MARATHON CLASSIC PRESENTED BY DANA

August 8, 2020

Lydia Ko

Quick Quotes

Q. Leader Lydia Ko after an impressive moving day. What does it mean for the state of your game the way you were able to handle today?

LYDIA KO: I was struggling off the tee for the first 8 holes, safe to say. And on 8, on the driveable hole, even though I came off a par, I hit a really good drive and I was able to kind of catch that momentum.

I hit the ball really solid on the back nine. Like even the one fairway that I missed I felt like it was a really solid shot and I just pulled it a touch. That's kind of the thought I need to take into tomorrow.

I been struggling actually the first few holes to kind of get that momentum and almost get that fire going up. Jason was joking, Hey, maybe I need to turn out to the golf course like two hours before and hit a lot of balls.

But I just got to go out there tomorrow and enjoy it, play my game. I been scrambling pretty well, so just be aggressive. I don't think I'm losing anything that way.

So, yeah, just be out there, have fun. I think there was a lot of patience today because there wasn't as many birdies, but I finished strong, so, yeah, good to end the day like that.

Q. I know also you made a joke with Golf Channel earlier that with your back starting, maybe seven years of being on the LPGA Tour is kind of catching up. How are you feeling after walking off the course today?

LYDIA KO: Yeah, I feel it a little bit, but luckily Chris here, who is with the LPGA, he's been helping me a lot these -- yesterday and this morning. I don't think there has been many times where I've needed treatment while playing, but I feel very fortunate that he's around and that he's been able to help me a little bit.

Every time he sees me it's been helping. I talked to my trainers to kind of get a few stretches done, so did that this morning. But it might be lingering tomorrow, but that's the last thing I got to worry about. Just go out there and swing freely and not worry about this.

I think the more I think about it the more I'm going to be tentative. Right now I need the exact opposite of that.

Q. Right now you're leading by four. Let's think back a couple years ago to 2016. Am I correct in saying that, the last two wins?

LYDIA KO: Yeah.

Q. The last win here. Are you feeling any different maybe than you did back in 2016 when you last won here?

LYDIA KO: I think in '16 it was the year that I won in a playoff. I think I was -- was it four players playing in the playoff? Everyone is nodding, so yes.

And those were all top players. I don't know what I was going into the round, but I feel like in all my wins there have been very different situations. I've come from back or I've been in the lead.

I think for me tomorrow, I just got to focus on my game. I think it's more important that I'm just out there just concentrating on my game -- which I've been doing the last few days to the point where I don't even know what I'm shooting.

That's going to be a big key. There are so many big names and a lot of girls playing well, and especially around the golf course where you could see someone shooting a really low score. It's never really out of reach.

So I just got to go out there and play my game and play confidently and strategically.

Q. And speaking of a final grouping, and final grouping with your friend, Danielle Kang. Does that make it just more fun, like a friendly competition than an LPGA Tour event?

LYDIA KO: I think the last time we played was a few months ago in a competitive format. I'm looking forward to it. Obviously she's been playing amazing and now it's going to be great to watch her in action live.

I think I was the group in front of her last week on the first couple of days, and then group in front of her here again and group behind her today. So I've been around her but not like right there.

She won last week, so she's coming off with a lot of momentum. I think a big key for me is to just be out there and really focus on me and have a good time out there with Jason.

Q. How much are you battling the back and how close to 100% are you?

LYDIA KO: I actually woke up this morning and I felt great. I started hitting some balls on the driving range and felt it a little bit. As I was playing I could feel it a little bit more.

So Chris was saying that it seems that I get twisted a bit more and more as I'm playing. I don't know what I'm doing to cause that. But really it was a reaction of a crazy time, maybe too much sleep last night -- or not last night, but a couple nights ago.

I don't have a back injury, so I think this is a one-off thing. There are more important things than the back right now, so I'm just going to go out there tomorrow, even if I do feel it, and just make sure that I'm still swinging aggressively.

Because even though I'm swinging aggressively it doesn't make to hurt more, so why not do it?

Q. Which part of your swing? Like when do you feel it?

LYDIA KO: It's like lot when I bend down. I was joking to Jason he should tee up my shots and pick up the balls for me. That would be something to watch.

But, no, I mean, there is probably no players out there that is not fighting something. I think this is a very minor thing. I'm just going to be out there tomorrow and just focus on my game.

That's what sometimes ibuprofen is for. (Laughter.)

Q. How would you describe your relationship with Danielle? She's been like a big sister to you, right?

LYDIA KO: I met her the first time at the U.S. Women's Am I think in 2011, the second U.S. Am that she won. She was super welcoming and she was so fun, and obviously I had heard a lot about her.

I think I went to World Ams where she played as well but never got to properly meet her. She's really taken me under her wing and been a big sister. There is a few girls that I call like my big sister, and she's one of them.

It's been pretty awesome to see her play well. That's why it's more important that I'm out there tomorrow just focusing on my game and enjoying being with her, and hopefully we'll both have a good time out there.

Q. How much would you like taking down big sister then?

LYDIA KO: You know, I think when we're all out there we are all trying to play the best we can. I don't know if it's going to be a two-ball or a three-ball tomorrow, but at the end of the day golf, you can't -- it's not just us two playing in match play. There are other great players.

Like there was an 8-under with Jodi yesterday. Who knows? Somebody could shoot a really low one as well. So I think it might not come just down to us two. You know, I think I just got to go out there and focus on me, and that's a really important thing.

Q. How comfortable are you being in that position with a four-shot lead and having everybody chasing you?

LYDIA KO: I didn't know it was a four-shot lead. No, I got asked the question before, like is it better being the chaser or the chased. At the end of the day, sometimes it might feel like somebody is -- everybody is chasing you, but to have a few shot cushion, you take it. If someone were to say, Hey, you get a four-shot lead. You would be like, Okay. I'll take it.

So I think tomorrow I'm going to go out there and not try to protect my lead, but go out there and play the best golf I can.

Q. Will you watch any of the PGA tonight or catch any Women's Am highlights?

LYDIA KO: I was watching some yesterday. I saw some of the U.S. Women's Am on Thursday because it was the coverage right after the LPGA coverage on Golf Channel.

Then I was watching the PGA. Nice thing is with the time difference they were still playing. I was telling Sean, I was like Hey, I'm pretty much almost playing on west coast time today because it was almost like 3:00. It's really nice and just cool to see how they play. I've never played Harding Park before, but San Fran is one of my favorite cities. It looks amazing. I would like to be there, too.

Q. It's the area of your last win.

LYDIA KO: Yes. Yes. (Laughter.) I heard that it's really close. Like Harding Park, Lake Merced, Olympic Club in San Francisco. So people who live in the Daly City area are pretty fortunate to have so many nice golf courses.

I'm a fan of sport in general. The coverage goes very quick, so it's nice to watch them play. Some of the like the creative shots, or even me just seeing how aggressively they hit it, how aggressively Bryson DeChambeau hits it and how straight he hits it is pretty amazing.

So just to kind of see that stuff, I think there is always some things to learn.