HANWHA LIFEPLUS INTERNATIONAL CROWN

May 2, 2023

Minjee Lee

Hannah Green

Steph Kyriacou

Sarah Kemp

Harding Park

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: I am pleased to be joined by Team Australia. I'm going to start off with the newest winner on Tour that is coming off a week in LA, Ms. Hannah Green. What's it like to be here at International Crown after the week that you had?

HANNAH GREEN: I didn't get much sleep on Sunday, so it's nice to be here and a bit more fresh. But I'm just really looking forward to this event.

We all get along really well so I'm excited, and hopefully we're out there on Sunday and wearing a crown.

THE MODERATOR: Minjee, you are one of the only people in the field this week that's participated in every edition of the International Crown. What's it like to have this competition back on the LPGA Tour schedule for you who has seen it in every edition?

MINJEE LEE: Yeah, I think it's great. We don't get too much opportunities to play in this format, and obviously to represent Australia with these girls is really cool and it's a great honor for us.

Yeah, I've played since I was an Am, as a rookie pro, and then now, a little bit veteran. Over the years, I think it's just gone from strength to strength, and now that Hanwha LIFEPLUS has come on board, I think it's going to be even better.

Q. Steph, this is your first International Crown. You're the youngest person on the team and I know they've been giving you quite the ribbing. What's it been like for you gelling with the rest of your team here, and how much have you been looking forward to this event?

STEPH KYRIACOU: It's good. They're nice sometimes. Minjee used to be nice to me until today. I am struggling a bit.

SARAH KEMP: It's all a lie. You know that.

STEPH KYRIACOU: No, it's really nice to be playing in a team event. We all get along really well. It's exciting. I guess I am the youngest so I can learn a thing or two.

Q. Sarah, just to see kind of the team come together like this, what's it like for you as well? I believe it's your first one.

SARAH KEMP: It is, yeah. Yeah, this is great. Like we were talking about before, we don't really get too many -- being from Australia we don't have any Solheims or we don't have a Presidents Cup, so this is pretty cool for us.

Yeah, just exciting. A love all the free gear we got with all the Australian flags on it. That's pretty exciting.

Yeah, no, we're having a great time. It's fun picking on Steph.

HANNAH GREEN: That's not all we do.

SARAH KEMP: A lot of it. But no, we're all really excited to be here and looking forward to Thursday.

Q. Minjee, what do you think of the change of the format on Sunday from singles to now the semifinals and finals?

MINJEE LEE: I think it'll be a little bit more exciting. I know the foursomes is now one of the matches that they get to play, foursomes and singles. I think it'll just be a little bit different because the teams can really figure out who will gel together better and maybe there will be a better strategy for the last day.

Q. Minjee, Hannah, and Sarah, the three of you have played the three courses, Olympic Club, Lake Merced, and Harding. Could the three of you going from Minjee maybe across rank those three courses?

MINJEE LEE: So Olympic, Lake Merced, and Harding? I mean, Lake Merced has a really special place in my heart. I haven't seen the course, the new changes yet, but Merced -- I'm not really sure.

SARAH KEMP: We haven't played 18 yet.

MINJEE LEE: Yeah, I haven't seen the back nine yet.

SARAH KEMP: It's going to be hard to rate.

MINJEE LEE: I think maybe Harding and then Olympic for me.

HANNAH GREEN: I'm probably going to go Harding, the old Lake Merced, then Olympic. Have you played them all? What do you reckon?

SARAH KEMP: I'm going to add one. I've played Cal Club. That would be my No. 1. And then, gosh -- I mean, this looks pretty awesome. Yeah, we only played the front nine today, but it's tough to -- and again, I haven't seen the new Lake Merced.

Honestly, yeah, golf in northern California, it's some of my favorite. They're all pretty equal to me.

Q. Hannah, could you explain why?

HANNAH GREEN: I think this one is really interesting. I feel like Olympic was just really brutal when we played the U.S. Open, so that's probably why I'm not going to rank it as high.

