THE LPGA DRIVE ON CHAMPIONSHIP

March 21, 2023

Ellinor Sudow

Lucy Li

Alexa Pano

Reynolds Lake Oconee

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Okay, welcome everyone to the media center and the virtual interview room for our first press conference of the LPGA Drive On Championship.

I would like to welcome three amazing rookies who are joining the LPGA Tour this year.

Starting on my left, Lucy Li from Redwood Shores, California. She finished third on the Epson Tour Money List last year to earn her card and has had 14 starts on the LPGA Tour already with a career-best finish of T4 at the Dana Open.

Ellinor Sudow from Vasatorp, Sweden. She played collegiate golf at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and also at the University of Arizona as part of her graduate education. She finished T17 at LPGA Q-Series to earn her card and will be starting in her first-ever LPGA event this week.

And finally, Alexa is from Lake Worth, Florida. She finished T21 at LPGA Q Series last year to earn status, and has played in eight events on the LPGA Tour so far with a best career finish of a tie for 41st at the 2020 Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship.

Welcome, ladies. We will start with Lucy on my left. How excited are you to finally have your status and to kick off your LPGA career as an official member this year?

LUCY LI: Yeah, really stoked to get started. I haven't really played a tournament in five or six months, so I've been ready to get going for a while now.

Just super excited for this week and the rest of the season.

THE MODERATOR: Ellinor, same question. First LPGA event ever at a course you played before with your team at U of A.

ELLINOR SUDOW: Yeah, really special to be back here. I finished my collegiate career here and now I get to start my first LPGA tournament at the same place. Kind of full circle there.

Really love this place. It's really cool. I was super stoked to be here yesterday, just coming down the range for the first time, see all the players and having Nelly behind me and all that cool stuff.

THE MODERATOR: Alexa, as someone that played on the LPGA but having her first start as a full member.

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I'm really excited for the opportunity this week, and after missing out on my status through Epson I really just wanted to get the opportunity and get the starts, and so I'm really looking forward to getting started this week excited to be here.

THE MODERATOR: Lucy, as someone who has played so much on the LPGA Tour, what has that experience taught you and how has that helped you prepare for this moment?

LUCY LI: Yeah, I think getting to play a bunch at the end of last year was really good to kind of get some experience going into this year. I know it's a transition from the Epson to the LPGA, so being able to get a couple good finishes was really good for my confidence and hopefully can keep that rolling.

THE MODERATOR: Alexa, you as well have played several times on this tour. What memories do you have on the LPGA and how have those helped you?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, getting all these starts as an amateur, I was really lucky to get as much experience on the tour, even on the Epson Tour as I did.

It was a big decision in me wanting to turn professional in the future, so really thankful for that. I think having that experience makes me a lot more comfortable here this week, and kind of knowing my way around a little bit more.

So, again, really grateful that I had those experiences.

THE MODERATOR: Ellinor, you're playing in your first event, so what are some of the expectations you have for your first LPGA event, and what are some of the expectations you're setting for yourself?

ELLINOR SUDOW: Mainly just learning, have fun. And also know I earned my way here, so just play my game. It's great to be here and great to have good people around me, like that's the cool part. Just meet all the people and see how everything works.

I wasn't growing up around a golf family. I wasn't watching LPGA or anything, so everything is kind of new to me, just being on an LPGA site is new and fun and the learning experience the main thing.

Also I'm here to play golf and do my best, so hopefully all that good stuff with the TV and, you know, just everything is new.

Q. I know this has been a long wait for this week. Lucy, start with you. Just ask you what you've been working on during this long break from competition?

LUCY LI: Yeah, I've been practicing a lot, playing a lot of golf, also doing a lot of schoolwork. It's been really fun being at home, and now I'm really ready to start playing.

It was nice to get some rest, but it's good. I think my game is in a good spot.

Q. Where are you in school? Are you in the midst of taking classes now?

LUCY LI: Yeah, so I had a pretty hectic schedule for the off-season. I'm taking one course now and pretty much just started my junior year in college, so I got a lot of good work done.

