LPGA DRIVE ON CHAMPIONSHIP

February 1, 2022

Amy Olson

Crown Colony Golf & Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, Amy, third event in a row here. I know there is a lot on our plates this week, but how are you feeling coming into the final event of the Florida swing?

AMY OLSON: Yeah, good. Only second event for me. I wasn't initially planning to play these two events. I was going to give myself a little longer off-season, but just decided to come back.

I'm going to use the next like five, six weeks to just really tune things up and kind of lay a good foundation for the season, so I'm honestly using this as almost prep.

Q. Take me through prep in North Dakota. I know there is probably some snow on the ground. Mainly indoors?

AMY OLSON: Yeah, 100% indoors. Some good simulators that I use at a local spot, and that's pretty much it, working out in the gym and using the simulators.

I'll go south to Palm Springs when I need to get outside.

Q. One of the big weeks here; this is another Drive On Championship. We started this in 2020. What's it like being able come to the fourth edition of something we created out of COVID?

AMY OLSON: Yeah, honestly, this has been such a creative way for the LPGA to really support us as players, and then also for us as players to support the organization.

These have been opportunities for the LPGA to just try new things to be creative. Some stuff works, some stuff doesn't, but for the most part we are making huge strides every time we've done one of these.

This week is especially exciting with all the -- honestly, there is lot of creative things we're trying, and I think people are going to get a really different look at us as players.

I think that's going to help us grow as players and then also the organization.

Q. So not only are you focusing on what's happening on the course, but off the course, because it is an opportunity for us to experiment and explore, as a player director you are in I feel like overdrive because of what happens off the course. What is it like for to you separate the off-course stuff and focusing on what's ahead at Crown Colony?

AMY OLSON: Yeah, I feel like I have two hats. You know, because when my golf hat is on it's golf and you kind of put everything else aside.

But yesterday was really dedicated to the organization and thinking a little bit more big picture and strategically. I enjoy those opportunities. I've I always thought it's really important when you get off the golf course to get away mentally, and so that's kind of an opportunity for me to do that.

I love that side of things. I've learned so much being a player director about what goes on behind the scenes and where we are headed as a tour. Every time I get out of one of those meetings I'm more excited about where we are as a tour than before I went into the meeting, so that's always a good feeling.

Q. Especially with Hall of Fame panelist last night. I think that really sparked a lot of people that were in attendance.

AMY OLSON: Yeah, our summit was great. I think there is so much respect out here for the players that have come before us. We don't always -- because if they're not playing -- you know, I played with Karrie and she's still playing; played last week.

So it's really cool when you have overlap. But players that you don't have overlap with, sometimes if you don't get to see them face to face you kind of forget.

So it's so cool to hear their stories and to be able to relate to them, because they went through the exact same things we go through.

Q. Yeah.

AMY OLSON: Some things are different, some things have changed, but hearing them talk about how to hire, fire caddies, how to manage your time, how to, you know, invest your money, find a good accountant, all that is the same. It was really cool to hear their nuggets of wisdom.

Q. Not only that, but we saw the premier of the LPGA docu-series The LPGA All-Access where you were a prime star in part one.

AMY OLSON: Docu-series star right here, yes.

Q. We've got two other parts coming out, but you were a part of that process at CME. To see the beginnings of it and what's to come, what's that like for you to see yourself? Are you weirded out by seeing yourself on camera like that, or how were you feeling watching that last night?

AMY OLSON: Yeah, I mean, there are definitely parts of myself I really don't like watching or hearing myself talk.

But I think for me, my approach with that was, again, that was something creative to try something new to potentially help grow awareness, grow the brand of the LPGA, so I always want to be part of that. I want to leave the tour better than I found it.

So even if it's one of those things that could be inconvenient from a time perspective, if it's something that isn't going to impact golf, I'm really willing to try those new things.

So it was really cool to just be asked and to be a part of that.

Q. I loved the Cooking with Gaby scene. That was so lovely, the two of you, being able to get that background and being able to get that kind of inside-the-ropes experience on stuff that a lot of people don't see day-to-day. How exciting is that that that's now shown to the world?

AMY OLSON: Yeah, I think that's one of those things that to us is so boring because do it every day. No one else sees that.

Q. Uh-huh.

AMY OLSON: Most of us are not like taking selfies of ourselves cooking with our buddies, you know what I mean? So to have someone else come in and actually film that and make it interesting was actually really cool. Some of those things that you just think, you're like -- you think you have to be entertaining, and honestly it's the little things that you do every single day that make this life out here, and that's what people are interested in.

They want to just be part of the life that exists out here and see what happens.

Q. Did you get any feedback from players, friends, family watching along yesterday?

AMY OLSON: Yeah, I had -- well, Austin told me, Shocker you were peeling potatoes, because that's my favorite food. (Laughter.)

Some things never change.

But, no, lots of good feedback. I hope that other players will see that and be willing to be part of that and be willing to open up their life to the outside a little bit.