LPGA MEDIHEAL CHAMPIONSHIP

October 9, 2022

Danielle Kang

The Saticoy Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Here with Danielle Kang. Danielle, you just said, so close. Just take me through after today.

DANIELLE KANG: Well, honestly, it's been really fun. I know that I really tried, and all my friends are out here. I even have my elementary teacher and my middle school teacher come out, college coach, too, my friend Arden. Partner track. Let's go.

My friends from LA, my mom. It's just so incredible to play in front of all my friends. I had a lot of fun. No matter what I do, they're proud of me, so it was just exciting to play today.

Q. Heard a lot of cheers. One of the biggest crowds out there. How special is a moment like this week for you in comparison to the last few weeks?

DANIELLE KANG: I thrive off the gallery, so I love when people cheer and come out and watch and have that momentum and that vibe.

So hopefully this encourages people to come out and know that it's really fun to watch. I had as much fun as other people did outside.

There is some really good golf being played out there today, and I'm a little bit bummed on the fact that I didn't give myself enough birdie chances coming in, but I did the best that I could.

Made some great up and downs, so hoping that made a little bit of cash because of those. So that's good. So I can buy my friends dinner.

And, yeah, that's about it.

Q. Just talk about your game this week. I thought you struck the ball beautifully. Just talk about where you're at with your game and what you walk away with after this week?

DANIELLE KANG: Yeah, unfortunately I didn't really have my putting with me this week, but I told Ollie, I'm going to -- I'm going to try and hunt everything down just by ball striking. That's what I tried to do today, hole-out from fairways. I tried to hole-out with wedges.

I wasn't trying to do anything else but to try and make eagles from fairways, because it just hasn't been my forte out here right now with the putting. But it doesn't mean I don't have other things in my arsenal. There are many ways to play well. That's the best I could do, yeah.

Q. The putting this week, obviously made some putts but just didn't make enough putts. Today were the greens any quicker or were they about the same speed they've been all week?

DANIELLE KANG: They were about the same speed all week. It just doesn't matter. I think it's mostly really hard to calibrate the speed and then the break. It's Saticoy. They're known for their greens.

Whoever is making putts out here, good on them. I was just trying to give myself as many birdie opportunities as I can with my irons, and that's where, you know, I tell myself I've done a really great job coming in, is I missed one green. One of the greens I missed on the front nine I hit a good chip; didn't roll out.

Have to keep making four, five-footers, and that's where I actually did really well on the greens, so I'm proud of that.

It was just really good to see everyone here. And, yeah, how many years are we coming back? Or is this -- one year?

It's a one-year thing? Okay, well we need to come back. We need to figure this out. I hope we come back and have this kind of crowd again.

Q. That was going to be one of my questions. How do you think that Saticoy did as a host course and do you think it's fitting of the tour? How did it do?

DANIELLE KANG: I think Saticoy was just great. They were unbelievable with their hospitality, the members, the volunteers, everyone around here. I'm biased though. They can't do anything wrong to me, so I loved it.

Coming up on the range I know sometimes people complain about the range being small, but I grew up here so I don't mind it. (Laughter.)

Even seeing you guys, like media. Like I've seen Bob growing up since I was 14. It's just really nice. It's really fun to have everyone here.

And, yeah, I'm getting close. There is some little spots that we stop in the LPGA such as Arkansas, here, Diamond; hopefully I get a W in Korea. That's my other little No. 2 that I have hit there.

So I'm just going to try and take my game here and get some rest and get some good momentum going.

Q. Then go back to 8; the eagle kind of got you going and got you rolling and got you in it. What do you remember from that hole? How did it come together?

DANIELLE KANG: I was trying to hole-out and make an albatross. Honestly, I'm not trying to be negative, but my putting was not something that I was banking on, so I was trying to hit as close as possible with whatever club was in my hand.

Even on the par-5 on, what is it, 13? 14? 14. Even that I was just trying to figure out a way to hole-out from the fairway. Ollie was saying it's not going to be the 5-wood.

5-wood was the club, but I'm just trying to figure out the best way so I can give myself birdie or eagle chances. Hey, that's the fun way of doing it. I did really well, so I'm good. I'm happy.