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U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

May 29, 2019

Morgan Pressel

Charleston, South Carolina

THE MODERATOR: It's my pleasure to welcome Morgan Pressel here into the media center here at the 74th U.S. Women's Open. Morgan is the 2005 U.S. Women's Amateur champion, playing in her 16th U.S. Women's Open. Qualified with medalist honors in the Novato, California qualifier.

Morgan, that was the first time qualifying since you were 16 years old. What was the level of excitement and emotions you felt when you realized you got in the field after the 36-hole qualifier?

MORGAN PRESSEL: It was definitely stressful going through the process of qualifying after, I'd say, missing out last year on qualifying. It was one of the most disappointing moments of my career. Missing an event that's been so important to me and is such a big event on our schedule.

To then, this year, I was playing well leading up to it, and I felt like I had definitely a chance. I mean, only two spots, you never know. It's one day. Anything can happen. But I played really well and was able to get through.

So it was definitely a relief. I mean, excitement, but really kind of a relief. It's like, okay, you made it through. Let's go compete at the U.S. Open.

THE MODERATOR: You've had great history in this championship, now playing in your 16th. 2005, as an amateur, coming very close out at Cherry Hills. A couple of other top ten finishes. What has this championship meant to you over the course of your career?

MORGAN PRESSEL: When I played the first time at Pine Needles, it was kind of -- I mean, it was so eye opening to me to play against these -- be in the same locker room with these players who I'd looked up to for so many years. It definitely gave me the desire and the drive to say, okay, I want to play professional golf.

That was kind of my moment of -- I had played golf, and I had enjoyed golf and competed and all those things, but I was like, okay, this is what I want to do. I want to compete against the best players in the world and have a career out of playing golf.

So from that, that was kind of my launching pad, if you will, to go back home, work hard, go through and really compete hard as an amateur and make it on Tour. So the U.S. Open has really been special to me for that reason first.

And I always just enjoyed the championship. I love tough golf courses. I think they suit my game well, and I

just -- it's our national championship. I think it's the most important event on our schedule.

THE MODERATOR: Hard to believe, 12 years old back at Pine Needles in 2001.

MORGAN PRESSEL: I know.

THE MODERATOR: Incredible. You've played this golf course, the Country Club of Charleston. What do you think about it and how does it challenge you out there?

MORGAN PRESSEL: I think it's a fabulous golf course. It's in beautiful shape. I'm sure a lot has been said about the 11th hole, and that will be definitely a big challenge this week just to manage through there.

But other than that, the golf course, you've got to hit good shots. You really have to hit solid golf balls. It's generous off the tee, probably more so than some other U.S. Opens that we've played, but it's a second shot golf course, and you've got to have a good short game.

I mean, the greens are rolling absolutely pure. I'm really looking forward to see how it plays. It's sometimes different when you play it in a practice round to then how, come Thursday morning -- or, in my case, Thursday afternoon -- how it really plays under the gun. But I think it's just a fabulous golf course, beautiful piece of property.

I'm just excited. It's my first trip here to this property, so it was really nice to get out there yesterday and play a practice round. I'll play another nine holes this afternoon. It's a little warm, though. A little steamy.

THE MODERATOR: You mentioned 11. Do you have a strategy for how you're going to go at playing that every day, or does it depend on either how you're hitting it or hole location?

MORGAN PRESSEL: I don't know. I don't know that hole location really makes a difference. You know, you're obviously trying to make par, and yet if you hit a good shot or happen to get a fortunate bounce, then maybe have a chance at birdie. It's kind of the hole where, okay, you accept bogey. If it happens, give yourself a good look at par, and I think that's kind of probably everybody's strategy going into the week.

Being aggressive doesn't really help you on that hole. I hit a lot of shots from the right bunker. I'd say right is probably better than left. Long is better than short. So there's places to be -- it's kind of weird to think about missing a green on a par 3, where you have your best opportunity to make an up and down, but you definitely need a different mindset going into that hole.

THE MODERATOR: Let's open it up to questions.

Q. Morgan, you've had a nice little stretch. Can you just talk about what's clicking well in your game right now, what you like about how you're hitting it?
MORGAN PRESSEL: It's been certainly a long couple years of struggles, especially with my ball striking, and I'd say that's definitely come around. Then with that mental confidence, it all kind of goes together, right?

I'd say probably last week at Kingsmill, even though I really didn't make that many putts, it's probably the best I've hit the ball in a really long time, even better than how I hit it in L.A. or San Fran. I played well.

I've just been grinding really well, which is kind of how I used to play, I'd say. Not that I wasn't grinding, but I was grinding unsuccessfully. So grinding with a little bit more of a positive attitude. And just, like I said, confidence is standing over a tee shot and knowing that I can hit it right at my target, it's a little easier to play golf that way.

Q. Was qualifying at age 12 a good thing for you? And is it good for golf for the really young golfers to be competing in the U.S. Women's Open?
MORGAN PRESSEL: I think that's what makes the event special is that it is an Open. I mean, it was great for me. Certainly, I got a lot of attention as a youngster, which maybe you could argue some people, it's not for them. But I don't know, I think it was a wonderful thing for me. Like I said earlier, it really showed me that this is what I want to do more on a personal level than anything.

I look back at the kids out here this week, and I think it's really, really neat that they have this opportunity, and you always see it on the practice round signup sheets. They sign up with the players who they want to meet or see, and I think that's what makes it really special.

Q. What advice would you give to these younger girls, like Alexa Pano, the youngsters that are playing in the Open for the first time?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Enjoy the experience. I know I had expectations as a kid, and so telling you just to go out there and have fun, none of them are thinking that, and I certainly wasn't thinking that way.

Really just take it all in, enjoy the moment. And it's really experience for these youngsters. I'm sure plenty of them will play in multiple Opens in the future, and it will be great to see their careers develop, but this will be a really wonderful experience for them moving forward.

THE MODERATOR: Morgan, you traded the clubs in for a microphone a couple weeks ago at the U.S. Senior Women's Open down at Pine Needles. What was that experience like for you?

MORGAN PRESSEL: It was really neat. It was the second time I had the opportunity to do television, and it was different. It was really hot at Pine Needles as well, but it was cool in the TV booth. I was like shivering in there.

It was a lot of fun. Definitely learning about the other side of the business, even some things as silly as not saying "pin." Saying "hole location," having to kind of fix my mind on those sorts of things so I didn't make those mistakes.

But I learned a lot. I'd say I felt a lot more comfortable on Sunday than I did on Saturday. Saturday, I was a little nervous. It was a little like I didn't know what to say and didn't want to make a mistake and all those sorts of things. I kind of felt like I got a little bit more the hang of it come Sunday. I'd definitely love to do it again. It was a lot of fun, but I've got some golf to play first.

THE MODERATOR: Morgan Pressel, 2:02 off the 1st tee on Thursday. Best of luck this week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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