CURTIS CUP

August 25, 2021

Sarah Ingram

Rose Zhang

Rachel Heck

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with questions. It's a long time coming that we are finally here. What are you most excited for this week?

SARAH INGRAM: It feels great to be here finally after a reconnaissance mission in 2019. And the weather is spectacular. So that's very exciting and just looking forward to getting the matches started, balls in the air.

THE MODERATOR: Rose, talk a little bit about what it means to represent Team USA. You've done it before, but to be a part of the Curtis Cup this year, what does it mean to you?

ROSE ZHANG: It means the world, to be able to stand here and be able to say I'm part of the Team USA and represent my country as an athlete and as golfer, it's everything that every golfer wants and especially being on the Curtis Cup team you're playing with top amateur players and being able to be called teammates with the rest of these top amateurs and team it's a big deal.

THE MODERATOR: Rachel, you were an alternate, so it's been on your mind before, but when you got the call what did that feel like?

RACHEL HECK: Oh, my gosh, it was unbelievable. Honestly, for me the Curtis Cup, going to the Curtis Cup has been a long time coming. When I was in about fourth or fifth grade I had a family friend who was going to take me to watch the Curtis Cup close to my house and at the last minute there was a tornado or something and I was devastated. And a couple years ago I wanted to go, I was the alternate, I told myself that one day I would be here. So to be sitting here in Wales next to Rose and the rest of the Team USA is surreal.

THE MODERATOR: Sarah, you played on a number of Curtis Cup teams. What do you remember most about these those times?

SARAH INGRAM: I think just I remember the camaraderie with my teammates and get getting to know them better and just the friendly competition of the other team and all the activities we did with them and it was a lot of fun.

THE MODERATOR: Rose, you seem to like match play. You've won two USGA championships which you had to get through a lot of matches to do that. What do you love so much about match play?

ROSE ZHANG: I just love the competition. I mean, it's a format where you don't get to play that often in golf and it's often an individual sport, but in match play you're able to play one hole at a time and really grit through your matches and I think I just love how competitive it is. I'm able to execute when pressure comes, so it's just a game that really suits me and I really look forward to it.

THE MODERATOR: Rachel, you had an unbelievable freshman season at Stanford. What do you like about team golf?

RACHEL HECK: Team golf is the best to me. I sometimes get a little lonely in junior golf, I didn't have a team, and I always locked forward to teams like Wyndham Cup, the Junior Solheim Cup and Junior Ryder Cup when I think about that team. And now to be at Stanford I couldn't imagine leaving it early. I love my team, they're my best friends, we have the best time. Now being a part of Team USA is so much fun. And golf can be lonely, you're out there, you're by yourself, you're playing for your yourself. But now we're playing for each other, we're playing for the USA. That's pretty cool.

THE MODERATOR: Any questions?

Q. Can you each tell me in turn what switch you have to press to turn from stroke play to match play?

RACHEL HECK: I think match play is a different mentality. Usually in stroke play you're not focused on what your opponent is doing, you're playing the course. And match play is kind of fun, because we're trying to focus on where they hit it. So instead of being purely focused on your game, you get that element of you see where they hit it and then you decide where you want to hit it. So I think the strategy is really fun. I think you really got to keep that in mind.

ROSE ZHANG: Yeah, I totally agree. In match play you definitely have to look at your opponent and see what the situation is and it just changes your game plan when you're on the course. I think also like I'm able to be a little more aggressive with my shots, depending on what happens, especially when you're under pressure or you need to sink a birdie putt. And you're just able to try to commit to your shot fully and be really be able to be aggressive with it. So I think match play is like a format where your game needs to be in A condition in terms of your mental and physical game.

Q. Is it possible to get too caught up in what your opponent is doing?

ROSE ZHANG: That is true, it can be, but that's match play for you. You really have to be mentally strong. You have to make sure that your decision making is good enough for whoever you're playing against and suitable for your game. So you have to kind of balance it out. And it's golf, you always have to balance out everything.

Q. Elaine and yourself actually played against each other in Curtis Cup. But what do you remember from then?

SARAH INGRAM: I actually, to tell you the truth, I didn't remember, that was quite a few back. But I looked back and I saw that she did beat me, so (laughing) I hope to, you know, to avenge myself here (laughing). But we had a great time. It was a beautiful place in Ireland and as always a fun experience being on the Curtis Cup. I'm happy to be here and playing with Elaine again or, well, playing against Elaine again.

Q. Have you used that to inspire the girls to avenge your defeat? Do they know that story?

SARAH INGRAM: They don't and I was maybe trying to keep that on the down low, I didn't want them to necessarily know that I lost to her. But yeah, this is -- I didn't want to put that pressure on them that they were going to have to do it for me.

THE MODERATOR: You were 2-1 in your singles matches in your Curtis Cups.

SARAH INGRAM: Yes. Thank you. (Laughing).

Q. Rose, you were here, you played the Women's Open last week at Carnoustie and so you've had a chance to get over the jet lag and experience the weather, which has been good. What have you been able to tell the girls about playing golf over here from your experiences last week?

ROSE ZHANG: Yeah, on the golf course I kind of shared a little bit of information from my time at Carnoustie. And definitely this golf is very different, you have to hit a little more knock-down shots, sometimes the wind picks up. Right now the weather's beautiful, so it's pretty good right now, the wind has died down a little bit. But for sure it's a little different over here, the bunkers definitely play a huge factor into your score. So just staying out of bunkers is the main priority here and I'm sure the girls are going to be amazing. So I'm not too worried.

Q. Obviously you've had a year extra to prepare for this. What's that been like having another instead of two years not having an event since 2018?

SARAH INGRAM: It's been actually pretty good for me, I took a fair amount of time away from golf and I just got back into it when I was asked to be captain. So it took me, it gave me an extra year to really get to know all the amateur women out playing and get to watch them and get to know them personally and things like that. So it's been, for me, that's been a big plus.

Q. How do you feel like you can adapt your game to suit the course here?

RACHEL HECK: For me personally I never played a links course, so it's kind of a bucket list thing, So I was really stoked about that to be able to come here and play. And, yeah, it's a little bit different. Right now they said it's a little bit wet, so it's obviously playing a little bit more like American golf, you don't have to land it short of the green and let it roll up. But I think as the week goes on it will dry out a little bit more and it will become more like links golf. But it's really fun, I've never putted from 10, 20 yards off the green, so that's fun. It's just, it's a lot, it's about teams too, but it's a really good challenge and I know we're all excited for it.

ROSE ZHANG: I think overall links golf is definitely very different from American golf, there's a lot less trees, there's a lot more wind that you have to put into factor, and it's just wide open. So you really don't know, you really have to be committed to your line and it's a bit harder to find your line out here. So just having a practice round, having a couple of practice rounds with the team, it's just something that everyone got accustomed to and it's been great to be here.

THE MODERATOR: Perfect. Thank you all.