ANA INSPIRATION

September 10, 2020

Lexi Thompson

Mission Hills Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. What a day for you out there, able to save some incredible shots. Take us through what this first day was like for you.

LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, it was a little bit of an up-and-down day, but I started off really well, 2-under through 3, and then made a bogey out there on 18, just didn't hit that great of a wedge shot. But fought strong. Coming in I ended with two birdies, so definitely a lot of positives to take from the day, but overall just a little bit of an up-and-down day, but that's golf.

Q. Two top players playing together; you were playing with Brooke. You guys seemed to be trading birdies at some points. What's that like when your playing partner is going off just as much as you are.

LEXI THOMPSON: Well, Brooke played great. I've played with her quite a bit and she's a lot of fun to play with. She's a great ball striker and definitely can make a lot of birdies out there, so we feed off each other here and there, and it was a great day out there, perfect weather and the course was in great shape for us.

Q. A lot of changes than maybe what you're used to the past couple years playing in April. How does the Bermuda treat a Florida girl like yourself?

LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, well, it's more of what I'm used to, but it's different coming here and seeing Bermudagrass. I was like, wow, this is so much different. But like I said, they did what they could with this heat to get it in the best shape possible like they always do, so we're always happy to come back here, and just being able to play in general is a big thing for us right now.

Q. With all the heat and everything, what were some of the strategies you took? Were you kind of ready to take it head-on?

LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, I definitely was. I'm from Florida, so when I was going out practicing before this, I would go out for two hours and I was drenched in sweat. You know, I was kind of used to it. This is more of a dry heat, but I was ready -- you drink a lot of water a hole out here to make sure you stay hydrated and make sure you eat and keep your energy levels up.

Q. What a day out here with the heat even rising. You just said as a Florida girl you're used to it. Do you like playing in these kind of conditions?

LEXI THOMPSON: I do. I mean, this is what I'm used to. I'm used to the heat. I'd rather it be 110 than freezing. I would definitely would rather this kind of conditions. But it was perfect. The wind wasn't blowing, so it's great golf conditions.

Q. We saw a new putting grip out there, a little bit of a newer putting stance. What went into that decision and how long have you been preparing for that?

LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, well, I putted like that actually at the British, as well. I didn't play so great at the British, but I putted well. So it's something that I've been working on with the few weeks off and just trying to get more comfortable over the putter. It's helped out a lot. So just been working extremely hard on every part of my game, and I think it's finally coming together, and just trying to gain more and more confidence with everything.

Q. Was the claw not working well for you do you think, or did you just need something new?

LEXI THOMPSON: A little bit of both. The claw worked great for about a four-week stretch last year and kind of just fizzled out. But that's golf. Sometimes you just need a little bit of a change, and then I changed to the SIK putter so that's in the bag this week. A few changes out there, but it's for the better.

Q. When you play with a really long hitter like Brooke, did you find yourself giving a little extra off the tee?

LEXI THOMPSON: You know, I've played with her quite a bit, like I've said before. Great ball striker, she does hit it far, but she hits her driver everywhere and probably the straightest ball striker out here off the tee. It's great to feed off each other with the birdies and just the distance off the tee because we can kind of go off each other distance-wise.

Q. You've had so many strong finishes in major championships; how eager are you to win another one?

LEXI THOMPSON: Well, I think we're all very eager to win a major championship, but this is one of my favorite events on our schedule. I just love coming to Palm Springs. It's just a great atmosphere, a lot of history behind the tournament, and I just love playing this golf course. A lot of great memories here, but the majors in general, I feel like they're set up a lot more difficult, so I feel like it's a lot more challenging for everybody and brings out the best play.

Q. Reporters tend to focus on the near misses and the ones that got away. Did you think back to any of those, any regret, any remorse?

LEXI THOMPSON: No. I'm here today. That's all that matters.

Q. What can you apply from those other ones that you can take out to the next three rounds?

LEXI THOMPSON: You know, I think with golf in general, unfortunately you struggle more than you win, but you learn from the failures and what you did wrong, so that way when you're in that position the next time you can learn from it and you know what to do.