TRUST GOLF WOMEN'S SCOTTISH OPEN

July 27, 2022

Anna Nordqvist

Dundonald Links

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome inside the Trust Golf Women's Scottish Open we are here with the 2021 AIG Women's Open Champion, Anna Nordqvist, last week, T-22. How are you adjusting to Scotland?

ANNA NORDQVIST: I love Scotland, I love coming here. Having a Scottish husband and Scottish caddie certainly helps with it.

But there's just something about the atmosphere here. I love coming back here and playing. It's nice to get some fresh air and a little bit cooler temperatures than we've had the last couple months.

Links golf is different. You have to adjust a little bit to the wind and bounces and stuff like that but I think there's just something about it that I really love.

THE MODERATOR: You just walked off the golf course here at Dundonald Links. What did you think of the conditions and the course?

ANNA NORDQVIST: The course is in really good shape. I said to my caddie, the more you play the course, the more you kind of figure it out. I wasn't here in 2017 when with were here before. So just played it for the first time yesterday and today.

But yeah, just figuring out some of the lines off the tees and I mean, it's tough greens. A lot of slope run-offs and slopes on the greens. Depending on the wind, might play really tough. I think it's a fair test and I'm looking forward to the test this week.

THE MODERATOR: Last week was also slopey greens but the grass types are a little bit different. There's a lot of poa in those greens. Is it nice to come out here and see some true rolls?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, I just didn't hole anything all week last week. So it was kind of nice to get away from those greens.

Hopefully my putting is a little bit better than it was last week. In general, you have the wind and I feel like they are rolling really good. My Pro-Am players say they were really fast. It's just nice to see that they are rolling well.

THE MODERATOR: Obviously you have to make some adjustments in your game to get those lower shots and bump-and-runs. What do you specifically work on to prepare yourself for links golf?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Well, I think it's just trying to figure out the lines off the tees, and depending on the wind, what might change, where you can miss it and where you're going to put yourself. If you miss it on the wrong side of the greens, you're going to have really tough shots.

Just trying to figure out what the golf course looks like, and then depending on the wind, you have to adjust as you go. Just coming up with a good game plan as far as where you want to be in relation to the pin and some of the lines off the tees to avoid some of the bunkers because there's quite a few in play. So yeah, just try to find the best game plan for my game.

Q. This is a big event, but how difficult is it not to think about next week and your title defence?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, I think obviously coming back to Scotland, and I played Carnoustie about two weeks ago, brought back a lot of good memories. There's obviously -- I'm excited about going to next week as defending champion, and it's just such -- like it's probably the greatest honour of being a European golfer and adding that trophy to my name.

I think about it but I've never played Muirfield before, so I don't know what to expect next week, and I've obviously never played this course. But I think just enjoying being back in Scotland and playing links golf and soaking it all in, I'm pretty good at staying in the moment.

So certainly wanting to play here this week and getting up to the British next week, but yeah, it's two of the most fun weeks all year, this one and the next.

Q. Has Kevin spoke to you about Muirfield and what a great golf course it is?

ANNA NORDQVIST: A little bit. I think he's played it once. My caddie hasn't played it even though he's from Aberdeen. Obviously just heard bits and pieces but I think it's always different depending on someone who hits it a little bit off line might think it's very narrow or very wide.

I'm looking forward to see it for myself on Monday but from what I've heard it's going to be a great venue.

Q. Playing Carnoustie, slightly different, was it a normal day on the links or were you still recreating some of the shots from last year?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, we teed off at 5.00, so obviously it was pretty late, and we got to 16 at 9.30 because it was basically waiting every shot. It was packed. It was the week before the men's open.

So yeah, when it was two groups on 16, we decided walk in. So I never played 16, 17, 18. But it's always -- ever since I played there in 2011, it's always been one of my favourite courses of the world.

Yeah, just coming back there, I had not touched my clubs for a good two weeks before that because I had been back in Sweden but I actually played pretty well but I think just because that place has so many good memories for me.

Q. You've defended a major title before. Is there an extra edge to it next week at all?

ANNA NORDQVIST: I'm just very grateful. I still feel like I'm pitching myself that I pulled through last year to win The Open. It is a childhood dream for me. I think as a European golfer, it's the championship that we all want to contend in, and to go and win it, it still feels pretty surreal.

So I'm just -- I mean, just teeing it up as the defending champion, I think that's something that I'm very proud of and no one can take that away from me. I'm going to go in and enjoy it.

