DIO IMPLANT LA OPEN

March 30, 2023

Mi Hyang Lee

Palos Verdes Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Here with Mi Hyang Lee after her first round at the DIO Implant LA Open. What was the secret to your round today? Seemed to have cracked the code out here on this course. That was pretty tricky.

MI HYANG LEE: I know. I had a really good caddie. I mean, my friend's dad, so he helped a lot from Monday and today also. So really thanks to him, yeah.

Q. How did you get that connection?

MI HYANG LEE: I'm pretty close with her and I'm staying with her house, too, this week because she lives like seven minutes from here.

So just he just talk me first about the caddie, I have the caddie on Monday, then after Monday just I asked him can you help for this week for the tournament and he said yes, so really appreciate it.

Q. Is he pretty familiar with the course?

MI HYANG LEE: Yeah. He was reading the green really good. Yeah, so good.

Q. Amazing. So speaking of Monday, 4-under Monday, 6-under today.

MI HYANG LEE: Uh-huh.

Q. This course seems to really suit your game. Can you just tell us how good it is to like have to Monday qualify? I know you didn't last week. I know you Monday qualified this week. Just tell us how great it feels to have such a good round after you have to Monday qualify to get in?

MI HYANG LEE: Because I keep playing the Epson Tour, I think that's why just I kept playing well, Epson Tour and keep playing well to Monday qualifyings too. After last week Monday qualifying I'm still playing and I play well on Sunday as well, so I think that helped for the Epson Tour for me.

And then also, yeah, actually just I met the really good caddie. That's the key point for me I think.

Q. Could you walk me through what you worked on your game since narrowly missing improving your status at Q-Series to now?

MI HYANG LEE: Mind, calm on the golf course. Make sure -- I didn't go back to Korea last wintertime, so be calm and make my routine each day, so that's a lot help for just thinking just now, present. Not any future, or the past.

So that's a lot of help for my mindset.

Q. You mentioned working or playing out on Epson. A lot of people on Epson come to local qualify trying to get on to the LPGA for the first time. How challenging has it been for you as a two-time winner to local qualify, try and get back on tour?

MI HYANG LEE: So actually Monday qualifying is really tough. Now I know it. And then, yes, but both is hard. Epson Tour top 10 when you rank, that's amazing, too. So either way I'm just trying to do my best each day and play well my golf, then we'll see.

I don't know the future, so...

Q. Is it hard to not compare yourself with the player who was winning consistently, was in contention a number of times to now trying to fight for your status?

MI HYANG LEE: Everything is past, so I don't want to think about that. Still I can play the Epson Tour, so that's really appreciate to me. So I can still play on tour, right? So, yeah, I don't mind.

Q. What would a strong finish mean to you this week?

MI HYANG LEE: Will be a lot different because I had a lot of confident from the Monday qualifying for sure, and then I played well last Monday as well at the Phoenix, Arizona.

Yeah, so yeah, hopefully just keep doing well rest of the season. Hopefully. Then, yeah, just want to trying to do my best this tournament and then we'll see. (Laughter.)

Yeah.

Q. You said your best friend on tour is Hyo Joo Kim. I know she waited for you on 18 green. Tell us about that moment.

MI HYANG LEE: Yeah, I'm really good friends with Hyo Joo and Chella Choi and they wait for me last Monday. And then, yeah, was really thankful to them. They always be my side and, yeah, that's why I can keep -- I mean, pretty much this is my first tournament LPGA but didn't feel any different because they are here. Yeah, really appreciate to them.

Q. How cool it was to see Hyo Joo's name up on the leaderboard?

MI HYANG LEE: She always play good. Not big different for me.