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PURE SILK CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY VISIT WILLIAMSBURG

May 26, 2019

Bronte Law

Williamsburg, Virginia

THE MODERATOR: We're here at the Pure Silk Championship presented by Visit Williamsburg Media Center here with the newly crowned first-time winner, Bronte Law.

Bronte, just what are the feelings going through your mind right now?

BRONTE LAW: I don't really know. My mind is kind of blank. It's all a little bit of a blur. Today was tough out there. I was trying to stay calm out there in 92 degree heat. It's not that easy. Feel like I held it together pretty well in the middle of a round when it could have all gone pear shaped.

But overall I'm obviously ecstatic. It feels kind of surreal, to be honest, after coming so close. To be that very next time that I'm playing was really cool and shows me that I can compete at the top on a weekly basis, which is the whole goal out here really.

So that's something that I'm going to carry forward for the coming weeks. Obviously have a big one next week. This was kind of the perfect way to prepare, I guess. Yeah.

THE MODERATOR: It was a crowded leaderboard all weekend long. Were you looking at them at all as you were coming up through the back nine, or were you jut so focused on yourself and your play?

BRONTE LAW: Caught a couple of glimpses and I saw that solo one, which is I guess always a good sign. As far as what everyone else was doing, I really didn't know. Kind of wanted it that way, to be honest. I knew I had to keep pushing. Like I was saying all week, you really can't sit on anything.

So even though I saw I was solo lead, I knew I still had to make some birdies coming in because there were plenty of opportunities that other girls could have made a couple birdies here and there.

I knew that I really had to have a comfortable kind of lead going into the last so that I didn't have to put too much pressure on myself. Ultimately didn't really know what was going on when I played the last hole. I had to ask Jeff when I had the short putt at end what was the situation.

But, you know, when I knew that I had two I kind of knew I could relax a little bit. Comfortably rolled that one in.

Yeah, it was a grind. I will be needing some much-needed sleep tonight.

THE MODERATOR: How did it feel to have your friend spray you on the 18 green with some shaving cream, but also to have you your coach here helping you as well.

BRONTE LAW: That was really special. I have a really great team of people around me. Not a big team, but some individuals that mean a lot to me. Obviously have my family back home. I have my coach, Richard Green, back home in England who has been coaching me since I was, you know, as small as I can imagine. He's been pivotal in my career.

Started working with Nat a couple months back, and she's made such strides in my putting. Honestly, that's been the difference. The work we've put in the a putting greens hasn't been pretty. There has been times I almost wanted to stop and not trust it. But we just kept going with it, and it's been huge. I am very grateful to her for that.

And my caddie, Jeff, you know, he's a massive part of my life. We're great friends outside of golf, too.

But, yeah, my team is very small, but, man, they support me with everything they have and it means the world to me. You know, I really am very, very lucky to have so much support behind me. I owe this one to them, to be honest.

THE MODERATOR: You said it yourself: The U.S. Open is next week for you. How do you hope to keep this momentum going into next week?

BRONTE LAW: I think I'll take tomorrow off. (Laughter.) You know, I'll be getting into Charleston pretty late, so take it easy tomorrow and then just prepare the same way that I always do. You know, just I don't think you have to change anything just because the title of the event changes.

I'll go out there and I'll prepare as I did this week. It's golf, so hopefully I can carry on this momentum into next week and, you know, play some more solid golf and kind of be in contention again. That would be the goal ultimately. That's what I live for. The feeling when you have a shot at winning is exactly why I play the game.

If I can do that every week I know I'm doing something right.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I think you had six straight pars on the back before that putt dropped on 16. You said it was a grind. What kind of relief was it to see that finally go in the hole?
BRONTE LAW: Yeah, it was definitely a relief. I had hit a really good putt on the previous hole and it kind of hit a spike mark. I thought it was middle center and didn't make that one. So I had been pretty successful on that hole, on 15, throughout the week, so not make birdie is there was a little plow.

But really stayed focused and hit a really good drive down 16, which was really good. Set myself up for a good chance. Yeah, to see that one go in and hit a really good one on 17 -- wasn't really holing too many putts on that backside, so that was really nice to see that one go in for sure.

