BANK OF HOPE LPGA MATCH-PLAY

May 25, 2021

Angela Stanford

Shadow Creek

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, hi Angela. Good to have you. You said it's a good week because you're in Vegas. I've seen a couple of your posts. You seem to be living your best life right now. How are thing going?

ANGELA STANFORD: I love Vegas. I think the biggest hurdle this week is going to be actually being here and working, so mentally be ready to work instead of play. So playing as in having fun, the casinos and shows.

I just love it. This seems like the trifecta this week of match play, Vegas, and Shadow Creek. It's just awesome.

THE MODERATOR: I know match play is the ultimate in competition. Of you and your opponents, and I know you're are a real competitive player, what do you like most about match play and getting out there and competing?

ANGELA STANFORD: Well, I think anything can happen. I think that's what makes it so fun. I think that's what makes it so fun to watch on TV. Even if your opponent hits it way offline, they could still make birdie or par.

So it's just different mindset, different kind of game. I love it. I love it on our schedule, and I think people are going to have fun watching this week.

THE MODERATOR: I know you were the runner-up at the HSBC a couple years ago and clearly know your way around match play from Solheim Cup and such. When you've been hearing this a great match play course, what is that makes Shadow Creek a match play course and how does that change up how you attack a course like this?

ANGELA STANFORD: I think you can make some high numbers here, but then I think the course is also going to give you some opportunities. If you hit great golf shots, you're going to have a chance for birdie. I love it. I love that there is that spectrum of you can make a birdie but you can make a big number.

That's what makes a golf course great for match play.

THE MODERATOR: You're here with two hats on, or three hats. Fan hat for Vegas, your competitor's hat for playing and trying get that victory, but also the red, white, and blue hat in your gig as assistant captain for the Solheim Cup team. I know Pat Hurst is out here all week as well. What are you looking for? Are you looking, or are you out here primarily as competitor? But how do you use this as you start preparing for Toledo?

ANGELA STANFORD: I think we have 11 girls out here we've been watching all year. It's going to be fun to kind of watch them play match play. I've kind of been tracking their stats all year, so I think this week will just be more about the match play and -- I think stats on a week like this where you're playing match play stats really don't matter. It's who gets the ball in the hole the fastest.

It'll be fun to watch everybody in a different atmosphere.

THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions.

Q. Mollie Marcoux Samaan got the call as the new commissioner this morning. How did you find out and how did you react?

ANGELA STANFORD: I woke up to of an email probably like everybody else, which it's great that we finally have somebody. I think sometimes it's that unknown that kind of makes people a little nervy. So it's great that the process is over, great that we have a name and a face, and we can move on and go onto our next chapter.

Q. How you balance your role as the assistant Solheim Cup captain this week, have match play be a good preview for that team, versus try to compete yourself?

ANGELA STANFORD: It's great having Pat here, and obviously she's going to watch the girls more closely. I'm still going to tee it up and still try to win my matches, but afterwards I pay more attention to what they're doing.

In the past I just -- it's been about me and I go home and I don't worry about looking at anybody else. Now I have to pay attention, and it's great. I think the thing that's been really important all year long is I'm playing the golf course with them.

So if Pat has any questions, you know, why this or why that, well, then I'm on the course and I can tell her. Well, it played this way or that way. I think that's been the coolest part of being an assistant and still playing.

Q. What kind of insights does a match play event give you versus normal stroke play?

ANGELA STANFORD: For me, honestly, I want to see how much they fight. If they get down, do they come back. I'm watching stuff like that.

I think Pat has things that she's watching, but I like to see if you get 3- or 4-down, do you take them all the way to the end? So I like watching stuff like that. (Smiling.)

Q. Given that fans are such an integral part of Solheim Cup and given the scene we saw at the PGA this weekend, how odd is it to be playing out here still without spectators?

ANGELA STANFORD: I think our time is coming. I think we're going to be okay. I think it's probably a little disappointing for everybody this week because it's match play. I think fans enjoy watching that.

But we're all doing our best, and I trust that the people putting on this tournament are doing their best and following guidelines, and that's what we're trying to do right now. I'm not going to second guess why we don't have fans. I know they're trying to protect us and trying to protect others still.

Our time will come. We're going to have fans. I would rather be safe than anything else.

Q. Does it make a difference playing match play without spectators there?

ANGELA STANFORD: It's going to be interesting. I've never played match play without fans so I don't know. That's going to be very interesting. Stroke play, love having fans out there, but when you tee it up and get going you're trying to win the golf tournament, and you do feed off the fans.

I think that might help this week if somebody gets up or down. They're not going to have those people behind them.

Q. That extra pressure.

ANGELA STANFORD: Yeah.

Q. Speaking of Solheim, in that role, how disappointed are you that Nelly and Jessica and Lexi aren't here getting the rare chance to play before Solheim?

ANGELA STANFORD: I think obviously you always want to see everybody play in a match play tournament. You know, we got to trust that they're doing what's best for them. Having the U.S. Open next week, you know, they have their reasons.

Ultimately you want them to be ready, you want them to play their best golf. If they're going to play their best golf next week, for us in the long run that might be okay.

So I think they're doing what they need to do, and that's okay.

Q. The elements are a factor here, too, right?

ANGELA STANFORD: I think the ball definitely goes farther here. I think that's -- which for somebody like me that's a lot of fun because I don't bomb it like the other youngsters.

But if I can get a few more yards I take advantage of it.

THE MODERATOR: Absolutely. I also wanted to ask you about Bank of Hope and MGM stepping up to bring this event. It's a great partnership. I know Bank of Hope, we weren't able to play Founders Cup last year, so instead they came in here. What does it mean for you especially as we bring in a new commissioner and you're a veteran player, you're seen this tour at its highs and its lows to have companies like these supporting the tour and women's sports?

ANGELA STANFORD: This has been outrageous so far this week. I have felt like -- I mean, I hate to -- well, it feels like they're treating us like PGA pros this week. It's so cool. I mean, to get picked up at the airport the way we did in a limo, get the jersey -- they gave us a jersey from the Vegas Knights. It's the little things. I think I've said that over and over and over.

We're all looking for equality and looking for that, but it's the little things. They've done the little things this week to make us feel so special. I mean, you just love sponsors like that. Like I said, it's the little things, baby steps, that get us to the big steps. Man, this week feels different.

It's been so much fun and I'm so glad to get to play, so I feel very fortunate to be here. This is my fourth commissioner, speaking of a commissioner, and I have seen some super highs and some super lows.

She's coming in on a very high note, and I think -- I was trying to think how can I say this, she sounds like a bad ass. Sounds like she's ready to roll. I love that she played golf growing up, played other sports in college. Sounds like she's super smart.

And then she's handled the foundation side of things. It just sounds like she's kind of seen a little bit of everything, so I'm excited for her to be here. And, again, looking forward to next chapter.

Q. What were some of the highs and some of the lows?

ANGELA STANFORD: You know, I think there were a lot of factors when we hit our lowest point. There were a number of factors. But I'm grateful that we kind of came out of that stronger. I think that is a testament to this organization.

Every company sees highs and lows, but we came out of it stronger. That's a testament on Mike and his team that he had. So Mike did a tremendous job. He put us on a completely different trajectory than we could have imagined.

So he did everything and more than we could have imagined. Grateful that we had him as a part of our organization, and looking forward to the new one.

THE MODERATOR: All right, thank you so much Angela. Appreciate it. Have a good one, and we'll see you tomorrow.

ANGELA STANFORD: Thank you.