BANK OF HOPE LPGA MATCH-PLAY

May 26, 2022

Brittany Altomare

Shadow Creek

Quick Quotes

Q. Here with Brittany Altomare who just came off a big upset over Minjee Lee at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play presented by MGM Rewards. Tell me, going into this match, start at the beginning, were you at all intimidated by the aspect of playing a player like Minjee?

BRITTANY ALTOMARE: Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't say intimidated, but I just knew I had to play well. Obviously she's playing great and she's an amazing player. There is not enough words to describe her golf game.

Yeah, I just knew I had to play well and I knew it was going to be a bit of a fight. I didn't start off the way that I wanted to but, if I've learned anything from Solheim the last couple years, it's you just can't give up because you never know what's going to happen in match play.

Yeah.

Q. Yeah, and like you said, it was a battle. Minjee went up by 3, I think the last time I saw on the seventh hole she was 3-up. What kind of mentality do you have to have to keep yourself composed to be able to battle back like this?

BRITTANY ALTOMARE: Yeah, like I said, you just never give up. On the sixth hole I hit my drive right into the fairway bunker and I hit a really great shot out of it to like 15 feet and made birdie.

I know I lost the hole after that, but it was a momentum shifter for me. Like hitting those great shots and making a birdie out of the fairway bunker was a really great momentum shift for me.

Q. What would you say today was the best aspect of your game out there?

BRITTANY ALTOMARE: You know, honestly, I felt like I played way better yesterday and I was very consistent. On the back I felt like I had got that back. Like I was very consistent. I started driving the ball better, I started hitting better approach shots, putts, so yeah, it was mostly the back nine for me.

Q. Yeah, and I know your putting seemed to be really on for you today. What did you think of it?

BRITTANY ALTOMARE: Yeah, I think I putted a lot better yesterday. Me and Caro were definitely swapping birdies yesterday and that was pretty fun. Today the conditions were a lot harder. I mean, pars are basically your friend out there.

You know, just trying to stay consistent and getting the speed down on these greens. They're so undulating and fast, so you just got to pick the right line with the right speed.

Q. Speaking of conditions, you started really late. I think the wind died down a little bit by that time.

BRITTANY ALTOMARE: Yeah.

Q. Still hot. Still had to battle wind. Tell me how you managed that on top of the daunting task of playing Minjee Lee.

BRITTANY ALTOMARE: Yeah, the conditions were really tough today. The wind was blowing. It was hot. I just tried to stay patient. I mean, just not get too far ahead of myself and stay patient, which I think I did pretty well today, so...

Q. You know you're the best putter -- one of the best putters on the tour. Do you just feel really confident on the green, especially when you have some of those longer putts?

BRITTANY ALTOMARE: Yeah, for the most part. AimPoint has really helped me like kind of navigate greens like this with the big slopes and fast greens, and it really came in hand today, especially on the back. Yeah, definitely confident on the greens.

Q. Tomorrow you're going to play Youngin Chun. I don't have the results in front of me, but I assume you and Minjee and potentially Caroline -- you know, what I'm going to -- hold one second. So Caroline went up, so she has two points today, and you and Minjee are each sitting at one. It's match play, anything can happen. So you have Youngin Chun tomorrow. What are you expecting to do in that match? What's the game plan?

BRITTANY ALTOMARE: I think just the same thing: Stay patient. Just realize anything can happen in match play. I don't really know her, but I just think play my game and just staying patient is the key in match play.

Q. I have one more question about the course in general. Have you played here before?

BRITTANY ALTOMARE: I played it last year. Yeah, I got out of the pods and then lost to Shanshan in a three-hole playoff. I miss her. She's a great player.

Yeah, I love this golf course. It's hard. It's in great shape, and they treat us so well at this tournament. It's like first-class treatment here.

I was so excited to come back and I'm excited to cam back neck year already.

Q. And being a Solheim Cup veteran, a veteran of Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play, what is your opinion on the match play format?

BRITTANY ALTOMARE: I love it. Golf, we have so many of the same tournaments week after week and it's really nice to break up the season with a match play event or a team event like we have coming up later this year.

Yeah, I mean, it's really nice to break up the season.

Q. And with the U.S. Women's Open coming up next week, do you feel like match play like this just allows you to be more aggressive and build confidence? I feel like certainly you have built confidence after a match like this today.

BRITTANY ALTOMARE: Yeah, that was kind of my goal coming into this week was just to feel good about my game going into next week.

Obviously I want to win, like I always want to win every week, but my main goal was just to feel confident with my driver, and, I mean, just everything in general.

And this golf course is hard, so almost plays like a U.S. Open, especially today with the conditions. It's actually a good test of golf for next week.

Q. (Golf Channel) What was it like to go up against her and take her down?

BRITTANY ALTOMARE: Yeah, Minjee is such a great player. I knew I had to be on my game today. I was a little disappointed with the way I started out. I've learned in Solheim you just never know what's going to happen in match play. If you just stay patient and play your game...

That's kind of what I did on the back, so...

Q. Well, you were 3-down through seven holes. Was there a particular shot or hole that kind of flipped around things for you?

BRITTANY ALTOMARE: Yeah, actually on 6 I hit my drive into the right side fairway bunker and I hit a really good shot out and made birdie.

I actually started feeling good after that.

She made birdie on 7, really good birdie.

But after that I just kind of felt good after that shot on 6.

Q. You're one of the best putters on tour. Such a delight to watch on the greens. How difficult and challenging are these to putt?

BRITTANY ALTOMARE: Oh, my gosh, there is so much undulation. They're really firm and fast and you just got to match your speed and your break, otherwise could end up with a really long putt coming back. They're challenging.

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