ISPS HANDA WORLD INVITATIONAL

August 16, 2023

Olivia Mehaffey

Galgorm Castle & Massereene Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome everyone to the media center. I'm here with Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow, our Irish and Northern Irish players in the field from the LPGA. Start off with an easy question for the both of you. Your impressions of the courses this week and how excited are you to play?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, I think two very different tests this week. Obviously one being links and one being (indiscernible.) /#.

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THE MODERATOR: All right, I'm here with Olivia Mehaffey, an invite this week and LET player, local to the area. How good is it to be playing here?

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: Yeah, it's really nice. I was thinking last night I wish every tournament was at home. It's really the nice to go to my own bed and to eat in a restaurants I know are good.

So, yeah, it's really nice to be home.

Q. And this the third year in a row you played in this tournament. How special is this tournament to you?

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: Yeah, it's amazing, I have so many good memories for the last two years. I think playing in front of your family and friends, normally it's great if you have one or two family coming to an event, but to be here this week, and we try and take every players tickets because I know I'm going to have a lot of people here, so it's a really nice feeling.

Q. And we have a different course this year. Castle Rock, I know you were there yesterday practicing, obviously linksy golf course compared to Galgorm. What did you think when you played it yesterday?

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: Yeah, it's great. I think it's fun to have the test of parkland and links. We don't get that too often. I think it's going to be a really good test.

I think it's to be quite windy, so that will definitely be a very fun element. I think it's great. Castle Rock have done a great job. The course is in great shape.

Like-wise Galgorm is, so I think it's going to be a great week. I think all the players are really enjoying the courses.

Q. And I know you've had a few weeks off of tournament golf. What have you been doing in those few weeks?

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: Yeah, it's been nice having a few weeks off. Took the first week and didn't play. Felt like I was getting a little bit burnt out; played a lot of golf.

And then last two weeks just working a lot with my coach. It's been nice to prepare for this. It's going to be a really busy finish to the rest of the year. The LET schedule is pretty busy.

So a lot of practicing and just really get prepared for obviously Irish Open after this as well. It's great to have two events at home in a row.

Q. You have been playing well this summer. How do you feel about your game?

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: Yeah, for me, at the start of the year I didn't set any goals. Normally I set where I want to finish, order of merit, world ranking, try and win tournaments. I didn't do any of that this year.

I just wanted to come back in my break last year and really enjoy golf, and frankly I'm doing that again, which is great. So I'm just going to keep that same mentality for the rest of the year. I think when you're enjoying it you're playing good, so that's sort of my only goal. Try not to put no pressure on myself, no expectations, which is difficult at times to manage, but I think it's very important.

Q. A lot has changed since this tournament last year. This was the last tournament before taking the break. How much have you...(indiscernible.)

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: Yeah, I think it's really nice to come here for me because I was in such a bad place last year, and I come here this year and I just feel like a totally different person.

It's really nice to be out there and smiling and really, really enjoying it. So I think to me, it sort of shows the hard work that I put in, and yeah, what a better place.

Q. Obviously had a third place finish in Finland. Best result on the LET. We spoke at the time, but it's been a couple months. How would you reflect on that?

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: Yeah, it was really fun for me. It kind of came from nowhere. I guess it was building a little bit. Played well in Germany, (indiscernible,) and I wasn't really expecting to finish so high.

Again, no expectations. So I think that gave me some confidence that the work I'm doing is good, trending in the right direction. I think it did build my confidence that I do belong out here, and I think that's what I needed as well.

Q. Looking to this weekend, with the break you just had, any part of your game you're working on?

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: A lot of long game. Seems to be a trend with me. I have quite a good short game and I'm a good putter, and the long game is the one that demands a little bit more attention. So a little bit of swing work and trying to shift into that competitive mentality and prepare that way.

Q. This week then, who is going to be out supporting you?

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: Yeah, a lot. My mom, my brother, aunties, uncles. It's funny, my friends that don't play golf, they don't understand it, they always come to this tournament and first time they came was three years ago. It was really nice to have them there because they've never watched me play. I think there will be quite a few, which is always fun.

It's nice to look down the side of the fairways and have some familiar faces. I'm sure they will be nice and loud out there as well.

Q. Coming out the other side of what you've been through over the last three years, does that make this more -- before might have been more pressure, more things, more kind of feeling like it's (indiscernible) or is that not correct?

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: This event will always be special for me. This is the last event my dad watched me play. He was in like a little mobility thingy when he was going round and I was like oh, my gosh, and he got watch me play all four rounds. This event will always be really special for me.

Had a good finish the first year I played, so I think if anything, it probably gives me good memories. I try to look at that as a great thing and I enjoyed it so much.

I think probably the enjoyment factor more so. It's really fun.

Q. (Indiscernible.)

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: I think just more so having him around. I kept looking every fairway and I'm like, oh, my gosh he's still here. I think he needs to go home.

So just having him there every round was so nice for me. So I think probably just those memories and like how special it was to have him there beside me every shot, every hole.

Q. Stephanie said that Irish golf is in a good place right now. Do you agree with that?

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: Yeah, it's amazing. I think when I was a little girl I looked up to the guys. Always had so many great male players. Didn't maybe have as much on the women's side. Obviously Leona and Steph kind of breaking down a lot of barriers. I am coming in behind them. There is a lot of girls in college. It's getting really strong. It's nice to see the women to follow in the men's footsteps.

So I think it's exciting and Irish is a good place. I think it's only going to get better, and I think events like this and also for us having the Irish Open back on the schedule I think it's great. I believe that we're in a good spot. It's just going to keep getting better.