U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN

June 2, 2022

Ingrid Lindblad

Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Ingrid Lindblad, 6-under 65, which is the lowest 18-hole score by an amateur at the U.S. Women's Open. What was working for you out there? Obviously a lot.

INGRID LINDBLAD: Well, I hit a few shots close to the pin, and then my putting was great today. Made a few par saves and made a few putts for birdies. It just worked from fairway to green.

Q. What about Pine Needles fits your eye?

INGRID LINDBLAD: I think -- I felt like the course would be a little bit more narrow. I missed a few tee shots today that I thought would be a little bit more off, but then I get to the ball and I'm like, oh, it's fine.

The green areas were tough. You had to hit the right section of the green to not run off the slopes and everything. It's a great U.S. Open course.

Q. What did it mean to you to be in the same group with Annika, and how much do you look up to her as one of the greatest ever?

INGRID LINDBLAD: I played her first event in 2014. I played like a junior Am for the ANNIKA Invitational Europe; then the next year I played Annika Cup, which is like a junior event in Sweden. So I played her tournaments since like 2014.

Then when I saw that I'm playing with her I was like in shock. I was like, this cannot be true.

Then on the first tee box I get her scorecard, I'm like, I have Annika's scorecard in my hands. But it was really cool. We had fun out there. She fist pumped me for a few birdies, and it was fun.

Q. How much momentum did you feel you had coming into this tournament after the SEC championship and winning the individual title, too?

INGRID LINDBLAD: I mean, I played really good at SECs, and then at nationals I didn't really get anything to drop. It's just I hit it good but I didn't make any putts. I feel like that was the difference from one or two weeks ago to today. I just had fun out there.

Q. Just curious, the prize money here is $1.8 million to win. Are there any regrets that maybe you didn't turn pro a few hours ago?

INGRID LINDBLAD: I'm going to stay in college for like another year or so. When you say it, yeah, it's -- it would have been fun to win a little bit of money, but I think I'm going to stay in college for a little bit more.

Q. It's going to be an expensive year then.

INGRID LINDBLAD: Yeah.

Q. Were you able to look at leaderboards out there, or did you?

INGRID LINDBLAD: Yeah, I think I saw the first one on -- the par-3, it's like 13, and I saw -- I was 1-under and then I made my putt and I was like, I'm 2-under.

I don't think I was tied for the lead, I was tied for third or second or something. It's hard not to look at them because they're pretty big.

Then I didn't see like anything on the back nine. I think I saw one, and then they put out shots gained and stuff, and I was like, whoa, I'm in the top there.

Q. Can you describe the first time you met Annika?

INGRID LINDBLAD: Oh, my God. See, I probably met her when I played that Junior Am in 2014, but I didn't really know like exactly who she was. Then the first time was probably when I played the Annika Cup in 2015 and we kind of got to hit some short game shots with her.

That was probably the first time I really met her.

Q. You were eight years old when Annika retired; how aware were you of what she had accomplished as you were growing up?

INGRID LINDBLAD: That's a very good question. I don't think I knew how good she was. I knew the name, but I didn't start playing competitive until I was 14, so then I kind of realized that oh, she was a great player, and she's still a great player.

Q. A lot of people will be learning your name for the first time today; I know great golfer is the headline, but what else should people know about you? What other hobbies or anything like that are you interested in?

INGRID LINDBLAD: Well, I like to do puzzles. I love puzzles.

Q. Jigsaw?

INGRID LINDBLAD: Yeah, like at least a thousand pieces. Puzzles, because it's a great distraction. I just get in the zone when I do puzzles. I like to watch TV shows, too. If no one knows it, my nickname in the U.S. is Iggy. I don't really know how I got it.

Q. There's no story there?

INGRID LINDBLAD: No. Just easier to say than Ingrid.

Q. Are you aware of the history of amateurs in this championship, that only one has ever won?

INGRID LINDBLAD: Yeah, they said -- I was at the amateur reception the other day and they said that just one amateur has won it. I know Megha played really good last year, and then I know Maja also from Sweden has played really good like two years in a row.

Yeah, it's possible.

Q. How did you and Sophie end up being -- how did she end up being your caddie?

INGRID LINDBLAD: I didn't have a caddie, and then Patrick, our coach for the Nashville team, he texted her and asked her if she was available. I didn't really know her before this.

Q. Did you Google her?

INGRID LINDBLAD: I think I looked at her Instagram, but -- I was like, whoa, she's won a couple times on Tour.