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KINGSMILL CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY GEICO

May 15, 2018

Lexi Thompson

Williamsburg, Virginia

THE MODERATOR: Welcome into the Kingsmill Championship media center. It's my pleasure to welcome in defending champion, Rolex Rankings No. 3, Lexi Thompson. Lexi, welcome back to Kingsmill.

LEXI THOMPSON: Thank you, glad to be here.

THE MODERATOR: Before we get to golf, last year, you skydived into the first tee in your Pro-.Am can you take us back to the memories from that day?

LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, it was an amazing experience. It's been on a bucket list of mine the skydive, but the only way I would do it is with a Navy Seal on my back. It's the only way I would trust myself. But I've been affiliated with the Seal Legacy Foundation and supporting them and the military over the years with being a professional golfer, and just to be able to skydive into my Pro-Am here and end up winning the tournament, it was just a very memorable week and such a huge honor to be able to do that with the Navy Seals.

THE MODERATOR: It was memorable for more than one reason. You went on to set the tournament scoring record 20-under par. What do you remember from those four days on the golf course?

LEXI THOMPSON: I just remember in general just how comfortable I felt out on the golf course. I really just enjoyed the week. It was one of my favorite weeks. I always have my mom here with me, and she cooks for me every night and we just have a very relaxing week. The atmosphere of this tournament is something you can't really describe. Just the town and the fans that come out, it's a very relaxing and supportive community for this event, and I think we all just really enjoy coming here.

Q. Last year was kind of a turning point for you winning here. Do you see this as maybe a kick start to your seasons a possibility there?
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, I hope so. This is definitely a golf course that I feel very comfortable on. So I'm going to go into it with a positive attitude, trust the process. Hopefully don't get the rain that's forecasted for the week, and just have a good week out there. I've been playing well. It's just a matter of time before everything falls together for me.

Q. When you say "trust the process", what's that entail?
LEXI THOMPSON: I think really just the off weeks that I've had, I've worked very hard. I've been practicing with those last two weeks I've had off, and just letting that all fall into place. Coming into the tournament, doing my routine and not really forcing anything. Just knowing I've worked hard, and hopefully see that it paid off.

Q. How does your attitude and preparation change when you come back to an event where you have just won?
LEXI THOMPSON: I think the only thing that changes is that I have more confidence just remembering shots that I hit last year and shots that I hit coming down the line. But besides that same preparation. I didn't get my clubs until 1:00 a.m., so I had to wake up and tee off at 6:30 this morning and play 18 holes. So it's a little different preparation, nine-hole Pro-Am tomorrow. But I feel very comfortable, the golf course is in great shape, so it's only a matter of time.

Q. How is the golf course looking out there?
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, it's in good shape. The greens are rolling very well. Pretty fast, but very pure. There are parts of the fairway that are struggling a little bit, but I'm sure the greens crew and everybody out here is doing the best that they can. It's a beautiful scenery out on the golf course. I think we all very much enjoy that.

Q. Can you just elaborate maybe on what you were working on in the last couple of weeks and the lead up to the tournament?
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, well, I worked on my ball striking a good amount, which probably shows with me a little bit. I am having hand issues again. But besides that I've been putting three to four hours a day, doing a lot of drills. Really just trying to get my stroke grooved and feeling more comfortable on the greens. I've been doing a gait drill with my putting. Just making sure I'm taking it straight back and straight through, and I'm feeling more confident over it. So I'm looking forward to this week.

Q. You mentioned the privilege and joy of having your mom here with you. You've often talked what an inspiration she has been to you. But in light of her health struggles is she even more so in your life?
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, she's always been my number one role model throughout my whole life. It's actually this tournament last year that everything started to happen, and I didn't really know about it. But good news is that she just got her CT Scan a few weeks ago and it's clear, so it's a huge relief. She's my best friend, so just to have her here again this year, supporting me and always there for me to say that she loves me, that's all I need.

