HANWHA LIFEPLUS INTERNATIONAL CROWN

May 2, 2023

Jodi Ewart Shadoff

Bronte Law

Alice Hewson

Liz Young

Harding Park

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome inside the media center here at the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown. We are joined by the England team this week, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Bronte Law, Alice Hewson, and Liz Young are all here joining us this week.

It's quite the conditions out there. I think the England team might have an advantage with this kind of weather. Jodi, I know you've lived in the States for a while. Does any of the English heritage come back when you're playing in cold wet conditions?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Definitely. I grew up in this kind of weather, but as you've said, I've lived in the U.S. for almost half my life now, so I'm kind of used to the warmer conditions of Orlando.

But yeah, the golf course is definitely playing long, and hitting it a little shorter because of the cooler weather. But it's a very good test of golf this week.

THE MODERATOR: Bronte, we're back somewhere you love to be. We know match play gets you fired up. How excited are you to represent England and not just Team Europe this week?

BRONTE LAW: Yeah, definitely. It brings back memories of playing in the International Crown last time in Korea. We did pretty good then. We got close. But we'd like to do just that little bit better this year.

Yeah, playing match play for me is my absolute favorite thing to do. Any opportunity I get to play match play, and certainly to represent Team England brings back a lot of fond memories of playing on teams with Alice, and it's just something special that we grow up with that kind of mindset, and I know a lot of other teams kind of don't have that.

We'll definitely be pulling from that this week and using that to get us fired up.

THE MODERATOR: Alice, Bronte alluded to it, played a lot of team match play when you were an amateur. I know you were around in Toledo in '21 and watched everything unfold in the Solheim Cup. How excited are you to play in this format, something you had a lot of success with?

ALICE HEWSON: Yeah, really excited to be back playing match play. As Bronte said, just playing for your country, nothing beats that.

Yeah, really excited to get out there and represent England and get some match play going.

THE MODERATOR: Liz, I know it's been a whirlwind couple of days for you, but how excited are you to have this opportunity? You've been an LET stalwart for quite a while; got that first win last year in Switzerland. But how cool is it to be on this team with these three great players?

LIZ YOUNG: Oh, yeah, I'm really excited. It's been a whirlwind, but so happy to be here playing with these guys. It'll be great. I used to play with Jodi back in the day in amateurs for GB&I and England.

Although Jodi has lived out here for a long time and obviously Bronte plays out here, we still know each other from amateur days and things. It's really good to get the team back together and represent our country.

Q. Jodi, you played here in a couple practice rounds, Olympic Club, U.S. Women's Open, and Lake Merced. You've played all along the Merced Mile here. Could you rank those three courses?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, I would actually say Harding Park is probably my favorite of the three and then Lake Merced. I didn't play that well at Olympic, which is probably why I'm ranking it third. And it was a tough walk.

I actually really love this place this week. It's tight off the tee. The greens are running very nicely. They're holding really nice. It's playing long. I think being a good ball striker is going to be a nice advantage.

And I think we just played some holes together as a team this morning, and everybody is hitting it very nicely, hitting a lot of fairways, which is key I think this week for sure.

Q. Alice and Liz, you're going to be replacements in this event. Could you walk me through that and getting to Harding?

LIZ YOUNG: I woke up Sunday morning to a text message at 6:00 a.m. that had come through in the night, and I read it and I was like, really? Then I woke my husband up, and I was like, read that. What does that say? Just to make sure.

So I messaged back, and yeah, then it was organizing child care, flights, and getting out here, which is great.

ALICE HEWSON: Yeah, I had maybe a couple of hours' extra head start on that. Mine came at 2:00 in the morning, so it was a bit of a nightmare just getting flights organized, had a bit of a nightmare with flights on Monday at the airport and having to get a slightly later flight than what was anticipated.

But yeah, made it here last night, and cracking on with things, really.

Q. Bronte and Jodi, when did you two get the heads up that Charley and Georgia were not going to be part of the team this week?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Sunday.

BRONTE LAW: Yeah, Sunday. So quite late. But yeah, very happy to have both Alice and Liz are here. They're both very patriotic, very team oriented, and I think that that's a testament to kind of what this tournament is about and is more important than the individuals in the team.

Yeah, just really happy to have them both here, and I know that they'll fight with everything that they've got.

Q. How did you find out?

BRONTE LAW: Through Chinese whispers, if you'd like to call it that. Didn't get any sort of message from the two that decided to not play. Was disappointed about that. But it's besides the point now. We're here, and this is our team, and this is Team England.

Q. Have you heard from them since?

BRONTE LAW: I've had a message from Charley apologizing saying she was sorry she couldn't play, but that's it.

Q. What day was that?

BRONTE LAW: Today.