Q. Congratulations.
BRONTE LAW: Thank you.

Q. You said you really didn't know what your lead was, but on the 18th tee with the group ahead of you still in the fairway, you just found a patch of grass and plopped down by yourself. What was going through your mind as you sat there alone with your thoughts?
BRONTE LAW: I was just tired, honestly. It had been a long day and I have two events after this week. I was just trying to reserve energy. It was literally nothing more than that unfortunately. Sorry. (Laughter.)

Q. You talked about how long you've had your coach. What advice would you give to young girls watching you, watching the LPGA, and dream of one day being in the position that you're in today?
BRONTE LAW: I would say that you should never give up, and you don't know what situation you're in or it might not be that you start playing until you're 13, 14. If you work hard and you put your mind to it, and most importantly have fun with it, then you can achieve anything you want to.

I really did enjoy my golf as a junior golfer. I wasn't too hard on myself. I really did have a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun in college, too. I think that's really important.

Now this is my job. It's a little different. I have to treat it a little differently. But I love it because I had that time when I was younger where I made it fun.

I still do really enjoy it. I love it. But there is a different aspect to it when you become a professional.

So I would say all the time that you get, enjoy it. Don't be hard on yourself. Just like cherish that time as an amateur golfer. Make friends. It's something that I'm very grateful for that I had a really great upbringing on the golf courses. I was always very welcome and I really hope that those girls stand up for themselves like I did.

You know, dream big.

Q. Even though you weren't able to get that win three weeks ago, were you able to touch on some of that experience you gained in that kind of situation? Did that help you at all today?
BRONTE LAW: Absolutely. I don't think I would be sat here right now if I hadn't had this experience. I learned how important it is to be composed out on the golf course and how important it is to be confident and confident in your ability.

Honestly, that's exactly what I carried into this week. I always knew I was good enough, but I finally truly deep down believed I could compete at the top. Ultimately, until you do that you will never reach that level. I've learned that from this experience, that from the start I knew I had to push and stay on the top of the leaderboard, keep pushing harder and harder every day.

But I believed in myself and my ability to do that. That's ultimately why I think I could pull it off in the end.

Q. May have just answered this, but when Natalie and I are were talking on 18 afterward, she said as soon as I met her, I knew this was coming. Did you know it was coming?
BRONTE LAW: Yeah, absolutely.

Q. When did you know it?
BRONTE LAW: You know, as soon as I got out on tour I knew that I had the capability 100% to win. I knew I had all the tools in place, but I just had to bring them all together. It takes sometimes other people and a group of people to help you kind of mesh those things together.

What happened in San Francisco, it just showed me that the thing that was missing was not anything physical that was to do with golf. It was the confidence and the trust in myself that I knew I could do this.

You know, that's ultimately why I'm sat here right now, is that like it flicked a switch, you know. Like I knew I could do it, but I deep down really truly believed in myself after San Francisco.

We worked hard on some things in the off weeks and I still have things that I'm, you know, working on right now. It's not going to be any different next week. I'm going to go and keep doing the same things we've been working on because it's showing that I'm getting there, where I want to be. This is not the start for me. Like I've got so much more to give.

Yeah, something that I really do believe in and I think that she is right.

Q. I have two. You said you weren't really aware of what the situation was. Was that throughout the back nine or is that something you avoid?
BRONTE LAW: I mean, I think you can get too much like involved with scoreboards and looking at the scoreboards and it can change your like -- the mental state of mind that you're in. Ultimately golf doesn't change. You know, you still have to go out there and play good golf, try and make birdies.

The situations change and the situations are what can affect you in your playing ability. For me, I just said to myself, You have to go out there and make birdies. Yeah, some there are pins you can't attack, but you still have to go out there and make birdies. You might have to play it safe on some holes and hole some longer putts, but you still have to make those birdies.

It doesn't change the situation. So for me, looking at leaderboards and stuff, all that does is going to create another variable for you to have to deal with. It's hard enough without thinking, oh, is so and so doing this. I don't want to worry about that.

All I need to is to trust my ability to make good shots and roll putts along my intended line. That's ultimately all I should be worried about. That's why I chose to not really pay attention to it.

