U.S SENIOR WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

August 26, 2023

Trish Johnson

Waverley Country Club

Quick Quotes

THE MODERATOR: Trish Johnson, 5-under 67. Just a great round. What was working well today?

TRISH JOHNSON: Pretty much everything, really. Drove the ball really well, which put me in good positions. If I hit my driver well, my irons are nearly always fairly decent, but the driver is the club that was really good today.

Yeah, hit some good iron shots. Hit a couple of really -- actually I didn't even mention it, one clutch shot into 5, and I had a three-foot eagle putt, and I missed it, and then I hit a really poor iron shot into the next hole, short-sided myself in the bunker, impossible shot, and I holed it.

You suddenly go from -- it just made all the difference. I was angry, I was annoyed. Suddenly I was almost euphoric. That made a massive difference to get me back on track sort of thing.

Q. This course is interesting with the two par-5s at the end. What's your mindset like knowing that's out there?

TRISH JOHNSON: The trouble is with the two par-5s, they're great, but yet there's -- all the way down the right-hand side which is about a yard off the fairway, is sayonara. It's not as easy as it looks. I think Beany went in trouble -- I did yesterday, on 17. It's a drive and a 6-iron if you hit a good drive, but it's a brave -- you've got to be brave.

18 I hit a huge drive and I just wasn't brave at all. I wanted to hit a little cut shot in with a 5-wood, only had 200 yards, and I did, and I pulled it into that left-hand bunker, and I just got in there and said, I'm not going near that flag because I'm not working three hours out there doing that and then to make 6, knife it into the water or whatever.

I played sensibly, and I got away with a couple of things, as well, I think, in all honesty.

Q. What does it mean to be in this position tonight heading into tomorrow?

TRISH JOHNSON: Yeah, I think I almost wish Beany was still leading, in all honesty. It would be a bit less to think about because you always think if you're in the lead going into the last round it's yours to lose, but it really isn't. You've got a shot lead. There's loads of people. I don't know how Moira finished, but I know she's incredibly capable. There's lots of people that can shoot good numbers. Annika, crikey, best player ever.

I'm enjoying -- I'm just enjoying playing really good golf, and if I do that again tomorrow, then I've got a chance, and if someone beats me, good on them.

Q. Do you go out aggressively tomorrow or just wait and see --

TRISH JOHNSON: No, I'm not going to do anything different. Yes, aggressively, absolutely, because that's the only way I know how to play is just hit it as hard as I can, hope it goes straight.

As I say, if the driver is good, and there was a bit of rhythm there today and it wasn't easy because it was so slow on the back nine, and I've been really lucky this week, I've played in the first group in the afternoon and the first group in the morning both, so I've seen no one, so I've gone at my own pace, and that is so much of an advantage, and then today in the heat you suddenly have to stop, and I want to go, I want to go.

Yeah, it was tricky and it was hot.

Q. Any more runout with the driver today?

TRISH JOHNSON: No, not really. No, I don't think there was any -- Christa hits it quite a long distance, as well. We had a lot of good decent looks in at the flags, but they put the flags in some God-forsaken places. It's not easy. It doesn't matter if you've got wedge in your hand. You're sort of thinking, don't want to get this wrong because it could make you look really silly. When I say God-forsaken places, they were quite fair. It's just not easy.