this stretch started.

Q. Jen, same question. Maybe you can just talk a little bit about how your summer's been going and what you're looking forward to this week?
JENNIFER HA: It's been great. Just learning lots. It's my first year on Tour, so I've been taking it all in. I've been learning lots from Alena. She's been great, mentoring me on the golf course, playing practice rounds together. They've been awesome.

I haven't had quite the year that I hoped for, but here's turning it around. I've got playing on home soil, and it's going to be great.

Q. Question for the group. Either Team Canada Young Pros or Team Canada graduates, maybe someone can just talk about the program and how it's kind of helped you over the years?
SPEAKER: Yeah, I definitely feel like I speak for everybody when I say that we have an amazing opportunity to be a part of the National Team or the young pro program now. There are just so many different levels to it that people don't see, I think, and that includes nutrition, physiotherapists, strength, mental game. Obviously, course management and swing coaching, if we elect to through Tristen, which I definitely do, obviously. Having all those types of bases covered and the team foundation early on in our careers, knowing that we had to have that going forward to make it as a professional golfer was big. I think we have that leg up on people that don't know how to make that transition from amateur to professional.

Q. AC, I think there is some congratulations in order. I think I saw on Instagram that you just Got engaged a couple days ago?
AC TANGUAY: Yes.

Q. How much does that change things or does that impact the golf side of things or not really yet?
AC TANGUAY: Yeah, actually we got engaged about three weeks ago. We were on the road just before Wisconsin, so we just decided to kind of keep it low. So we've had some time to digest the news. I don't know if it really changes anything, but for sure I'm really happy that my fiancee is with me, and it's been a really a game-changer for me this year.

So he's been with me full-time. He did about 15 events last year. So he does caddie and little bit of coaching and little bit of everything, so I'm just really, really excited about the engagement and about him having to be with me. So, we're just really excited.

Q. Augusta, your brother Austin turned professional last week and made the cut on a really gutsy round on Friday there. Now you're both in the professional ranks. How does that feel? How does that make you guys sort of continue on that ongoing rivalry?
AUGUSTA JAMES: Yeah, for me, I'm sure it's different for him, but still kind of -- I don't know if surreal is the word, but trying to wrap my head around it in some ways, still feels like he's an amateur, right. But I did getting to watch him play his final round on Sunday. Up here, it was just down the road.

It's great. I'm so proud of him for taking that next step. He's very lucky through Golf Canada and Derek Ingram to get exemptions into three PGA TOUR Canada events and kick off his year the right way.

Q. Brittany, so much momentum coming into this week, back-to-back wins. What's been clicking well for you the last couple weeks? And is there any adjustments to this tournament versus the other two? Or are you just going to try to play the same way you've been playing?
BRITTANY MARCHAND: Yeah, I would say no really big adjustments for this week from the past two weeks. I don't really know what clicked to be quite honest. I can't really put my finger on what clicked for me. Like I said, I wasn't really going into the week I won the Symetra event, really, it was the last week of three in a row, and I was kind of looking forward to my week off. I was just -- it was just a normal week, and it happened for me.

But the thing is, I know my game has been there all year. It's just kind of come out in little moments here and there, and not very consistently. It was nice to see myself put three rounds together. But for this week, I don't really want to overthink it or overanalyze it. I know that I'm coming off of two really good weeks, but I just kind of want to go into it like I did any other week. It's just another opportunity for me to play on the LPGA, which I think is awesome. It's just going to be a learning experience no matter how I finish or how I do.

Q. Brittany, I wanted to ask about the Evian Championship and the chance to play there. That's another LPGA Tour opportunity, that's a major championship. Have you thought about being there and getting the opportunity that that would provide?
BRITTANY MARCHAND: Yeah. Yeah, I'm really excited for that week. It's going to be a great experience. It's going to be my first major. Not even having status on Tour out here, it's kind of cool to be able to play in a major. And I think, again, I don't really want to go into it expecting anything, really. I just want to go and have a great time and enjoy the experience.

I mean, it's going to be somewhere I've never been before, and I've gotten a little bit of tips here and there like Alena and other girls saying what to practice, what to expect. I think it will be a good week no matter what happens. Just because it will be another experience for me. Hopefully I can use that one for going into next year when or if I get LPGA status.

