ABERDEEN STANDARD INVESTMENTS LADIES SCOTTISH OPEN

August 15, 2020

Danielle Kang

The Renaissance Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Here with Danielle Kang. You just told me as we were walking up, you thought the leaderboard wasn't updated but the lead is at 5-under. How do you feel after your third round?

DANIELLE KANG: I'm happy I made that last 5-footer for par. There's just a lot of -- been hitting a lot of 3-putts this week. So I'm making a lot of putts. The furthest putt I made this week was a 12-footer, so it's quite frustrating not being able to optimise and capitalise on the greens like I normally can. Just try to figure them out, played 54 holes on it, so hopefully the next 18 holes I can get some golf balls in the hole.

THE MODERATOR: You've said before, and I think over the last two weeks, that you really are -- you look forward to a challenge, and that links has been somewhat of a challenge that you have been working on. What have you seen out of the course over the last three days.

DANIELLE KANG: Well, one of the things that I'm actually really proud is of how the golf ball reacts on this golf course. It kind of bounces back and forth, and knowing the releases, hitting different types of shots into certain pins, depending on the number, I could have three of the same number for three holes and I'm hitting three different clubs.

So those are the things that I worked on, and I could definitely see that I'm hitting the ball well. I struck it well the last two days, as well. But I just need to get that putter going.

Q. Does it mean working after your round today? Are you heading point putting green to see what you can put together?

DANIELLE KANG: Yeah, a little bit. The other day I putted for two hours after my round and ended up going home at like 9.30. I think it's mostly getting used to the pace of the greens. They are a bit slower than what I'm used to.

It's links golf, so you know, you can't really have them roll that fast, which I completely -- I am for. I am just not a very -- my putting style isn't much of a hit, and so every time I hit it, I kind of flinch. That's just not the type of putting I do.

So I kind of changed my stance around. Kind of changed the way I putt so I don't create a bad habit. But I think I got a pretty good feel for it. I just need them to drop. Beauty of this golf course, I'm starting to realise, is that they don't break as much as I think. So I just have to be aggressive on the line and trust that line and hit it.

THE MODERATOR: Last week you were certainly a come-from-behind winner; will that be the mentality tomorrow, as well?

DANIELLE KANG: Yeah, right now, what's the leader at? 5? I'm three back. Not a lot of people are going low out here. The golf course is playing tough. Condition isn't as forgivable as you wanted them to be but yeah, I was five back yesterday and I have 36 holes left, so I think that kind of a mind-set last week, I was five shots back with six holes to go. This week I was five shots back with 36. So hopefully I can capitalise on it and play the best I can and see what happens.

But there's a lot of people kind of budged up there.

Q. Can you tell me how you made the birdie at 9 that sparked your burst of four birdies in five holes?

DANIELLE KANG: It's actually a pretty funny stat. I've chipped in more times than made over a 15-footer this week. But I really like what kind of momentum I got in there. It was a good leave on 9. I was hoping that it held the line and it went in, which was great, and then No. 10, I kind of missed my birdie putt, but No. 11, I hit it to 2 1/2, three feet. 12, hit it to four feet and 13 hit it to four feet.

So those are kind of just a little bit -- it's a must-make putt. So I think a lot of times I kind of rely on my ball-striking at this point to give me birdies. That's how I got kind of on a roll. I have to thank my ball-striking for that one.

Q. You've obviously got yourself in a good position heading into the final round. Thinking back to 2-over on Thursday after six or seven holes. What was your thinking at that point? Was it a case of trying to be patient?

KANG DANIELLE: Yeah, golf is a test of patience. It's 72 holes. I could make a mistake on the final hole, final tournament, but at the end of the day, I play 72. I just try to stay as patient as I can. If I am unfocused, if I take my mind off this golf course, bogeys are around the corner, even on last hole because I three-putted because I hit it-little too hard.

Stay focused. Stay patient. I was 2-over after 8, as well, but there's so much golf left to be played, and all I can do is keep giving myself birdie opportunities, and that's what I did.

THE MODERATOR: The other day you said you spent two hours at the putting green working on your putting. What is there to improve to see if you can take home three wins in a row here at Scotland --

DANIELLE KANG: Just got to trust my game. I'm playing good, playing good golf and getting myself into contention week-to-week, and hitting the ball really well. So just going to rely on my bike to go give myself a lot of birdie opportunities and tomorrow I have to take my ball-striking attitude into putting and just stay really aggressive.