U.S SENIOR WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

August 24, 2022

Helen Alfredsson

NCR Country Club (South Course)

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are here with 2019 champion Helen Alfredsson. What does it mean to be back at the Senior Women's Open?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: Oh, it's amazing. It gives me such a good feeling and memories, to have this and to be competing, but you realize we don't compete very much. Every year is -- you wouldn't think you would get nervous, but you still get nervous. You forget.

Like somebody was saying, oh, where is the first tee? We're off the 10th tee. Oh, geez, am I going to start having those nightmares again? It's like the old first tee used to be here, now it's not here, I'm going to miss my tee time. You know those famous nightmares that we all had during the real Tour days.

No, overall, it's fantastic. To come to a venue like this, the NCR, it's a treat.

Q. You had a special practice round group out there today. Talk about what it was like out there with JoAnne --

HELEN ALFREDSSON: Oh, JoAnne, she's 83, and her sister -- I was trying to advocate for her sister to at least go in the golf cart with her, who is 91. And Helen, she just struts along -- you have them next to you, you can't really bitch too much, because they just keep going. Whatever they are taking, I want to get some. I promise, I'm going to sneak in and see what they are taking every morning.

Q. Talk to us about the course here at NCR and what makes it so challenging.

HELEN ALFREDSSON: Well, obviously everybody knows it's the greens. Obviously we probably don't hit it as high and with as much spin as we used to, and it plays a little bit longer, at least from the tees we've been practicing on, which is nice. It's nice to sort of feel like a real U.S. Open also, even though we are seniors, but it's real for us now because of where we are in our careers.

But I always love these tree-lined golf courses whenever we play them, and obviously the weather and the condition is just -- Brandie was so funny, like, these are too good fairways, I need to be in the fluffy stuff because she keep hitting it thin or fat, because we haven't played in these fantastic conditions in so long, and at home it's all fluffy, all teed up, and if it's not teed up you put it on the tee. Now you come here and it's like, wow, better hit this one perfect, otherwise end up somewhere.

Q. How are you finding your game right now on the eve of the championship?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: Well, you know, it's always hard because as we all know, the nerves makes a big difference, and I haven't really had nerves since last year pretty much.

But overall I was saying to Janice Moodie, who is my caddie, who obviously played on TOUR, she's too young so it's nice to hang out with youngsters, but you still have somewhere -- it's like JoAnne said, well, she used to be, and that's somewhere lingering what you want to do. So it's hard to know where you are in comparison to everyone else, and having not played any golf with them at all this year, I don't know where -- if I could just hit it decent off the tee and hit myself a chance, I'd be happy.

Q. Do you remember a time that JoAnne gave you a tip or advice, whether it was solicited or unsolicited?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: Oh, absolutely. We were at Oakmont for the Open, the first one of the two that we played, and she's up there in like this horrible lie, and I said, you didn't hit it there, did you? And she goes, no, but you know what, if you find the worse lies, everything else doesn't look as bad. So it was just -- it's just the way she's so tough.

As I said, she should roll down during the college golf, the kids would be crying when she's like, get on with it.

We were joking when she was the captain for the Solheim Cup, and seeing her on the pool table with the bling-bling hat with the drink going -- I still have that very vivid in my mind. It was fun. She is a unique character, and I told her today I feel so fortunate to have played in the time where she was, because she really was fantastic.

When I first came out, I think she was similar to my age, and she hit it further than me, and I was like, what is this old lady hitting it further than me, and she just loved every moment. She just does. So yeah, she's given us a lot.

Q. You saw her competitiveness even today a little bit?

HELEN ALFREDSSON: Oh, absolutely, always. You know, always.

I think it's something to learn from that. When she's out, she works hard and she's practicing. She played two days -- actually I played a practice round with her yesterday, as well. So she does all the preparation that she needs, and she gets on with it. Yeah, she is a very special person.

THE MODERATOR: Helen, thanks for your time. Good luck this week.