Q. Augusta, if you could elaborate on playing so close to home? Is there an advantage, extra pressure, will you have like Bath taking buses down to watch you?
AUGUSTA JAMES: I did hear a rumor that there is a bus leaving from Loyalist to come on up here, so that's extra cool. But I wouldn't say that's extra pressure though. The members down at Loyalist and the town of Bath is hugely supportive, so you can only feed off the positive energy for sure when they're up here.

Advantages, I don't know that playing the golf course an extra couple of times was nice. It allowed me to come out here and know where I was already going and hone in my practice and my practice rounds. But just in general it's nice that I only had to drive up here two hours and not have to fly across the country. It's beautiful to get to see the rest of the country, but it's a nice, relaxing week for sure.

Q. Is being a pro what you thought it would be?
AUGUSTA JAMES: Yes, and no, I guess. There are a lot of things that are way different and way better than I ever imagined. And there's things that I think you don't think about as an amateur. We spent -- all four of us spent a lot of time traveling as amateurs as part of the team, but it is a little bit different sort of travel. You're booking it yourself, and we are very lucky to get to travel through Golf Canada and stuff as amateurs. Now you're trying to sort out your own stuff and always staying with Billets to cut costs and things like that. So things are different, but definitely in a good way as well.

Q. How many previous Opens have the four of you been to as players and/or spectators?
SPEAKER: Oh, well, I played as an amateur in this Open maybe three times. Then this will be my second as a professional, because this was my first professional event last year, yeah.

SPEAKER: I think this is my fifth time playing. I'm pretty sure I have the math right on that. Then I actually spectated here like ten years ago when they had it here, and I spectated down in Niagara as well when they had it down there in 2002.

SPEAKER: I'm not 100% sure. I think this could be my third or fourth. Second as a pro.

SPEAKER: This is my fourth time playing this event. Twice as an amateur, twice as a professional. I remember going off to Royal Mayfair in Edmonton to go watch the girls play and in, I think it might have been -- last time it was at Priddis 13 years ago.

Q. So once at Mayfair and once at Priddis?
SPEAKER: Yeah, I just went to go watch, yeah.

Q. Brittany and Augusta, coming off the strong finish last week at the PGA women's championship of Canada, I understand it's not the first time you two have gone head-to-head in a competition. Can you maybe tell us what that's like for you two being such close friends?
AUGUSTA JAMES: I'm kind of sick of losing, but overall, I mean, if somebody else was going to win that tournament, then I'm happy it was Brittany. I don't know. It doesn't affect our relationship at all, I don't think.

BRITTANY MARCHAND: I mean, we got in the car and drove after. So it's not like we were yelling at each other or whatever, it was awkward. What was the other -- we played off one other time?

AUGUSTA JAMES: We played off in college once, and I thought one more as well. But I can't put my finger on it.

Q. (Inaudible)?
BRITTANY MARCHAND: That's what we're talking about. And I think there was another time, and I think you were victorious the other time.

AUGUSTA JAMES: I don't remember that.

BRITTANY MARCHAND: We have a really good relationship and we travel most of the year when we're both on Symetra together. I don't know. Like with any of us, I think what it is is we just -- like Augusta said, if you're going to get beat, you kind of want it to be the person you know that's your good friend that's working hard and doing all the right things too. So it's good to see that.

Anytime any of us play against each other we're supportive of each other because, yeah, you're competitive, but you also want to see your good friends do well too. So it's kind of, I don't know, it's a good thing, I guess.

Q. I'm not sure if any of you got a chance to meet Dawn Coe-Jones. She passed away last year. One of the things that Lori Kane mentioned a couple days ago is what she meant to some of the younger players and what she was going through. What does that feel like to be a part of a Canadian contingent. One of the Canadians at the national open, and if you've had any experience with Dawn Coe-Jones?
SPEAKER: I've met her a couple times. I actually know more about her through my brother who knows her son quite well. Of course, it's amazing to be playing in a Canadian Open as a Canadian. But just in general, here on the Symetra Tour especially, they talk about how many Canadians there are out there, and the fact that we play practice rounds together, we're together doing our thing. It is amazing to be a part of that, and I'm happy that we're able to remember her this week.

BRITTANY MARCHAND: Yeah, I personally never met Dawn Coe-Jones. But like you said, it's great that we can remember her this week. Having those people to look up to when you're younger, it's huge. It's great to see young kids out here and young girls out here now being able to look up to us, and Brooke, and just being able to have that sense of family with the Canadians is really great.

We've been really lucky to have a lot of help from Lori and Alena and people that have come ahead of us too. So it's really great.

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