NW ARKANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP

September 25, 2021

Minjee Lee

Pinnacle Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. (Indiscernible.)

MINJEE LEE: Right, I mean, three rounds feels a lot shorter than four.

So, you know, like coming into the tournament I actually had a month off, so I'm feeling pretty fresh and just wanted to post a couple good scores.

That's what I did and I'm happy.

Q. (Regarding winning a major.) Do you see yourself differently now?

MINJEE LEE: To be honest, not really. Like I feel like I'm still the same Minjee, but I just won a major. Like I just won a major golf tournament, but I'm still the same me. When I play I'm going to give my 100% all the time. I think that's a great mindset to have.

Q. (Indiscernible.)

MINJEE LEE: I think so. I mean, you know, it's really scorable out here. It's pretty soft so you can be pretty aggressive at the pins. You know, as long as your putter is hot I think you're going to have a chance.

Yeah, just be aggressive and play to the best that I have.

Q. Let's start off with the front nine. A plethora of birdies for you. Just take us through what was going so hot there.

MINJEE LEE: You know, some of the holes I really hit it close to make birdie, and some of the holes I had a couple 15-, 20-footers, so good length birdie putts.

Yeah, I just kind of kept riding my momentum until the 10th hole, and then string of pars and a birdie to finish.

Yeah, no, it was a pretty solid day.

Q. It was a good day yesterday, too. What did you build off yesterday's score that you really think helped today in the morning?

MINJEE LEE: Yesterday afternoon it got a little bumpy on the greens, so I was just trying to take advantage of the nice putting surface this morning. You know, they were really, really fast, like yesterday as well.

But, no, I had a good day yesterday and a good day today, so hopefully building to tomorrow.

Q. How comfortable were you feeling on that front nine there? I feel like when you see the putts roll in it just makes everything more enjoyable for you.

MINJEE LEE: Yeah, definitely. I was seeing really good lines, like the breaks on those putts, so I could really trust that I had the right line to have the right speed.

So I was just stroking it nice and it was really nice to see it go in. Yeah, just trying to, you know, ride momentum as I was saying before.

Q. The birdie on the last. Almost an eagle. We saw that putt go just a little bit more. These three-day tournaments you got to go low, take advantage of everything that you can. Is that the mindset that you had today?

MINJEE LEE: Yeah, definitely. The golf course is very scorable just being I think a little softer than the other years we played it.

Yeah, I was just trying to take one shot at a time but still try and be as aggressive as I could be. So, yeah, that's just pretty much what I've been doing. And just try to make as many birdies as I could.

Q. And we haven't seen you in a month since AIG. What was that like for you to be able to take that time away? Did you put the clubs down at all? When did you start getting back into competition mode?

MINJEE LEE: I think I really, really needed that month off. Two weeks felt like it was two days pretty much, so I didn't touch a club for 15 days, so I just practiced the last two weeks and then came here.

So, no, it was nice. It was a nice break, a nice kind of prep time before they next couple tournaments I have coming up.

Q. And Walmart is just a place you really like. You've been here ever since you've been on tour. I think this is either your seventh or eighth appearance. What's it like being back in a place you feel quite comfortable?

MINJEE LEE: You know, very familiar with this place. I have great housing here so I just really love coming back. Just the hospitality is always nice and the fans are always great to us.

I just think that really makes the tournament special and I just really like coming back.

Q. And Pinnacle Country Club, what do you think it will take to be able to get out there and get the job done tomorrow? Right now you're tied for the lead going in, but we still got the afternoon. What do you think it will take to grab another victory this season?

MINJEE LEE: I mean, I think I'll probably be a couple to three shots maybe of the lead. I'm not sure how the conditions will be this afternoon.

But I think probably just have the same game plan as today. Just try and be aggressive and try and hole as many putts as I can.