NW ARKANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP

August 28, 2020

Mina Harigae

Pinnacle Country Club

Press Conference

Q. Mina Harigae here at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Really solid round of 6-under, 65, just one bogey on the card.

How would you sum up your day?

MINA HARIGAE: It was just a very solid day. I started off hot. I made about like a 15-footer on the 1st hole; stuck it to about a foot on the next.

I was just hitting good shots and hit good putts all day. I hit a couple squirrelly shots, but I managed those. I think that's what really helped.

Q. What's the strategy around this golf course, especially knowing it's a 54-hole event and we usually see a lot of low scores out here?

MINA HARIGAE: I think it's a little bit of being smart but a little aggressive, because you know greens are soft so you can really go after pins.

So my strategy is kind of like if I have the perfect club, that's when I take a more direct line at the pin. If I'm a little in between clubs, then that's where I give myself a little room.

Luckily my putting feels pretty good this week, so I don't mind having 15-, 20-, even 30-footers.

Q. How did the Cactus Tour help you with your preparation for the return of the LPGA Tour, and did you see any of that hard work show up on the golf course today?

MINA HARIGAE: Oh, for sure. It just made me have a lot of confidence in my game. I had made a few changes the past year, so putting up good low scores on the Cactus Tour gave me the confidence like, Hey, I am going in the right direction.

And then being able to bring it out here on the LPGA Tour is just a big bonus.

Q. Yeah, I wonder if you take in the confidence from Sophia's win at the AIG Women's Open; she also won on the Cactus Tour. I'm sure you guys played together a lot.

MINA HARIGAE: Uh-huh. Yeah, for sure. I mean, seeing her win was like so inspirational and just kind of gave me the extra motivation. It's like, Wow, if she can overcome it, then like I'm ready to win, too.

Q. What's the strategy going into the weekend? Just keep the foot on the gas pedal here?

MINA HARIGAE: I think my strategy worked out well today, so just more of the same.