COGNIZANT FOUNDERS CUP

October 9, 2021

Yuka Saso

Mountain Ridge Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Yuka, you played a tremendous round of golf in some difficult, tricky conditions out there. Going to be chasing Jin Young Ko tomorrow. What will be your game plan for catching her?

YUKA SASO: I think I'll keep doing the same. Keep doing what I was doing past three days. Have fun and enjoy every shot.

Q. How has your life changed since you became the U.S. Women's Open champion? I see your little smile there.

YUKA SASO: Yeah, it was very special for me, and it didn't really change my life, but it feels good, you know, people calling you U.S. Women's Open champ.

But, yeah, it didn't really change. I think it made my realize that I have to focus more on what I have to do from now on.

Yeah, really thankful for that win.

Q. Using that experience with the playoff with Nasa, is there anything that you can take going into tomorrow to help chase Jin Young?

YUKA SASO: Well, hopefully I won't get two double bogey first two holes. But hopefully I can do better last day. Because, yeah, I didn't -- I finished (indiscernible - plane.) Hopefully I can play better tomorrow.

Q. Great round today, 67. Bunch of birdies. Just one bogey at the end. Overall, how do you feel you played today?

YUKA SASO: Yeah, I think I played better than yesterday. I putted well. Better than yesterday.

Lots of wind today, but I was able to control my shots, so it was pretty good.

Q. Going to ask how the wind affected your play. This is very different conditions than we've seen all week. How do you battle through out there through these changing conditions?

YUKA SASO: Yeah, obviously today was colder than the past two days. I was hitting it a little shorter with my irons. Had to adjust for that.

But overall, just figure out where the wind is coming from and hit the shot.

Q. We've got U.S. Open rough and cold San Francisco wind. Are you feeling right at home here?

YUKA SASO: It's a little bit different from San Francisco. It's colder there.

But, yeah, I think playing in cool weather is pretty nice because you don't sweat much.

Q. When you get in tough conditions like this, do you feel like you have an advantage just being patient and continuing to plod along with your game?

YUKA SASO: I'm not sure, but I think I focus more when the condition are tough because I don't want to, you know, screw it up.

So I think it helps me focus more, but hopefully I can play better in the better condition, like yesterday. So, yeah, I think there is a lot of (indiscernible - plane.)

Q. What about Mountain Ridge has best suited your game so far this week. A lot of other players are...(indiscernible)?

YUKA SASO: Can you repeat that?

Q. Yeah. What about Mountain Ridge has best suited your game so far this week? A lot of other players are comparing it to other courses they play during majors. How would you say that fits the best for you?

YUKA SASO: Obviously golf course is in very great condition, its beauty, and they have wide fairways so you can just rip drivers and, you know, get it closer to the green as much as you can.

I think that helped me, you know, get more birdies than other players. Tournament is not over yet so we don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. I hope I can keep grinding.

Q. Steve mentioned some of the conditions you faced at Olympic. Are those conditions something that you really enjoy with the wind and just having this tougher challenge? Is that something that you really like?

YUKA SASO: I've said this in similar interview. I don't really like the wind, to be honest. I think I said this in U.S. Women's Open, too. I said I'm not really fond of wind, but like I said, I think it makes me focus more because I don't want screw it up.

But, yeah, hopefully I can get better with the wind or no wind, and, you know, be a better player.

Q. Some players that win for the first time or win a major championship like you feel some sort of pressure in getting the second victory. Do you feel that at all?

YUKA SASO: For me it's more just about playing golf and have fun. You know, pressuring myself to win one more tournament or -- I think that's not going to help, so I'll just keep on doing what I was doing before I won U.S. Women's Open, and I'll just have fun and be a better player every day.