BANK OF HOPE LPGA MATCH-PLAY

May 28, 2021

Anna Nordqvist

Shadow Creek

Quick Quotes

Q. Anna, 5&3 showing in regulation to defeat world No. 1 Jin Young Ko, and then won in a playoff to advance out of Group 1. Let's start with the masterful performance during regulation. Your back is up against the wall. You have to have a win. You get the job done. Not only do you get the job done, you do it in pretty dominating fashion.

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, I played really well this morning. She is a world No. 1 so I knew she was going to be really tough match.

Part of me felt like I didn't have anything to lose because I knew I had to get my point to have a chance at a potential playoff, so just very proud of myself.

And the greens are really firm out there, so felt like I gave myself a couple good chances and couple really good par saves, too.

So overall I feel like -- I don't think I made a bogey this morning, which definitely helps.

Q. Yeah, you started off with pars on the first two holes, but you won both of those holes with par. Take us through when you stepped on 3 tee and you had a 2-up lead. You had to be feeling pretty good after a quick start.

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, where the pin was on the 2nd is tucked behind the trees, so you got to go right. I hot a great 3-wood down the right and a good 8-iron in there, and 3 felt like I was pretty pumped up because I drove it through the fairway and had a flier from there, and then did an amazing two-putt from the back of the green.

So just going to be places out here you are going to get a bounce sometimes, but like I said, I made a couple good putts and she came back with good birdies on 4 and 6.

So just try to stay patient. Hit a good shot on 11 to the downhill lie, to that pin, and made birdie.

So just few really good holes that worked in my favor today.

Q. Yeah. You beat me to the punch there. You birdied 11. You also birdied 13 and No. 15 to close out the match. So three birdies over the last five holes of the match from 11 through 15, winning four of those to win convincingly. Then to go and do a playoff I would imagine you're riding high.

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, definitely. The goal today was try to get a point so I could get in a potential playoff. I guess that was my only chance. I think Natalie probably helped both me and Jin Young out winning the last two and kind of kicking Masson out of playoff, because for the longest time looked like we were going to be all three of us. But just really proud of myself. A lot of patience. Felt like I made some good putts today, so overall very happy and I'm looking forward to the weekend.

Q. What hole did you win the playoff on?

ANNA NORDQVIST: I won it on the first.

Q. The very first. Take us through that hole and how it played out.

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, hit a great 3-wood down the right side. She hit it in the bunker off the tee so she was forced to kind of hit it just short right of the green. I hit a great pitching wedge, just bounced forever, but left myself maybe on 18-footer on the right plateau there, and her ball kind of bounced left, so two-putted there for the win.

Q. You bounced back nicely from the opening day and you play Ariya tomorrow in the round of 16. You're a veteran out here; Ariya is a veteran. What do you know about her game and how excited are you to be playing against a recent champion?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, I'm obviously excited to get through today and move on to tomorrow. Tomorrow is a new match. Ariya has been playing really well as of late winning in Thailand. I feel like any match out here is going to be really tough, so just not looking too far ahead and just try to take one hole at a time.

I know it's going to be a tough one, so I got to hopefully bring my A game tomorrow, too.