BUICK LPGA SHANGHAI

October 13, 2023

Ariya Jutanugarn

Qizhong Garden Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, Ariya, welcome back to Shanghai and the Buick LPGA Shanghai. Take me through what was working well on day two for you.

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: Honestly, I've been hitting not good at all. Today got a bit better, and, you know, my putting I don't think it's that good, but it start to, you know, make the putt, so I start to make few birdies or make me feel a bit better.

Honestly my game, I still feel like I have so much thing to work on.

Q. When you are going through a round and feeling it not 100%, to be able to still put together what you put together today, how much does that still give you the confidence needed to stay competitive?

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: I would say when you have no expectation and you kind of know how your game is right now, so it's like play with like not expect anything. Just to show you like it's help you to even have can score better.

And to me, I would say I have a bit more confidence, but so much thing -- like so much more work on.

Q. When did you kind of think to yourself, oh, the swing isn't exactly where I want it today? Was it at the range? Before the tournament?

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: This week I know it's not right for me. I just keep working on something, keep working on. Yeah, because I stop for a month, so it's quite hard for me for like month off and doing nothing, only eating, so it's quite hard to come back and compete in the tournament.

Q. I think Kroger was your last one, correct?

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: Yes.

Q. What has it been like? Did you put the clubs down? Did you take that break?

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: After Cincinnati I went to Korea for few days vacation, come back, and then go to Japan vacation, and then come back, and then keep going back and forth to like other place I want to go, and me and Mo just spend so much time hanging out, eating, and no golf.

Q. What did that mean to you to be able to take that break?

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: I would say it's help my brain because even I'm not feeling good, but really enjoy playing golf. I know I'm not hitting the way I wanted to be, but I enjoy because I stop for a month, so it's kind of like clean everything up and then come back like fresh and feel, oh, I want to play golf. Even I'm not playing in my best right now, but I want to play.

Q. You talked about when you felt the birdies click, you still felt the momentum pick up. Where did the momentum pick up today for you?

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: I would say after birdie, I feel like I just --

Q. Which birdie?

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: Like after my first few birdie, and I still don't know how it's going to be because sometime I say that and I don't know where my ball going to go, so all I do is I hit and hope, and I think it's work out.

Q. I hit and hope. I like that. When you say you're working on something in your swing, what is it that your focusing on heading into tomorrow?

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: I think, you know, I just have month off, so it's kind of like come back and, you know, you have like no golf, you not practice. It's like you have to work on your swing a lot more because you kind of like forgot on like what you've been working on.

So I talk to my coach this week and I know what I have to work on.

Q. You have quite an impressive record here back in 2018 and 2018, two top 10 finishes. I know you're a present player, you don't tend to think about the past, but what is it about this golf club that when you're not 100% you're still able to put together a round like you did today?

ARIYA JUTANUGARN: I would say this course so hard, like especially the fairways. The grass different so it's hard for you to hit, especially if you miss in the rough. It's hard to adjust. You can like fly, you can like come like short.

So this course I would say is not that easy. It's challenge. It's just make me feel like patient, like I can't really do anything, like shot by shot.