TRUST GOLF WOMEN'S SCOTTISH OPEN

July 29, 2022

Lydia Ko

Dundonald Links

Quick Quotes

Q. You probably forgot what bogey is like on the course up here because once again you're bogey-free, and a beautiful putt to finish as well. What a couple rounds of golf you put together. Tell me about it.

LYDIA KO: I felt like I played more solid yesterday. Today -- well, maybe it was the same. I mean, technically I shot the same score anyways. I think I had a few more birdie opportunities today that I missed.

But when I made the turn, I made a really good par actually on the 18th hole, which was my 9th hole, and then hit a good drive down the 1st. And I just got off to a really good momentum.

I think sometimes when you're giving yourself a lot of looks, I think you can get easily frustrated because not all of them are going to drop. And I think a lot of the times when I was putting for birdie, it was in pretty good range and not that tricky, where I think I was putting pressure on myself, then I would hit a misshot on the next one.

So I tried to make sure that what happened behind me wasn't going to affect what was happening in front. I got off to a good rhythm, birdieing the third, and then hit it nearly on the 1, on the 4th, and then a great shot into 5.

So, yeah, I think especially in conditions like this, where the wind is pretty calm and the sun is out, you have to take advantage of it because we all know that over on this side of the world, it can change pretty quick.

Q. Absolutely. You made the most of the weather on the first two days. Looking ahead to the weekend, obviously it's going to change a little bit, but you've played a lot of links golf now. I guess you're probably almost looking forward to it.

LYDIA KO: Yeah, I just got to take it one shot at a time. Especially over the weekend. Everyone is playing in pretty much similar conditions. I don't think it changes that much. It can a little bit over the first couple of days just because the amount of players is a lot larger, but on the weekend, everyone is playing in the same conditions. If it's going to rain and be windy, it's going to be the same for all.

So you just have to play with what you get, and those are the aspects that you expect over here. If you do end up surviving four days without rain, you say, wow, what a beautiful week we had, even though it is summer. So it's almost more surprising when you have four sunny days.

So you just have to embrace it and know the wind and the rain and fescue, all that comes to factor when you're playing links golf. So you just have to be patient and try and hit good quality shots and see what happens.

Q. Started off your day, had a birdie on the second, correct?

LYDIA KO: Yes.

Q. And then you made a string of pars. You talk about staying patient out there, especially when those birdie looks aren't dropping. How do you keep yourself in check and not get too impatient?

LYDIA KO: I actually thought my putt on my first hole would drop, and it didn't. And on my second hole, I hit it to like a foot and a half. So it was easy tap-in. And then next hole I hit it to like nine feet, and then the next hole I hit it to like nine feet again, and I missed both.

And I think that's why, when I got to the par-5 14th, I tried to hit it really hard, because I think a little bit of the frustration, and I had a careless shot that ended up giving me like a 30-footer for birdie.

So I realized that, hey, I can't get too frustrated out there. I know there's still a lot of good. So it's sometimes where when you're hitting the ball like well enough and you know you're giving yourself looks, you feel like you're not putting as well, but it's just because you're giving yourself more birdie opportunities. And at the end of the day, you'd rather a stress-free par than, you know, a scrambling par.

So I was able to kind of hang in there. I think the 18th I didn't hit a great drive there, and then I had to chip out, and I had to hit a 3-wood by the green and made a good up-and-down.

So I think turning in under par, where I felt like it could have been better, was important. And then just making a good birdie on my 10th hole, the first hole was a bit of a momentum shift until I missed my birdie putt on my 11th hole again, and then I was like, "Argh."

But, yeah, I think overall I just gave myself good opportunities, and I felt like I did that really well the last couple days. And when I was out of position, I think I played smart and not get too aggressive and take my medicine.

And I think sometimes, you know, making a bogey is not the end of the world. It can easily go out of hand, so you just have to be patient. And I felt like I did that pretty well the last couple days and hope to do a good job of that over the weekend and see where that puts me.

Q. You finished T2 here last year. Do you come into an event like this that you've played so many times, you've played really well at, and go I've got a little bit of revenge here? Like going into the weekend, do you consider that at all, that you finished T2 here last year and you really want to get that win here?

LYDIA KO: I think last week at Dumbarnie was really one of the best golf I'd played in links conditions. I actually really like the golf course. It's a fairly new golf course. So it played really firm and fast, which links can do at times.

I feel like the British Open and the U.S. Open were probably the two majors that I hadn't really consistently put myself up there. I feel like Evian or Chevron I've played a little bit more consistently. And I had one of my best finishes at the U.S. Women's Open this year. So maybe that's like good juju for this European swing.

But I've always loved playing over here. It reminds me, like the food and the people remind me a lot of people back home in New Zealand as well. And I saw a couple Kiwis out here, which was really nice.

But, yeah, you know, yeah, like it was kind of like I was so close last year, but at the same time, Ryann played amazing, and I was definitely a chaser. So I knew that I played a great round and then was able to finish there.

And I think that's all you can do, right, is just focus on your game. And the world's bests are here, so it's not easy to be the one hoisting the trophy at the end of the week. So I just know that if I play good, then I just got to be pleased with that. And it's not really a game, me versus the rest of the field, but more like me against myself.