Q. Will with you remind me what your major is?

LUCY LI: Well, I haven't officially declared yet. I am going to soon. I'm going to a double major in data analytics and psychology.

Q. Double major. Thank you. That's at Penn, right?

ReplaceName: Yeah, UPenn.

Q. And then Ellinor, nice to meet you virtually.

ELLINOR SUDOW: You too.

Q. Congratulations. I'm just curious when the LPGA became a realistic dream for you.

ELLINOR SUDOW: I don't know if it's realistic still, but I started dreaming about it in college. I didn't play much competitive golf through high school and then was very fortunate to get a great offer from USC Charlotte and playing college golf at all, so that's kind of when I started to like dream about becoming a pro golfer. The LPGA is obviously the ultimate goal there.

Even going into the qualifier my goal was to play Epson this year, and here we are on the LPGA Tour, so it's pretty cool to just be here.

Q. I was nosing around on your website, which is very well done by the way. I thought it was really interesting during the COVID break you talked about that intense time of golf at the academy. What part of your game really went to the next level the most in that time frame?

ELLINOR SUDOW: I think it was my like irons, my approach game, the wedges mainly because we started practicing so much. We played six to nine hours a day. That was the main thing. We played a lot of the golf. Shot shaping and just seeing the game in a new way for me because before it was more like college golf, perfect golf.

And like I didn't see different ball curves, that kind of stuff. That really helped me getting to this next level. Also like playing with a lot of guys that are not afraid of playing different shots and just that kind of imagination in a way.

That was super fun. And not being afraid. If you do a mistake, it's fine, it's just golf. You can still get an up and down. The acceptance of mistakes and the mental part. We had mental sessions every week where we just talked about what we're struggling with on the course.

We were a group where we just talked about it. Coaches were helping each other out. It was a great place for me to be at that point.

Q. If I could ask Alexa one question. You've been playing leading up to this week. Does it feel like given how early you started this journey in the spotlight, even though you're still really young, does it feel like this was a long time coming to be in this chair as an LPGA member?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, it really does. It kind of feels like I've been working towards this for a really long time, so been a very long time coming.

Yeah, like I said, I'm very excited for the opportunity and excited that the season is finally here. I have been playing a little bit; getting the opportunity in Saudi Arabia was great. To get started here in the States and playing on the LPGA Tour is what I am mainly excited for.

Q. What are your goals for the season?

ALEXA PANO: I think last year I went into the Epson Tour with a really open mind and just wanted to learn as much as I could and experience things. That's kind of the mindset that I'm going into this year with.

I mean, obviously I'm here to compete and want to do my best and I have big goals in that aspect, but still just want to learn something every week and learn about myself more and experience things like I did last year.

Yeah, I really enjoyed having that mindset last year and I'm really happy to take it into this year as well.

Q. I meant to ask, is your dad caddieing for you?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, dad is still on the bag this week. Even with the big bag. (Smiling.)

THE MODERATOR: I'm going to ask the other two about your goals for just your first season as a member. Lucy, go ahead.

LUCY LI: Yeah, I think kind of similar to what they were saying. My goal is just to learn and just do the best that I can. I kind of have the same mindset. I feel like I had a really good mindset going into last year, and trying to keep that mindset this year.

Like I know that my game is really good so as long as I stay patient the results will take care of themselves.

If I don't play well this week or next week or the week after that I know that it'll eventually come, and it's just like really good staying patient and obviously just I want to do well, but I think it's really important to just focus on the process.

Q. Ellinor?

ELLINOR SUDOW: I think we're stupid if we don't say we want to be Rookie of the Year and win a tournament. That's why we're here. We're here to compete. That would be really cool to me. I usually set really lofty goals.

I don't know if they're realistic, but that's the dream and what we're aiming for.

Q. Lucy, you've also been under the spotlight for a long time. Does it feel strange to finally be an LPGA member now?

LUCY LI: Yeah, I mean, maybe a little bit. I feel like it's been really long time since I played my first LPGA event.

