ABERDEEN STANDARD INVESTMENTS LADIES SCOTTISH OPEN

August 14, 2020

Emily Pederson

The Renaissance Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome, Emily, to the media centre. I know you've had an up-and-down round there, great start and rough back nine comparative to yesterday where you parred them all. Can you talk a little bit about your round today?

EMILY PEDERSON: Yeah, it was -- hit 15 greens, most fairways, but I just don't really hit the ball close. It's kind of what happened on the back nine yesterday. Like hitting lots of greens but just not hitting them close. Then I hit it in the rough on 15 and had four shots over there and made a triple, which was very disappointing.

I'm not really sure myself what actually happened or why I seem to not kind of hit that shot properly, and then yeah, that's going to sting for a little bit. It's going to drop me down to the middle of the field, which is quite disappointing.

THE MODERATOR: Overall you were playing well and that triple was a blight, but you felt good about your game apart from that.

EMILY PEDERSON: Yeah, I'm pretty good off the tee and steady irons, like not really in that much trouble but not sharp enough to make birdies. I didn't have a lot of birdie chances out there. My lag putting has been good. I need some approach shots to be closer for me to make some more birdies.

THE MODERATOR: Nicole was telling us yesterday about how you've been playing together, and did you win a mixed tournament when you were practise together.

EMILY PEDERSON: Yeah, I won an ECCO Tour tournament on the men's professionals.

Q. Just on the Tour that you won, what sort of competition was it, the men's pros, and how did that established you in good stead to come out playing your best the first event back?

EMILY PEDERSON: The ECCO Tour is part of the Nordic league which is a Scandinavian tour, so it's Denmark, Sweden and they play a little in Finland, and the organiser is Danish, and we didn't have anything to play in. Then he asked us if we were interested in playing with the men and we were. It kind of went well.

Q. Did you play off the same tees?

EMILY PEDERSON: No. We played forward.

Q. Presumably this tournament is important for you to try to qualify for next week's Women's Open. Is that on your mind?

EMILY PEDERSON: Not on the course. I obviously thought coming to this week I wanted to do well so I could play in The Open, but it's not something I think about on the course really.

Q. But it's important to you?

EMILY PEDERSON: Yeah, well, it's a goal to play The Open next week, yes.

Q. Currently threes three Danish players in the Top-20, and this comes back of the twins doing well on The European Tour, especially Rasmus. Do you feel Danish golf is on the cusp of something special? What's the sort of secret behind that at the moment?

EMILY PEDERSON: I'm not sure what the secret is, but I know the Federation has a really good setup, and they support us a lot. David, Nicole and I's coach, he's doing a fantastic job. He's a great coach. He does a lot for us and I really think he's very good.

I think that's kind of what's been helping. It's been helping me. I can't speak for them but they are very dedicated and motivated. We have a good practise environment. We go on camps with the guys in the beginning of the year and during the season, but not this year. I think we are good at pushing each other and working together like with the men and the boys, the girls, the ladies. Everyone is kind of good at working together.

Q. Rasmus has made a great start to his European Tour career winning already and knocking at the door. Does that come as no surprise to you, having seen him come through the ranks?

EMILY PEDERSON: Well, it's surprising he's doing it this weekly I'd say but he's a great player, and I always thought that both him and Nicolai was going to get very good. They are very talented and hard working and they have got something special about them, so no, it's no surprise that they are doing well.

Q. Another day on Thomas Björn, he's doing a charity walk from Wentworth to Wales. Are you aware of that? It's for a good cause. Is that a great thing for him to be doing?

EMILY PEDERSON: Yeah, of course I'm aware of that. I think it great for Thomas to do stuff like that. He's been good at giving a little bit back here in his older days, and yeah, it's great. It bringing attention to some charity and I'm wishing him all the luck on a long walk.

Q. Are you in touch with the Danish boys and how you're doing on your various tours?

EMILY PEDERSON: We kind of keep in touch. I follow along on their social media and stuff and when they do well, occasionally message each other and say good job. Rasmus and Nicolai lives three hours from Nicole and I in Denmark, so we don't see them in day-to-day practise. We evenly really see them at a camp or a practise day or whatever. But I follow along, I follow all the Danes. It's fun to see them do well.

Q. And you practise together a lot?

EMILY PEDERSON: Yeah, Nanna and I live five minutes from each other and Nicole is I think half an hour and Nanna and I. So when our coach, David, is coming over, he lives three hours away from us, so he comes over once a week and we have a day together and every other week, we go three days to him and stay there and practise together.

Q. So must have been nice yesterday to see the three of you on the Top-10 of the leaderboard?

EMILY PEDERSON: Yeah, it was fun. It was fun to see that it's been helping to kind of practise together and I love seeing the Danes do well. I know how hard they work, both of them and I know all the effort that goes in and the doubts we talk about and kind of share with each other, so I'm really happy to see them both doing well.

Q. In a week like this with so many restrictions on how many people you can bring, it must help have your own group around?

EMILY PEDERSON: It's a shame we can't spend time together this week, but it helps to see them around and see them on the practise range. My boyfriend is caddying for Danielle, but obviously can't really be with him, either. It's nice to have some kind of support and chat with him a little bit as well.

Q. So your boyfriend caddies for Danielle Kang?

EMILY PEDERSON: Yeah.