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RICOH WOMENâ€™S BRITISH OPEN

August 2, 2018

Minjee Lee

Fife, Scotland

Q. What a round including another eagle at 15. You must be incredibly satisfied to be in at 7-under through 18.
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, definitely. I had a pretty solid day today. I think I turned 3-under. So yeah, I made -- I holed a lot of putts today and hit some solid shots, so I'm pretty happy with today.

Q. Of course, we just saw you finish runner up at the ladies Scottish Open, just one off the pace from Ariya. How much preparation does that give you coming into the event this week?
MINJEE LEE: Probably the last couple of days the wind started to blow at the Scottish, so I think I had pretty good prep, and obviously it was a great tournament in itself as well, but yeah, British is something like no other.

Q. Even though it's two weeks of links golf, this course is very different to Gullane that you played last week. What is it that you've learned about Lytham that helped you out so well today?
MINJEE LEE: I think just managing your way around the bunkers and what is smart play and what is good to go aggressive -- I mean take an aggressive line on. So yeah, just putting my way around, I think, maybe course management has been good.

Q. That's what everyone was saying coming into this week was going to be key, the course management. Totally different day at the end of Thursday than it was early this morning. How pleased were you to get these warm conditions?
MINJEE LEE: It wasn't raining in the morning? I think it was raining a little bit. So, yeah, I think we got pretty lucky with the weather, and hopefully we'll get lucky tomorrow, too.

Q. Well, great going, and good luck tomorrow.
MINJEE LEE: Thank you.

Q. 65, you've tied the tournament record here at this course. I mean that's a pretty good way to start, isn't it?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, no, I played pretty solid today. I holed a lot of putts, and I hit it pretty solid, so yeah, I'm happy with today.

Q. How were the conditions out there, because it was pretty nasty this morning, but when you were out there, it seemed like it was pretty perfect?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, it was really nice out. It was warm, a little bit of wind here and there, and it didn't really gust too heavily, so no, it was probably perfect for a links round.

Q. You've had a fantastic season so far, and coming here on the back of a super week last week. How does it alter your mindset, change your mindset coming into a major when you're having such a successful time?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, coming into this week I was pretty confident after last week. But I mean I just try to take every day as it comes because you never know what the weather is going to be like and what the conditions are going to be like. So yeah, I'm just trying to go out and have fun out there.

Q. You're sitting at the top of the leaderboard right now. Will you watch the rest of the afternoon's play and see where you're sitting at the end of the day, but I guess whatever happens tomorrow, you'll be confident coming here?
MINJEE LEE: I probably won't watch it. But yeah, I'm going to go home and have a good rest. I'm out early tomorrow, so yeah, no, I'll be good either way.

Q. Well done today. Wish you all the best tomorrow.
MINJEE LEE: Thank you.

MINJEE LEE: I think I probably went in one of the pot bunkers on the fairways today. So that was probably the key, just to keep it in play and then obviously hitting the greens. I think everybody's going to be happy with like a 20-footer on every hole if they could have it. So yeah, just keeping it in play. And I managed to hole a couple of long putts. So that really helped me with my round today.

Q. How much of a help was it playing links golf last week?
MINJEE LEE: Well, the course was a little bit different, so it was sort of like going up hills and down hills. But just like the feel, I guess, of the harder ground and just the look of things and stuff. I think it really helped me coming into this week.

Q. And it was a close call obviously last week, so that must have given you a fair amount of confidence for this week.
MINJEE LEE: Yeah. I played pretty solid, but I already played Ariya played one more shot solider, I suppose. I had a really fun week last week, and just coming into this week I'm just trying to play my own game and taking one shot at a time.

Q. And as a final thought, is this the kind of golf that you enjoy? Is this the sort of golf you'd like to play more of?
MINJEE LEE: I mean I don't think I would like to play it every single week, but yeah, I definitely love the links. We don't get many chances to play it, so I think when we do get to play links golf, I think everybody really enjoys it.

Q. (No question)?
MINJEE LEE: She played equally as good as I did on the last day. And I started one shot.

Q. It's just golf.
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, it's just golf. I mean you can't win every week. You just try your best, and that was the result, so just take the positives out of that week, and then obviously I knew British was the week after. So yeah, just go for it.

Q. How many bunkers did you find yourself in today?
MINJEE LEE: Probably like four, I think.

Q. And what was the result?
MINJEE LEE: One, I was on the second hole, I hit it on my tee shot, and the others were around the greens. So, yeah, the green side I managed to have good lies. But obviously the one on the fairway I just hit it out.

Q. Did you get up and down, then, on the one?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, I got up and down on the second.

Q. And all of them. You rank No. 1 in bunkers on tour, so that's a good stat for this week.
MINJEE LEE: Yeah. But I managed to miss it in like I guess pretty -- on the right side of the holes, so I wasn't like short sided or anything too difficult, yeah.

Q. Catriona Matthew said your putter was very hot today.
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, it was.

Q. Some of the best putts you holed? What distance and what holes were they on?
MINJEE LEE: I probably holed a couple of birdies. The one I made eagle on was pretty nice. It was breaking quite a bit, and it went in. So that was pretty -- that was nice to see.

Q. How far was that putt?
MINJEE LEE: It was probably about just under 30 feet. Yeah, like 27, 25 to 27.

Q. As you say, just playing on links, tough last week was a big help coming into this week.
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, I think so. Just like the look of things and how every -- I mean obviously it's a little bit different type -- like different layout, but yeah, just the firmness of the ground, and yeah, bunkers, the sand. It's all pretty similar. So yeah.

Q. Is it the mental aspect as well that you said you wouldn't like to play this kind of golf too often. Is that part of it as well?
MINJEE LEE: I mean I guess everybody -- if you play it every single week, I think it would be pretty draining, but I do welcome coming in and playing links golf. It's a treat when we do get to play them.

Q. Very consistent season. You had a lot of good Top 10s. What's been the key this year? What's been the difference?
MINJEE LEE: I just had a really good off season the second time off, and then starting up in training again. I probably played the most events I've played until this point this year. Yeah, I've just been hitting it pretty solid and putting it pretty solid as well, so I think that was my key to consistent play.

Q. Was your first taste of links golf over here?
MINJEE LEE: I think I played -- I played the Birkdale Open, Royal Birkdale. Yeah. What was it, 2014 or something? Yeah, because 2015 was my first year on tour.

Q. So your bunker play overall for the season was holing more putts or have you actually improved it?
MINJEE LEE: No. I think I have. I've been pretty consistently in range to hole the putts. I have been, yeah. Definitely a bit of both. That's what saved the putting and bunkers. I mean the shots.

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