CANADIAN PACIFIC WOMEN'S OPEN

August 25, 2022

Danielle Kang

The Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. First round done. How do you feel?

DANIELLE KANG: I feel pretty solid. I'm really happy that I posted scores in the 60s. That's something has been a goal of mine for a few months now.

Yeah, feels really good to be back.

Q. Bogey-free?

DANIELLE KANG: I believe so.

Q. I thought so. You seem happy, seem confident. What was the story of your day?

DANIELLE KANG: Story of my day was put the work in. I know that people around me has helped me get here, to stand here in front of you guys today to perform and play.

I just feel good. I felt great that I was able to compete. I wasn't really worried about anything else. I executed really well today. What I needed to do, I knew what I had to do to keep my body loose and hit the shots that I needed to hit.

Q. Yesterday in the press room you said a little bit of rust on your game because you hadn't played competitively for two and a half months.

DANIELLE KANG: I don't think I said that.

Q. Oh. I thought you said there was some rust in your game.

DANIELLE KANG: No, I definitely didn't say that.

Q. Okay. Well you definitely didn't have any rust in your game today.

DANIELLE KANG: I was ready to go.

Q. Okay. You talked about feeling good.

DANIELLE KANG: Uh-huh.

Q. How different was it to be playing a round in competition as opposed to a round in your home course or practicing for two hours?

DANIELLE KANG: Honestly, I play better out in competition than at home. At home I don't play very well. I shoot a lot over. You have to give me shots. Like I take shots and people don't want to be on my team because I shoot so high.

But on the golf course it's different focus, different routine. I have a caddie. Everything is a bit more professional.

So I'm very much more focused out here than I am back at home. It was exciting for me to be engaged and be able to do what I was prepared to do.

I just wanted -- there is a lot of doubts that people have when you're injured et cetera, and sponsors, and sometimes people, you know, always question you. Like you cut your hair and they think, what happens if you play bad because you cut your hair.

Those things I like to overcome. Just wanted to (indiscernible) the doubts away from a lot of people's heads that I'm able to come back and play the best that I can play and that I'm contending, and I'm proud of myself.

Q. After today, as close as you are to the lead at this point, you excited about tomorrow?

DANIELLE KANG: Yeah, I get to sleep in and it's an afternoon tee time. More gallery. Yeah, I forgot how long the golf game is. Played 18 today, got three more days. I haven't played a competition round. I think that's something that I have to take moment by moment.

Yeah, I'm excited.

Q. How low do you think you need to go to win?

DANIELLE KANG: I have no idea. I really don't know.

Q. Do you feel the course is difficult or just...

DANIELLE KANG: Yeah, I mean, it's definitely playing like a Canadian Open. It's an Open, right? It's a national Open Championship, so greens are rolling really well. They're rolling kind of fast, so I was -- I think a lot of the players are scared to putt hard because -- firmly, because the ball was rolling by five or six feet at first.

I went from being really aggressive to kind of dialing it back a little bit because I had downhill putts. Other than that, the greens are protected by the rough around the greens and there is a lot of undulation, so you have to be able to shot make around the trees. It's a very fun golf course.