Q. You won a bunch of tournaments at UCLA. What's the difference winning in college and out here?
BRONTE LAW: It's harder. Yeah, I mean, it's completely different. I don't even know how to describe it. Winning in college you have a bunch of teammates around you. You have the support of the coaches who practically do everything for you. You just have to turn up and hop on that plane and everything is taken care of.

Here you hold yourself accountable. You decide how much you practice, how much rest you have. You decide what coaching staff you're going to use, what caddie you're going to have. It's all about building that group of people together who are going to help you to achieve what you want to achieve.

For me, I think I that's been the key, is the first couple years I had a lot of people supporting me but I didn't truly have, you know, 100% belief in what I was doing.

Right now I can tell that you I have 100% belief in exactly what I'm work on. I think it's exactly the right way to go as far as like even the fitness side of things. My new strength coach, I have all these workouts that he plans out for me every like other day.

Literally I have to press submit and he knows if I've done the workout or not. It's like everything has become a lot more regimented and I've made sure that every stone is unturned.

Q. You mentioned earlier that you held it together there on the back nine when it could have gotten, I believe the phrase you used was pear shaped.
BRONTE LAW: Yes.

Q. What happened there at 9, 10, and 11 when the drives were going right, and then how to you correct it?
BRONTE LAW: Perfectly. I mean, I honestly don't think that I ate enough on the front nine. I think I actually -- I would've kicked myself had that been the issue, but I could feel myself getting a little tired. When I get tired I swing a little under the plane and start losing those shots outright.

On hole 11 I think it was -- I told my caddie, I need some food. That was the first time I ate on the course. I was kind of getting so caught up in the moment that I really didn't eat enough. Then I was fine after that. I really didn't miss any shots.

So, yeah. I think that that's a lesson that I have to learn, that just because you're in a tense situation and there is a lot of pressure on you, you still have to make sure you take care of all that stuff.

I managed to catch it there, but it's more than just drinking water I think.

Q. What is your go-to? What did you have?
BRONTE LAW: I think I had a crackers or something. Honestly don't even know at this point. I just know I ate something.

Yeah, I think when there are nerves and whatever, eating can be difficult. Make you feel a little nauseous, especially in the heat. I don't really like to eat when it's that hot. I managed to force some food down my throat and I was fine after that.

Yeah.

Q. You mentioned the putting that Natalie had worked with you on. Without getting too technical, was it that dramatic a change for you?
BRONTE LAW: Yeah.

Q. How difficult was it to get comfortable, so to speak?
BRONTE LAW: It was a big change both visually for me over the ball and physically, like changing body positions, too. It was very necessary. It was very difficult.

I mean, you understand with putting that when you change your eye alignment from one thing to another it visually makes the hole look almost like in a different place. So you can imagine it's almost like reteaching yourself how to putt again, because your view of a right-to-left putt or left-to-right putt when your head position was one way and you change it is going to be completely different. Then the way you lineup the putter looks twisted.

It was very frustrating at times. I had a couple missed cuts back there, like L.A. and then I think it was ANA. I don't even know. I kept missing cuts and it was because of my putting and because I was in that transition. I was really struggling to get to grips with it. I was missing short putts and it was costing me. It really was. I was hitting the ball good, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Like I really wouldn't.

Those missed cuts were necessary in order to make me realize there is an issue here. I was too far in then to go back to what I was doing before, so we just kept going and trusting that it was right. Ultimately, putting as good as I ever have right now.

Q. I want to ask you about changing equipment. Have you changed any other equipment lately?
BRONTE LAW: No. I've been using the same clubs since I was like 14. I've obviously got a newer model, but, yeah, I mean, actually last year this time last year, this event, I missed the cut. I was putting terribly. I actually flew home right after I finished on Friday. I got the fastest flight back to Phoenix and stood on the putting green the next day for five hours with five or six different putters.

I was like, I'm going to figure this out. This is an issue. The putter that I chose was the one that I won with today. Just shows you really with hard work and perseverance and trusting what you have what you can do.

Q. What putter were you using today?
BRONTE LAW: A Scotty Cameron. Don't ask me the name. I don't know.

THE MODERATOR: All right, I think that's everything. Congratulations and best of luck next week.

BRONTE LAW: I appreciate it. Thank you.

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