But I'm just super excited. This has been my goal for such a long time. To be finally out here I'm just soaking in the moment and really excited to get going.

Q. How different do you think this start would be without the starts that you had last year getting through sponsor invites and your local qualify?

LUCY LI: Yeah, definitely that was once I had a secured my card on Epson that was what I was looking too. I know -- it's a big transition from amateur golf into professional golf, but also from the Epson Tour to the LPGA, so I just wanted to get a little bit of a head start on that.

So I was very fortunate to be able to get some starts and have some good finishes and get into more tournaments. I think it's been a while since I played my last tournament, so I kind of have to restart again.

But getting that confidence, being able to compete in those tournaments was definitely really huge.

Q. Have any of you've been involved with the Solheim Cup events so far, team planning?

ALEXA PANO: No. I mean, not as a professional golfer. I don't think. Me and Lucy competed on the junior Solheim Cup team together and we won. I think you won twice.

LUCY LI: Yeah, I played in a bunch of junior Solheims. I don't know if that's what you're asking.

Q. The question could've been clearer. Has Stacy been in contact with any of you about this year's Solheim Cup?

LUCY LI: Yeah, I've talked to Stacy a little bit. On the outside looking in, but that's definitely a huge goal of mine for this year if I can start playing well.

Q. Alexa, you mentioned putting less pressure on yourself was a big learning opportunities for you last year. How are you trying to do that on the LPGA now?

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, I think staying focused like week to week and on what I can control, and a little bit of what Lucy said is not being too hard on yourself and being really patient is a big deal out here.

You learn that, and I think my year on Epson taught me how to handle that. I'm really grateful for that experience and going to take a lot of the what I learned and put it towards this year.

THE MODERATOR: I know you have never played in a team event yet, Ellinor, but you have a lot of the great Swedes to look up to on this tour. Thought on having some of your fellow Swedes out here, if you know any of them, and how much you look up to them.

ELLINOR SUDOW: Yeah, for sure. I was never part of the Swedish golf team because I was never very good growing up. I started later in life, so and then I didn't really know anything about golf. It was more other sports.

So it was more in college. That I started to look up to anyone Linnea Strom, and she's here and become a great friend of mine. Great to have her here with me.

When I came to -- when I qualified a lot of the Swedish girls reached out to me. Anna Nordqvist was probably the first one to reach out. That was really cool. And then we had the Olympic Camp with the Swedish golf camp that I got invited to and Pernilla came up and Madelene and she's my pod leader, which is pretty neat.

So we have a lot of great Swedes to look up to for sure. I'm the first one that has in the been on the Sweden golf team, so I think that reaches a completely new audience in Sweden, and I hope to inspire more people that are not as good as those people when they grow up.

And then, yeah, you know, there are so many different routes to get to the LPGA. Hopefully I can inspire people to do that.

Q. Last question. Our first major of the year is coming up in it four weeks now, Chevron Championship, moving to a new location in Texas. How big of a goal is that for you guys and what are you looking for in the next few tournaments to achieve that goal?

LUCY LI: Yeah, definitely really excited for that. That's definitely -- we have three tournaments before then to qualify for it, so as long as you get a few solid finishes, probably get in.

But I think it's -- that's a good goal to have, but it's really important to not think about that when we're playing. It's good to just treat every tournament as its own. If the results come, they do.

I would love to be able to play in that.

ELLINOR SUDOW: Yeah, I totally agree with you there. I don't really know how to get into any events besides just playing good golf when I can and it'll take care of itself. If I'm there, that'll be awesome to play the first major of the year.

If not, we'll move on from there. It'll be fine.

ALEXA PANO: Yeah, it's a long season and I would really love to play at that first major. Just taking the week to week approach, and if it happens, it happens. But, yeah, like I said taking each week on its own.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much, ladies. We appreciate your time.

LUCY LI: Thank you.

ELLINOR SUDOW: Thank you.

ALEXA PANO: Thank you.