KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 26, 2022

Minjee Lee

Congressional Country Club (Blue Course)

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Here with Minjee Lee, our co-runner-up at the KPMG women's PGA Championship. Second low round of the day. 2-under 70 today. You said you gave it a run. You gave In Gee a run for her money. Overall a really successful day, though. How do you feel you played today?

MINJEE LEE: After my start, I really just wanted to get back to even, but I hit some really good shots out there and gave myself little birdie opportunities despite a little bit harder conditions. I'm quite happy with how I finished.

THE MODERATOR: How hard was the course today? It looked particularly maybe the hardest day yet.

MINJEE LEE: Definitely. The wind was up. It was quite a lot firmer than the first three days when we played. We definitely didn't get the zip-back from any of our shots today. Definitely totally different conditions than the first three days.

THE MODERATOR: How aware were you of what was going on around you or I should say going on behind you with the battle that really came down with you, Lexi, and In Gee?

MINJEE LEE: I pretty much had my eye on the leaderboard the whole day. I followed it pretty much every single hole when I could see it, so I knew exactly which position I was in. I knew coming down 18 maybe a birdie would get me close because I did bogey the 70. I gave it a good shot today.

Q. I want for talk a good shot and a not so good one. Can you describe the bunker shot on 15, which looked tremendous? And then on 17 did you just misread that putt?

MINJEE LEE: 15, I didn't think my shot was going to run all the way pretty much to the end of that bunker, so I hit a really, really good bunker shot there and made up and down.

17, I didn't think it was going to be that quick down that hill, but it ran 4 feet by, and then I read it a little left to right, and my caddie read it a little bit straighter. It missed on the low side. Just misread.

Q. Did you intend to catch a little of that fringe on the bunker shot on 15 because it looked like that might have killed it a little bit.

MINJEE LEE: I tried to spin it as much as I could, so I just tried to lay it off -- lay my swing off quite a bit, but, no, I just tried to hit a good shot and tried to put maximum spin on it.

Q. What was your club and distance into 18, and at what point on that back nine did you feel you were kind of back in the thick of it?

MINJEE LEE: On 18 I just had a 54-degree wedge. It was straight downwind, so it was the perfect shot.

You know, I never really felt too out of it after turning at even par after nine, so I thought if I can make one or two birdies coming in, then I might have a chance.

Q. There's a lot of major trophies piling up in the neighborhood, I guess.

MINJEE LEE: I mean, yeah, I guess so. We all live right there.

Q. What do you think it will mean to her to get this victory?

MINJEE LEE: Probably give her a huge confidence boost. I guess she hasn't won for quite a while, and I think she went through a few hardships here and there, so I think she'll be really, really happy and just grateful for everyone around her, I guess.

Q. Minjee, how difficult was the setup today? Can you just kind of take us through what it felt like out there?

MINJEE LEE: It was hard, but it was super fun. We play for these types of Sundays. It was just a whole lot of fun. Because the difficulty was that much harder and the wind was up, I think that's what made it even better.

So I think it was just kind of perfect because the first three days it was really quite soft, and today you kind of guessed a little bit on how much it was going to roll or if it was going to stop. I think that was an element of guessing there. I think it was just a really great setup.

Q. Do you and In Gee practice at the same course?

MINJEE LEE: No, she says she practices somewhere else.

Q. Minjee, what is it about majors that brings out the best in you? A win at the U.S. Women's Open and then Top-5s at a handful of others.

MINJEE LEE: I think just the challenge. I like it when it's hard. I think I focus a little bit more and a little bit better when it is tougher, and I like the pressure as well. To perform under pressure, I think that's sort of where I do my best. I think that's why.

Q. It seems that kind of everyday nature was throwing something at you all whether it was excruciating heat yesterday or tough winds today. From the fatigue of the whole weekend, how do you on the last day notch a -2? How do you push past that fatigue and kind of what you have been through so far?

MINJEE LEE: I think a little bit is adrenaline and also because it's a Sunday of a major.

You also try to forget how tired you are from the whole week and just push through and try and just score and have a good score on the last day. And, obviously, to play well on the last day is what you want to do as well.

I think when you are out there, you don't really think about it. I don't anyway. I just try and focus on each shot.

Q. Because of the way math works, rankings lag behind reality. Do you feel like you're the best player in the world?

MINJEE LEE: I think I'm contending. (Laughing). You know, I still want to be humble, stay humble, but I want to think that I'm hard to beat right now.

THE MODERATOR: Are you playing Dow?

MINJEE LEE: No, I'm not.

THE MODERATOR: Your next event, another major?

MINJEE LEE: Yep.

THE MODERATOR: You're going to be entering on a really hot streak, but how are you going to spend these next three weeks before you make the trip over to the Alps and get a title defense?

MINJEE LEE: I'm going to probably take a good week off, and I think I deserve it. It's really hot in Dallas, so I will train, but I'll probably do it really early in the morning and work out in the afternoon. That's what I'll be doing the next two weeks after my one-week break.