U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN

December 11, 2020

Lydia Ko

Champions Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. I guess the conditions today were pretty difficult, a little bit breezy, the threat of a bit of rain. How would you describe that second round today?

LYDIA KO: I don't think I hit the ball as well today, but I made a lot of good up-and-downs. No, I feel like it was a case where it could have been better but it could have been worse. So yeah, another solid round. Hopefully take that kind of momentum going into the weekend.

Q. It was a really good first nine, wasn't it, those two birdies on the front nine. You were looking really good going into the turn. Even though you weren't hitting it as well, did you feel quite confident?

LYDIA KO: Yeah, I think the times that I did mis-hit it I was still able to have a shot, so when you are kind of on that momentum, you're just going out there saying, you know what, that's fortunate and try and take advantage as much as I can. I missed a really short one for birdie, but because the wind was picking up on the back nine, obviously it makes it a lot tougher just to hit it really close. But the wind direction and strength is definitely making a huge difference out there. I had one hole where I had pitching wedge into the green and it was definitely a lot shorter compared to the other days.

Q. How would you compare the two courses? Do you prefer playing on Cypress? You've obviously got it for the next two rounds, as well.

LYDIA KO: Yeah, we're stuck with the Cypress, so hopefully I prefer this one. I think they're very different. Jackrabbit you have to be maybe a little bit more creative in the sense that it's a little bit tighter, smaller greens, but you're just trying to play the course and the condition as well as you can. It's a major, and I'm not really sure what the conditions are going to be like for the weekend, but I think the wind direction and strength definitely plays a huge factor into this golf course.

Q. What are the key work-ons for you going into the weekend?

LYDIA KO: Hopefully I'll be able to hit it a little better. It's not like it was bad, but just keep hitting it confidently out there and give myself good opportunities. I felt like my speed control with the putter was a lot better today, so kind of work on that a little bit and rest up for a good weekend.

Q. I saw a stat just before the tournament, I think you're the only player in the field who's been top 20 in the three previous majors this year. You've got consistency. What is it going to take for you to really contend do you think for the title because you're right in the mix going into the weekend?

LYDIA KO: Yeah, obviously you need to bring it all together, especially at a major, for you to be in contention. Yeah, this golf course is not super, super tight but it's not very wide, either, so I think being on the fairways, especially with the greens getting firmer, is going to be key so that you're able to stop it and attack some more pins where if you were in the rough that would be a lot tougher to do. That in combination with having good speed control. Sometimes you're just not going to have a short putt -- well, a mid-range putt, so making sure that you're dialed in with the speed is important.