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THE EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 25, 2019

Jennifer Kupcho

Evian-les-Bains, France

Q. 5-under par on what everybody is saying is a very, very difficult course. Did it play as hard as you expected today?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: I would say honestly yesterday it did, but I was just hitting the ball really well. My putter caught on fire; normally that doesn't happen. You have to take advantage of it when you can.

Q. Majors mean so much to players. They mean so much to careers. Coming here, did you prepare differently?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: No. I've always been told it's just another golf tournament. Just got to come out and play. Obviously a lot of people know Brooks Koepka's way of doing it. I just come out and pretend it's another golf tournament so I don't overreact.

Q. You've played in front of the biggest stage in women's golf at the Augusta National Women's Amateur. This is a pretty huge stage come the weekend. How did you prepare yourself for that mentally?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: I mean, just go out there and play my game. You can't control what anyone else is doing. Obviously going to be a lot of people watching; there was a lot of the people watching at Augusta. So just take deep breaths and go out there and play.

Q. 5-under round today. Only had one bogey. What kept you so consistent on a golf course you had not played before?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: Actually I did play it. I played it last summer at the Palmer Cup. Definitely different tees and a lot longer. I came into it knowing it's a major and it's always a lot longer and it always plays like harder.

So you just kind of come out and shoot for the middle of the greens and make your two-putts.

Q. Best round you've had in a major this year. What did learn from the U.S. Women's Open and KPMG Championship that helped you play so well today?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: Yeah, from the Open I realized you can't really go for pins because the greens are so hard and they bounce. KPMG I learned to hit the fairway.

So it was just going out there and playing like I normally do, but playing to the middle of the greens.

Q. What does it mean to be the last person to qualify for this event through the Money List and take advantage of that opportunity today?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: Yeah, that was big, coming in from the Marathon and playing so well. It was nice to know that I earned it. I wanted to prove that I was meant to be here.

Q. What's going to be the key to continue this momentum going into the round tomorrow?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: Go work on my putting a little bit more. Just stay consistent and play my own game.

Q. How do you rate that day out there?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: It was really good. I played really well. Went out there and played like I wanted to.

So definitely a few things to clean up, but I think it was good overall.

Q. First time in Evian?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: No. I was here last year for Palmer Cup.

Q. Really?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: Uh-huh.

Q. Enjoying it?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: Yeah. It's great. It's a lot of fun.

Q. Looked like you had a pretty good day out there on the golf course. Walk us through some of the highlights if you don't mind.
JENNIFER KUPCHO: Honestly it was just really a couple of good iron shots, one on 12, one on 13, that really boosted me forward.

Also made a couple really good up and downs with my chips. I have been working on my chipping, so that was good to see. Nice confirmation that the work is paying off.

So, yeah.

Q. Certainly been a whirlwind for you. Now you're here, couple weeks under your belt on the LPGA; you're playing in a major. How do you feel your game is coming together? Figuring life out?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: Yeah, just have to realize the difference between majors and regular LPGA events. You got to play to the middle of the green during majors, and that's one of the things that I learned from U.S. Open and KPMG.

It definitely paid off.

Q. Does it make a difference having been here last year dealing with jet lag and getting to know the course quickly?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: Yeah, before last year I had never been over to Europe. Coming over jet lag definitely messed with me a little bit. I think just in general being in this area, like I know where the golf course is, I know where food is and all that, so it's kind of nice to have a familiar place to go.

Q. How did you do in the Arnold Palmer Invitational last year?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: I played well. The USA won, so we won.

Q. With the Augusta win, a sense of history. Does that change your kind of mindset? Feel like after a tournament like that, even a major, the pressure is just not the same? Does it change?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: Yeah, pressure is definitely not the same, but I think honestly coming off that win there was a lot of pressure for me to perform because I was in the spotlight and everyone was excited to see me.

I think after a couple missed cuts earlier I was just like, Relax. You just need to go play and prove who you really are.

Q. Do you come into this two-week stretch feeling relaxed, it's been a good year anyway, or do feel like you have to punch in a good result?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: No. I mean, obviously I would like to play well. I do have a good start for as few tournaments I've played.

I'm just going out there and playing.

Q. What's the crystal on your hat?
JENNIFER KUPCHO: Just a ball marker.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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