I really like Lake Merced, too, prior to the changes. I obviously haven't seen it. I think just because we used to go there often. I think that's why I really like it.

But like Kempy said, they're all really hard to rank because they're all really strong courses and really good.

Q. You're coming in as a 7 seed technically, but do you feel like you're playing as an underdog? Do you feel like that's going to help your play at all?

SARAH KEMP: I don't think so. I mean, Hannah just won last week; Minjee is -- what's your World Ranking? Aren't we one of the favorites?

MINJEE LEE: I don't think we really feel like the underdogs.

HANNAH GREEN: No, I don't think so. I think we all gel really well, which I think is really a big advantage over the other teams. I mean, obviously if you're enjoying your company on the golf course, that's probably the best way to actually go out and win points for the team.

We're just excited to get going on Thursday.

Q. Hannah, as you've seen the rest of this team come together, what are some of the strengths you think you'll see from your other members of Team Australia?

HANNAH GREEN: Well, I guess we don't obviously play match play too often. We do have the event in Vegas that we play, but match play is just such a different type of style of game.

We were talking strategy today, seeing who maybe makes the most amount of pars versus someone like me that has a very erratic scorecard. So just thinking things like that is a bit different.

I guess we've kind of -- not that it's a dilemma, but we could all play with each other. There's no specific pairing where it's definitely going to be myself and Minjee or myself and Steph or myself and Kempy.

I think that's an advantage, but I don't know. What do you guys think?

Q. You talk a lot about strategizing. Sarah, what's that like to take on that team mentality that we don't usually have week to week? What was some of the strategy talk going on today as you got your first look at Harding Park?

SARAH KEMP: Greeny just hit on it. We sort of have worked out who makes more birdies versus more pars, and we played a little game today and tried to pair up who we thought --

HANNAH GREEN: Winner!

SARAH KEMP: -- yeah, whose games in that way.

But honestly, like in the beginning we were just going to throw up golf balls and just pair whoever is the closest.

We've actually found it -- I think this is a good thing, quite difficult to pair us together, because I think we can all play -- we all get along. We can all play with one another.

I would say that was not a problem, but if -- you'd say a good problem to have. But we've only just come up with who we think is going to play. We've only just decided.

From the little matches that we played today I think we've come up with a good strategy.

Q. Steph, there's a lot of smiles and laughter between the team here. What's that like for you, and how much does that help kind of your game just in general to kind of come into something maybe a little bit more lightheartedly?

STEPH KYRIACOU: Yeah, well, I think they're laughing at me most of the time, so I don't know if that actually helps me or not. Well, Minjee is actually okay.

No, it's really nice. It's really nice to be in a team environment. I guess in Australia we grew up playing team events like interstate and stuff. We kind of have a bit of experience there.

But yeah, golf is a lonely sport, so it's nice to see everyone be happy and actually wanting people to win, as well, if that makes sense.

Q. Minjee, I really like the confidence you guys are bringing into yourselves. You don't look at yourselves as underdogs. You're coming in with the talent assessed here. What's kind of the mentality come Thursday? How will you be kind of getting into the zone knowing that it isn't just you on the line, it's an entire team?

MINJEE LEE: Well, for me, I think as long as I put in my 100 percent, and I know all the girls will, I have my full trust in them that they're going to bring their best and have a lot of fun. I don't really --

STEPH KYRIACOU: I guess it's nice to kind of rely on other people.

MINJEE LEE: Sure, you can rely on each other, but I think our mentality is just going to be try and make as many birdies and get up as quickly as possible.

Q. I know you all saw the crowns last night at Tiffany & Co. What would it mean for all four of you to be wearing the crowns at the end of this week?

HANNAH GREEN: It would be amazing. I think we've all worked really hard to get into this team, so we're just really excited to be here and be amongst it.

I really do think that we can come out on top, and I think so long as we all believe that, then that'll happen.