ARAMCO SAUDI LADIES INTERNATIONAL PRESENTED BY PUBLIC INVESTMENT FUND

March 18, 2022

Kristyna Napoleaova

Royal Greens Golf & Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. That was a fantastic round today. Can you take us through it?

KRISTYNA NAPOLEAOVA: Thank you so much. Yeah, it was a really good round. Even yesterday I felt like the course is really running well and the greens are pure, so yeah, I feel like this is exactly for me pretty much apart from the wind.

In the morning I went here for the breakfast. I was like, oh, nice, it's actually like flat calm, and then we came out to the tee and it was like bloody blowing all over the place. I was like, lovely; let's enjoy it as much as we can.

Yeah, I have a local caddie out. We are from the same academy, and he walked me through it. It was really his help, so I was really pretty much all the round chilling out and not thinking about anything. Like once or twice I looked at the board and wasn't a good idea to do that, but apart from that it was pretty much good, yeah.

Q. When you did look at that board, did it give you a daunting feeling? Did it make you more nervous? What came when you saw your name up there?

KRISTYNA NAPOLEAOVA: Well, things first, I saw my name is slightly smaller than the other ones. That would be probably the first one, but then I was like, okay, actually it's nice. I'm not used to be there and even that up on the leaderboard, so it's really nice and let's see what's going to happen next.

Q. You've had quite the sporting career to date. I think you used to play football. Where does today rank in terms of your achievements?

KRISTYNA NAPOLEAOVA: Well, I mean, with soccer I was doing quite well, national team and everything, then the injuries came. So when I was playing like not even six years ago, my parents pretty much forced me to start playing golf because my mom didn't want us to start alone. Somehow I was doing quite well, so I was like, why not to give it a try or two.

At the end of the day, well, now here we are. Not even six years and I'm glad I made the decision, but don't tell her.

Q. Are you better at soccer or are you better at golf?

KRISTYNA NAPOLEAOVA: That's a tough one. No, I feel like I was definitely better with football because I played like from the youth, so you have the touch and everything. In golf I feel like at some point it was like I would say a lag with talent and everything, but now it's pretty much hard work, which is it.

Q. To be playing just five, six years, it's unbelievably impressive. Was golf just a sport you picked up a club and all of sudden you're like, yeah, I'm brilliant at this, or has this been hours and hours of work for years now?

KRISTYNA NAPOLEAOVA: Yeah, I mean, when I tried when I was 10 once, and only once because then I was absolutely horrible at it and I was saying, like no, I'm not giving it a try. I was really good like tennis, football and other sports, but golf wasn't the one.

Now I feel like at some point I would say it was like the first three, four months it was really easy, so in Czech I went quite quickly down, but then at some point I ran single (indiscernible) actually had to start doing some stuff.

Now I have a place in Dubai, and yeah, we've been doing a great job. He came over here and pretty much arranged this caddie just so I can't go really wrong because if I do he will know from the start. Last time I was running a couple laps, so I don't want to do that again, so pretty much straightforward and easy.

Q. So you're based in Dubai?

KRISTYNA NAPOLEAOVA: I'm not really based in there. I'm just travelling like with (indiscernible).

Q. Did you say you had a local caddie here?

KRISTYNA NAPOLEAOVA: Yes. So he's amateur and he's practising at the Academy Harmon at the Els Club as well in Dubai. So yeah, I got lucky with Zayed, so let's see what we're going to do tomorrow.

Q. Tomorrow I think your group is going to be you, Georgia Hall and Anne van Dam, I think.

KRISTYNA NAPOLEAOVA: Nice and easy.

Q. How are you feeling heading into that?

KRISTYNA NAPOLEAOVA: Well, I mean, first things first, I'm pretty much honored to even be in that group. I would be too humble to ask for a photo on the first tee, but I will probably do that just to make sure I have one with those two.

Yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun. I feel like I can learn a lot from these two, especially like both of them are incredible players.

To be fair, I'm quite impressed with my score, especially with this field. I got invite, I got lucky. This was supposed to be my week off. Instead I am here and I'm just enjoying every single minute of it, and I'm really glad that I am.

Q. Pretty good week on for you. If you are paired with those two tomorrow, do you think there's an element of first tee nerves or is there an element of maybe just relax, play your own game playing with those two?

KRISTYNA NAPOLEAOVA: Yeah, definitely that's the point all along, just play my own game and whatever happens around me, let it happen. I can't really influence those two, and I'll try my best to influence myself so I feel like I will put all my pars there and let's see what's going to happen.