Q. What's she cooking for you this week?
LEXI THOMPSON: Everything. No, chicken, tacos, everything, salads, everything.

Q. You mentioned the weather earlier. Obviously it's nothing you can do anything about, but is it hard not to kind of keep an eye on it and wonder what's going to happen?
LEXI THOMPSON: Definitely have to keep an eye on it. It's a matter if you bring all the rain gear and three towels and two umbrellas. But, yeah, it's something that we have to check the night before, that morning of that we have to keep an eye on. But looks like there's a good amount of rain in the forecast. So there will be a lot of rain gear, gloves and towels in the back. Nothing can control it, we all have to play in it, so it is what it is.

Q. When you look back on last season after you left here you won again, but you had close calls at Manulife and the Tour Championship. But yet you won the race, you won the Vare Trophy. How do you balance all that and assess your season all in all?
LEXI THOMPSON: Last year was one of my best years of golf. I played very consistent just throughout the whole year. That's what I wanted to do. Working off-season, I just wanted to have a season where it was consistent. I worked very hard in the off-season, and I knew if I just trusted the process and let it go and let it happen and believed in myself, I knew I would play well.

That's what happened and it definitely paid off in the 2017 season. I was very happy to see that. I had a lot of good tournaments and good chances to win evens. That's all we want as athletes is chances to win. Being put in that spot where you have a chance to win coming down the line.

Q. You use the word consistency. I believe I read this correctly. You're the only player to have won at least a tournament in each of the last five seasons. Is that something in which you take pride?
LEXI THOMPSON: If it was something I really thought about (laughing). But I know there are a lot of stats out there, so there's one for everything. But, yeah, I definitely take pride in it. We go into every tournament wanting to win. That's my goal every time I tee it up in a tournament. So in golf it doesn't happen as often as you would like, but it just shows the amount of talent that's out here.

Q. Do you consider yourself a good player in the rain and/or how do you handle, and how do you think you handle adverse conditions of which you can't control?
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, I would say I'm a pretty good player. I think it's very important to have a good relationship with your caddie as well in the rain, because you need to get kind of a system going. Who is going to carry the umbrella and put the club and clean it. You have to have that coordination going. As stupid as that may sound, it's very important because you don't want to get hit with an umbrella when you're going down and getting your club cleaned and everything.

So it's important to have that good relationship when it comes to wind, rain or anything like that. But, yeah, I would say I'm pretty good. We don't get that rain forecast very often besides maybe British. But you know, hopefully it's not too hard of rain where it's not too much of a factor.

Q. Just curious how much you think about and look at the world rankings, and the pursuit of No. 1, especially thinking about this past weekend with Justin Thomas going to No. 1 in the men's game. How much do you follow that sort of thing and how much do you think about that?
LEXI THOMPSON: I would say I don't think about it too much. I obviously know my ranking coming into every week because it's broadcast everywhere. But I don't follow it too much. I think that will drive us crazy if we do. Like I said, I go every tournament wanting to win. I know I work my butt off in the off weeks coming into the tournament. I have to do my prep work and see where that goes. I can't put any extra pressure on my self. I've just got to let my game go and see where it takes me.

Q. You mentioned earlier the importance of the caddie relationship, especially in inclement weather. If memory serves, Kevin was fairly new on the bag when you won here last year. How has that dynamic evolved, and how much has he helped you?
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, he's helped me out tremendously. I started with him in Arizona last year. He was only supposed to caddie for me in the British last year because that was his home course and that's where he grew up. So he knew that course very well. But I was like, okay, I'll bring you over, get to know you a little bit before the British, and we ended up hitting it off and becoming really good friends. He's got a great personality and always has me laughing out on the golf course and keeping me calm.

But, yeah, we've been together a little bit over a year now, so, yeah, this is one of his first few tournaments. It's been great. I wasn't expecting it, but we're very good friends, and it's been a great relationship. It's very important out here to have not only a good caddie, but a good friend by your side to go through everything with you.

Q. Any plans to jump out of any planes this week, Lexi?
LEXI THOMPSON: Not this week that I know of.

Q. Thank you for joining us.
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