COGNIZANT FOUNDERS CUP

May 13, 2022

Sanna Nuutinen

Upper Montclair Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Here with Sanna Nuutinen. Sanna, take me through this day two. What were some of the differences you saw on this course today between yesterday and today?

SANNA NUUTINEN: On the course, it played -- it might have played a little bit tougher today I believe; a little bit cooler in in the morning.

Q. Uh-huh.

SANNA NUUTINEN: More moist in the air, windier. Not that windy, to be honest. Like half a club. It's not much.

Yeah, still enjoy it, like I enjoyed yesterday.

Q. You got off to a good start on the front nine. You seem to really take to the front nine. What is it about the front nine that really suits your game, do you think?

SANNA NUUTINEN: You know what? I was actually thinking about it on the round today because you guys asked me yesterday. Like I don't really divide this course to front or back. They're just golf holes to me and golf shots to me.

So, yeah, I guess I'm just trying to not think about it.

Q. Got started with the birdie off 1. What was working so well there for you?

SANNA NUUTINEN: I hit the beautiful drive. So I actually was driving the ball nice today. Yesterday I was struggling a little bit with the yardage, but today I felt like I was more free so I got more swing speed, the ball was flying nice.

So like on this type of course when you drive it nice, when you hit the fairways, you're going to carry it kind of far and then it makes your life much easier really.

Q. I know are you one of those players that kind of sees the leaderboards as you go on. Do you see that you're up there still in contention?

SANNA NUUTINEN: Yeah, that is hard to miss on this course because you see it like on every other hole. Sometimes I have a look.

I'm trying -- I been trying to train myself not to let it affect me and maybe just get a little more motivation out of it. Say, okay, I'm doing fine, Okay, I'm a little nit behind, let's go, let's keep going.

Yeah.

Q. Yeah. A new course for everyone; a new course for a rookie like yourself.

SANNA NUUTINEN: Yeah.

Q. What did you focus on heading into a week like this?

SANNA NUUTINEN: Yeah, I'm actually enjoying that it's a new course for people. Being a rookie every course is new for me, so now the other girls know how I feel every week.

So my caddie and I, we work hard to get to know these courses and surfaces. You know, rookie year is not easy, like they say. Yeah, just trying to make the most out of it.

Q. We've seen you making cuts, being consistent on the course. How would you assess some of the first events you've had out here as an LPGA rookie?

SANNA NUUTINEN: It's been tough coming from LET from Europe playing professionally seven years out there. I didn't think the difference would be this big, and especially around the greens, so I been struggling with the putter, with chips.

Just so different. So my caddie has been a big help because he's new to here also. We're kind of figuring it out together. By now, this is my fourth event, so we are starting to get a little more comfortable, especially on the greens, putting. Putting is the biggest difference to the previous weeks.

I been hitting will ball nicely before and just trying to keep going with that.

Q. I saw you hit a bogey on 3 both days. What has been so difficult about that hole, if you can remember?

SANNA NUUTINEN: To be honest, I don't like that hole. I think that's not a 4-iron green, so I'm hoping -- they've got an optional tee, so I'm looking forward to them to move the tee up a little bit and make it a little bit nicer. Please. That's my request.

Q. I know this past week you were in Pittsburgh for a U.S. Women's Open qualifier and that was a crazy couple days for you because of a rain delay. I was just talking to your caddie about that. I know leading into the playoff, can you just explain what this past off week was like and was it a motivator for you to come out here and be more...

SANNA NUUTINEN: Yeah, like I'm actually really happy how I took that adversity, like losing in the playoff. I still told to myself as that this was a great experience to come out here and do -- I've never done a U.S. Open qualifier before. I've never done those one-day qualifiers.

And I did really good, and one thing that just kept me out from the U.S. Open spot that week was my putter really. I kept hitting the ball nicely and then I -- the putter was like just kept letting me down.

What we did after we finished there, we took a video call to my coach and he had seen some putts I posted on social media and he made some comments. Like Sanna is really looking terrible right now. We got to do something.

Q. Blunt.

SANNA NUUTINEN: Because I had been struggling for four weeks with my putter, so whatever you say, I'll listen to you. Just let me know what to do. Then we change quite a bit on my putting stroke. We change a lot last week, so I'm really happy all that happened.

Q. Yeah.

SANNA NUUTINEN: So it all happened for the reason, so now I'm actually putting it better. And like not only what happens on this week, I'm more -- I'm really proud of what we done and looking -- I think we're doing the right things, so there is a lot of good things coming up in this the future.

Q. What were some of the changes to that putting stroke you talked about?

SANNA NUUTINEN: My grip, my kind of setup, and my stroke, kind of the way I make the stroke.

Q. Wow.

SANNA NUUTINEN: So pretty much...

Q. Just a whole revamp coming into the Cognizant Founders Cup.

SANNA NUUTINEN: We didn't change the hand position to opposite or anything, but just little tweaks here and there. Yeah, I was really open to those changes, and, yeah, looks like it's working for now.

Q. Yeah, seems to be working. Just before I wrap it up, you went from California, never done a one-day qualifier, fly to Pittsburgh, there is a rain delay, only play 11 holes, have to come back the next day. To go through 36 holes and lose in a playoff, just the mentality, how much have you taken from that, like you said, working on the putting? But mentally, how much have you taken from that as you've gone into this week?

SANNA NUUTINEN: Like I said, I took it really well. I knew it was meant to be. I knew those changes were going to help me in the end and maybe I would not have made those changes if I qualified.

So, yeah.

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