ISPS HANDA WORLD INVITATIONAL

August 1, 2021

Yu Liu

Galgorm Castle & Massereene Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Seven birdies in your first ten holes. Take us through that hot start.

YU LIU: Yeah, I started off -- honestly, the first three holes could have been better, because the first hole I had like three-footer for eagle and I missed that.

Then third hole they moved it up. I reached the par-4 and then three-putted. But it really didn't get to me. I just feel like there was still birdie opportunities because there were so many par-5s on this course, so I just stayed patient. Worked out pretty well.

Q. Yeah, you definitely didn't let it get to you. If you didn't birdie those but you birdied the rest of them in the ten-hole stretch.

YU LIU: Yeah, I didn't close it up very well because we were a little behind the pace and we were getting timed on the back nine. The back nine was playing harder itself because the tee shots were like -- I just wasn't driving the ball very well all week, so it's tough for me on those narrow par-4s.

Q. A week off to fix the driving?

YU LIU: Oh, for sure. I think I need to take a lot of positives. I know coming into this week I wasn't playing well. Missed the last two cuts. So this week I just really going out, made through all these -- both of the cut lines and get to play on Sunday, which felt really good.

Q. What's the travel schedule, tournament schedule look like coming up next week and then the Scottish, British?

YU LIU: Yes, that's the plan so far. Yeah, so next week I'm going to stay here until the ten-day quarantine finishes.

Q. Okay.

YU LIU: It's nice. The Galgorm Golf Club is very generous for providing practice facilities for us.

Q. What did you think of the week with men and women in the same field, equal prize money, and just the venues we were able to compete on?

YU LIU: It's just really cool to compete on the same venue with the guys to what they're doing, how they get ready for a tournament. This is the only week you get to play on the same venue with the guys.

I just it's really cool to see where our game is at compared to the men's tour. So I think, yeah, I'm really looking forward to be back.

Q. Anything that you took away from watching them here and there?

YU LIU: They hit it really far, and the European Tour, they have a gym set up every week like this. It's like one of the best mobile gyms I've ever seen in my life. It's right next to the driving range, so I guess they are able to get their body in shape on a weekly basis, which definitely helps.

So I think -- I mean, the guys, they just hit it really far, putt it really well, so, yeah, definitely a lot to learn from.

Q. What do you think they could learn from you?

YU LIU: Us? I think -- I mean, these girls are so good. This is my fourth year on tour and I just feel like each year the tour is getting more and more competitive. I just feel like there is so much to learn from every single girl out here, just how you make your game plan and how you get yourself ready.

Like people outside the tour only see the score, but they don't know what amount of work it actually takes to be competing at this level.

Q. So it's just as much of a grind, if not more of a grind.

YU LIU: For sure. It's a lot of fun. I just feel like I can learn from every single girl out here. It's a lot of fun to compete with the best.

Q. I was going to look up something because something just crossed my mind. Did you -- no, you graduated -- no, you were in the same congratulating class and Emma Talley.

YU LIU: Oh, really?

Q. On the Symetra Tour.

YU LIU: Oh, yes.

Q. Yes. So what's it like? I know the goal when you come out here is to work your game to the point where you can find the winner's circle. What is it like? Do you have any close connection with and Emma? What's it been like to see her near the top?

YU LIU: Yeah, we play junior golf together growing up, and just really nice girl, great player, great talented player. Won a lot of amateur events when she was still an amateur.

I thought we had a really strong class that year with couple of girls like Hannah Green, major champion, and Celine, and couple of already winner on tour, I think.

So winning has definitely been my goal. I think I had a good year. My first two years on tour was pretty smooth until COVID hits me.

It was just -- it takes some time for me to adjust my mindset into the right places. Because there has been a lot of people addressing the importance of mental health nowadays, I just feel like, yeah, you can never emphasize too much on the importance of how you think both on and off the course.