Q. I wanted to ask you just what your favourite part of the Celebration of Champions was at the Old Course?

ANNA NORDQVIST: So I got invited about two weeks earlier before it happened to come play, and it was a really cool experience. I've never been to a men's major before, and just having the VIP access, getting to go inside the ropes and to player dining, I felt very uncomfortable because I felt like so out of place. But we don't get to see the guys a lot, so it was nice to catch up with a lot of the guys that I know and just see them.

I got to play with Collin Morikawa, what a great guy. So it was just cool to see them up front and it was such a cool atmosphere because there was a lot of people at St Andrews that day.

Q. And do you still have a wedding celebration coming up?

ANNA NORDQVIST: I do have a wedding coming up in about two weeks.

Q. Sorry for just the demographics [sic], but is it close to Carnoustie or how far away is it?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, so my husband is born in Dundee so it would be very close to Dundee and Carnoustie, and they would be the week after the British Open. So my mind is a little bit everywhere at the moment, but we've been planning this thing since, what, December 2018 when we got engaged. Been postponed two years because of COVID.

Obviously very excited. I've had my dress for a good almost three years now. I hope it still fits in two weeks. I've got to lay off the candy here.

Q. And last question on that. How many people are coming to celebrate with you?

ANNA NORDQVIST: We are going to be about probably 85 people, so a lot of people decided not to come because it's just being a little bit harder to travel. But our nearest and dearest friends and families are going to be there, so I'm just very excited to get to spend the day with them.

Q. Change the subject slightly. Mollie, the LPGA Commissioner said in the last week that she would welcome LIV Golf if they wanted to talk. What are your views on that? Do you think that's something -- you have a Saudi connection with your uncle. Is that something that you would encourage or what's your perspective on that?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Well, I feel like there's so much speculation and media and everyone is talking and writing and speaking about it and assuming things.

So I've just been too busy, like, focusing on all the majors and preparing for my wedding and getting my dog over to Scotland. I just I feel like there's just too much talk about it, and we're just going to have to see what happens.

Aramco has done a lot of good things for the Ladies European Tour with the Aramco Team Series. I feel like women's golf and men's golf is in different places. I'm just excited to see the women's game in general growing and coming to great venues, playing in Muirfield this year. A lot of our majors, the AIG Women's Open, the U.S. Open, Evian and KPMG all have significant purse increases this year, and I think that's huge for the women's game.

At the end of the day, I think we all -- being part of the women's game, I'm excited to see more players having opportunities because there's so much talent on the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA.

THE MODERATOR: Just a couple more from me and we'll wrap this up -- go for it.

Q. Being married to a Scot, what Scottish things have you picked up? What do you do that's more Scottish now than Scandinavian?

ANNA NORDQVIST: I would say, yeah, the culture is very similar. I think us living in the US and being married to just a European in general, I think the culture and the values and stuff like that is very similar. I probably know all the bad words in the Scottish language -- well, both from him and my caddie that I see every day.

It's a fact country. I obviously had the opportunity to come here even before we started dating playing golf. I feel like seeing Scotland through the local's eyes, it is a little bit different than just coming here for golf, and I really embrace that opportunity.

Our dog is here for the summer, so he's certainly enjoying a little bit of fresh air. But people are very nice. I love the food.

Q. You like a good Scottish diet, do you?

ANNA NORDQVIST: I love fish and chips, so now I can't eat fish and chips anywhere but here. They have a lot of good candy here, too.

In general, I feel like I like the simplicity of things, and I love the golf courses and the natures is beautiful. You have a good Scottish day with good weather like we had the last two days, and I don't think there's much that can beat it.

THE MODERATOR: And I'll ask one more just about Max. How much or how difficult has it been to travel with him over here and who is he staying with this week?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, so Max, our dog, wasn't allowed to come stay on site this week. I feel like there was a few ladies in the media centre that were going to start a protest and I probably would have gotten a lot of names signed on because everyone wants to see him.

Yeah, he's with my parents-in-law outside Dundee for the summer enjoying the Scottish weather and good food and good walkies with grandma. Yeah, I got to see him on Monday night and I had not seen him in two weeks. I was never a dog person. Wouldn't look at a dog's place, but he's a little mama's boy, so I must have done something right. It's certainly the best feeling come back from the golf course and him being so excited to see you.

Q. What breed?

ANNA NORDQVIST: He's an English cream retriever. So basically a golden retriever but a white one.

Yeah, I feel like it's been a nice balance. I probably wouldn't get a doing maybe my first year on tour but it's just been very nice to have a little more balance. You come off the golf course and you don't think about golf because you have him there.

THE MODERATOR: He's a very good boy, and we wish his mom the best of luck this week.