HUGEL AIR PREMIA LA OPEN

April 23, 2021

Xiyu Lin

Wilshire Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Course seemed to play a lot more challenging today, but you managed to shoot a very nice number. How was it playing?

XIYU LIN: It was playing hard. I don't know why, but I definitely feel it's hard. I mean, I'm hitting the ball good and second hole I miss like a not even two-footer.

But then I'm kind of tell myself just let it go. It happens on the poana greens. So I kept it really patient and, yeah, make really long putt on the fourth, and that's kind of like a turning points.

Q. On No.4?

XIYU LIN: Yeah, the par-3. And then the back nine, I always feel like back nine I have way more opportunities, so I just keep doing the same things and, yeah, it worked out pretty well.

Q. Yeah, bogey-free on the back nine.

XIYU LIN: Yes.

Q. I thought the back nine -- I mean, the front nine certainly played challenging. I thought the back nine had some tough pin placements when I walked it earlier. You make it look pretty easy. But you like the back nine, you think there are more opportunities?

XIYU LIN: Yeah, I just think front nine there are more longer irons, and these greens, sometimes it's hard to stop the ball, especially when it's windy.

Yeah, and there are little more blind shot on the front nine.

Q. You had birdies on -- let me double check here -- you said 4 was a good one, then 10, 11, 13, and 18. Just how nice was it to string the birdies together and finish with 18? 18 is a tough one as well. How nice was it stringing those together on the back?

XIYU LIN: Yeah, I mean, when I make the turn I feel like my game is really good so I'm like, just need to stay aggressive.

Yeah, make a really good birdie on the 10th and then 11, same, make a long putt; and 12 it's actually a good save because I save a ten-footer for par. So kind of got it going.

Next one I hit it -- hit the green by two. So it's like nothing fancy, just step by step, very casual, but putting pretty well.

Last hole I was a bit nervous because I haven't gone -- haven't hit the green for last two days. I'm like somehow let me make a par. That shot turn out really good and I'm like, Okay, maybe now I should expect a birdie.

Q. Yeah, that was a nice finish you had.

XIYU LIN: Yes.

Q. We talked earlier in the week. You've made every cut this year if I remember right, and had some good finishes along the way when you played the weekend. Seems you kind of heat up as the week goes on. You get stronger, find lower scores. Would you agree, and why is that?

XIYU LIN: I'm just keep telling myself to, you know, be fair to myself. Like there are days that there are some thing that I'm not doing right, but I keep telling myself the stuff I'm doing good.

I mean, honestly, just like today at the beginning I was like, it was frustrating making a bogey on the Par 5 when you have a ten-footer for birdie and then you end up with a bogey.

I just kept telling myself how good that shot was and how well like I been hitting. I should be comfortable -- I should believe I'm going to get it back.

So I just like tried to give myself more confidence even not having really good day. But I think, yeah.

Q. Believing you can get anything back, I feel like that's hard to do in golf, but if you can do it, you can beat a lot of mental demons out here.

XIYU LIN: Yeah, I feel like just every day I try to learn something out of it, because, I mean, you learn obviously a lot from the bad day, but not just learning how to make it better, also have to tell yourself -- like admit the stuff you're doing okay.

Even you had a terrible day you can't just say I done everything terrible, because that's impossible. (Laughter.)

Q. Even for a pessimist it's possible.

XIYU LIN: At the end of the day at least you can say at least I have a good mind going through the day. There has to be something good.