Q. You all seem to have a lot of camaraderie. It's kind of cool everybody has played with each other in different aspects of your career. Do you think that gives you guys an advantage kind of knowing how well each other works in match play scenarios and being on the golf course together?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, I think we're probably one of the most experienced match play teams here. Like Liz said, I played with Liz in the Curtis Cup, I think, back in the day.

I think match play for me, and I think for everybody else, is probably my favorite format. I really love match play, and I feel like it really brings out the best in my game, and I think we're going to do really well.

Q. Bronte, could you and Jodi expand on that? Were you pretty disappointed? Do you feel like you were owed at least a text or a call from the two teammates who withdraw?

BRONTE LAW: I think anyone with some level of decency would send their teammates a message that they weren't coming, not find out from other players on Tour who have heard things from them saying things at the tournament last week.

I don't think that that's a lot to ask for.

Q. Alice, this was obviously a huge opportunity for you guys. You've had a crazy trip over here to get here. Do you have to block out how big this moment is for you guys personally and what it means to your career, or is this kind of nice to be in a team setting in this scenario?

ALICE HEWSON: For me it's just great to be here and just got to grab the opportunity with both hands. It's really great to have Bronte and Jodi here who have been in this situation before and can kind of help guide us through the ins and outs of the tournament and just kind of be here to help us out for the week, which I think is great.

LIZ YOUNG: For me, I'm just excited to be here, and I'm just going to make the most of the opportunity and just go for it. The opportunity, yes, it's big and it's obviously on the big stage compared to an LET event, but it's just a golf course.

Q. Jodi, we heard from Bronte on her perspective about it. Wondering your perspective on your teammates not making it this week?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, obviously it's disappointing, especially to come so late. I'm sure it's disappointing mainly for Hanwha. I think what they've done for the tournament and to bring it back, we're all just really grateful to be here.

As I said, I've lived in the U.S. for almost half my life now, and I'm still as proud now to put on the England flag as I was when I was 12 years old putting it on for the first time.

My schedule this year is all based around -- especially the first half of this year -- all based around being here this week because it means that much to me to play for England. It's just a privilege. I'm very proud to be here, and I'm proud to be part of this team with the other three girls on this stage.

BRONTE LAW: And I think every single one of us feels that. It's more important to have teammates that feel that way and want to be here than anything else, and that's why having them here is going to be the best thing for Team England this week.

Q. How important is it to bring the International Crown event back to the LPGA schedule?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Very important. I played two. I played in '16 and I played in '18, and I think just having the opportunity to play against teams like Korea and Thailand and Japan -- we get to play against the U.S. in the Solheim Cup -- but just for it to be such a world event and to crown the best nation in women's golf at the end of the week, it's huge for women's golf, I think.

It's huge for the LPGA schedule, and we're all just really grateful to Hanwha for what they've done for not just this event but for women's golf in general. I think they're a really great advocate for women's golf.

Q. Alice and Liz, I know you've been playing a lot on the LET, obviously. What are your thoughts on TPC Harding Park? I'd be interested to hear from you, this kind of golf course. It has a little bit of the English feel out there, but tell me your thoughts on the golf course and how it really suits your game.

LIZ YOUNG: Yeah, I think it's in fantastic condition first. The greens -- I've only played 14 holes so far, but the greens were in fantastic condition. I like how it's tight off the tee. That sort of suits my game. The rough is quite thick and juicy around the greens. So that's a little bit different to what we're used to.

But the weather conditions, yeah, it's about this temperature in England at the moment, so I'm pretty used to this; not getting much run on the ball at the moment.

Yeah, it's a great golf course. I really like it, and I'm excited to get the tournament started.

ALICE HEWSON: Yeah, absolutely love the golf course. As Jodi said, definitely playing a little bit long out there today with the weather. I think that kind of plays into our hands a little bit. I feel that everyone here hits the ball pretty well and pretty straight. Yeah, it should be pretty good, I think.

Q. What do you each bring to this team? Obviously you each have different skill sets. All four of you are excellent match play players, but what about your games do you think suits this game and what do you bring?

JODI EWART SHADOFF: Yeah, statistically speaking, my driving accuracy and greens in regulation is always pretty strong on average, so I think that's probably the main thing around this golf course is tee to green is getting it in the fairway and getting on the greens, so I think that's going to be a key factor this week.

BRONTE LAW: I'd say that just never giving up, even when things aren't going my way. I'll fight for it, and I'll fight for this team.

ALICE HEWSON: Yeah, very similar. I'm going to just give everything I've got to play for England, and yeah, give myself as many opportunities as I possibly can out there.

LIZ YOUNG: I'm a bit like Jodi, driving and greens hit, I'm pretty accurate off the tee, so I think that's going to help us out there, especially with the rough being so thick.