DOW CHAMPIONSHIP

June 25, 2024

Georgia Oboh

Lakareber Abe

Midland Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're joined here in the media center at the Dow Championship by Georgia Oboh and Lakareber Abe. Just talk a little bit about what this week is going to mean to you both.

GEORGIA OBOH: Well, after winning the John Shippen and getting the sponsor's invite from Dow, it's been a really great experience so far. Today there was storms in the morning, but we're not going to let that dampen the whole week. I'm just really blessed to be here and be here with Lakareber.

LAKAREBER ABE: Yeah, I am definitely excited to play with Georgia. It's been a whirlwind, but I got in yesterday morning and we played a couple holes and I'm just really excited to -- you don't get to play as a team or with friends very often, so I'm very excited to play with her.

THE MODERATOR: If you could talk about the friendship that you both have and you have the experience playing together in the past.

GEORGIA OBOH: Well, we've played in the same tournaments but actually never in the same group as God would have it, so this week is just really nice. There's time to catch up and really see how far we've come over the past five, six years as professional golfers.

LAKAREBER ABE: Yeah, I'm excited. Like Georgia said, we've never actually gotten to play in a group together, so competing together is definitely icing on the cake. Getting to experience this with friends is really cool.

Q. How do you think both your games will complement each other, how you'll support each other out there this week?

LAKAREBER ABE: Well, I'm really excited. We played a couple holes yesterday, and it's really fun to see Georgia is hitting it really well. She's hitting a lot of fairways, a lot of greens. I'm not going to say it's going to be a stress-free week, but it'll be a fun week, and it's nice to have someone you can count on, rely on and bounce ideas off of for sure.

GEORGIA OBOH: For me, I think my short game especially is in a really good place, and I feel very comfortable with the approaches into the green now. I guess the most comfortable I've felt for the past few years. Lakareber is really strong off the tee, so I think it just works well together.

Q. Coming to Midland, Michigan, what have you noticed about this tournament? There's a strong local interest in this event, a lot of support from Dow. Talk about the things you might have noticed already, even it just being Tuesday at the Dow Championship.

GEORGIA OBOH: All the temporary structures and just the general setup. Everything seems so well-organized, and I'm just so grateful that I'm able to compete this week and be here in Midland.

LAKAREBER ABE: Yeah, I got here yesterday, and seeing how involved and how much Dow supports Midland and how much they do for the town. I'm staying with Karen Carter this week, so it's really cool to just talk to her and see everything that they've done and everything Dow does to support the people that live here.

I think this event and supporting women's golf, Dow has just done an incredible job.

Q. Talk a little bit as well about the John Shippen and playing in those events and what kind of opportunity those events provide to players.

GEORGIA OBOH: Well, I guess now we can both say we're both John Shippen winners. The past few years it's been a great experience, I think, for both of us to be able to compete and earn an LPGA exemption, and also being able to play on LPGA host venue courses and just the experience we're gaining with these few events to propel us to the next step of our careers.

LAKAREBER ABE: Yeah, I think John Shippen, Sommer Woods, everyone that helps run the event, InterSport, they've just done a very good job of creating opportunities for women that look like us to get a taste of what it feels like to playing on the LPGA and playing on LPGA courses.

I think being out here is one thing, but if you don't experience it, you don't know what you're missing. You don't know what it takes to be out here. I think everything they've done to just give us a taste of it has helped everyone.

Q. As you are a sponsor invite team, and some media might not know too much about you, what would you want people to know about you? Any fun things, any messaging that you really stick with as we get to know you both more?

GEORGIA OBOH: I guess for me, you might see on my shirt here, Philippians 4:13, which is a Bible verse that means I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and for me it's a reminder of my faith in Jesus Christ and that ultimately all the glory goes to him and I'm just a golfer and I'm just using this as a way to share my faith.

LAKAREBER ABE: I think for me this week is really special. My dad worked for Dow for like 20, 30 years, I think, so I've always remembered him being like, I have to go to Midland, I have to go to Midland, but I had never really been, so I'm very excited to see what he was up to up here and to get to experience it and to meet a lot of people he's worked with, as well.

Q. Is he going to be here this week?

LAKAREBER ABE: I don't know. He might have to work.

Q. Georgia, you're almost becoming a Michigan resident this summer, winning the John Shippen at Blythefield and then playing in Meijer. Talk about those two events and the experience is preparing you for this week.

GEORGIA OBOH: Well, after winning the John Shippen, there was a lot of excitement. I definitely took a few days to process everything. Then going into the Meijer, at least being comfortable with the golf course, having played there the past few years, it was great. I really loved the environment that the event was in with such a big backing from the community and all that Meijer does in Grand Rapids.

Then coming this week and seeing Midland, a very small town, and just seeing such a wonderful golf course and all the residents really rooting for us for this Dow Championship, it's been great, and I'm just excited for this weekend.

Q. Lakareber, you won in 2022 and got an exemption into Founders. Talk about winning that in 2022 and making your LPGA Tour debut. What was that experience, and fast forwarding to this year with also being on Team Dow, talk about that experience, making your LPGA debut in 2022 after winning John Shippen.

LAKAREBER ABE: Yeah, definitely like Georgia said, very exciting, kind of a whirlwind experience, but I think just having the opportunity to play against the best players in the world and kind of measure your game, it kind of like helps you figure out what it takes, and it gives you motivation to keep working and work harder and try to get there.

I think I was just very grateful for the opportunity, and I think to this day, I really cherish it.

Q. You said your dad worked for Dow for years and years. You're a part of Team Dow. You've got the Dow logo. Talk about what it's meant to you to be a part of Team Dow and how Dow has helped you this year, helped propel your career this year.

LAKAREBER ABE: Yeah, I think -- first, when I found out, it was pretty special. They called me, and they were just like, oh, hey, we want you to talk to these people, and I didn't really know what was going on, and then they're like, oh, we'd like you to be part of Team Dow, and I was like, this is really cool. I grew up in a town where everybody worked for Dow so it's always been in my life, so it's kind of been a full-circle moment.

Just the support from everyone there. They've done so much to make sure we have places to practice, make sure we have access to the things we need, and it really takes a lot of the stress of preparing off of you, and you kind of just get to play golf. That's not something that I think we're always so lucky to get to experience.

I think this year has just been -- I've gotten to be a little bit more selfish in my preparation, and it's been really nice.

Q. Since this is a team event, so there's different formats each day, what is going to be y'all's strategy going into Thursday because it is a team event and not necessarily an individual event this week?

GEORGIA OBOH: I guess I can speak to that. For me, I'm just trying to keep it simple: Hit fairways, hit greens, and make a couple putts.

I think we're both pretty strong off the tee. We haven't fully decided who's teeing off what holes, but I think either way, we'll be solid. Excited for this week.

LAKAREBER ABE: Yeah, I think as long as we have fun, don't take it too seriously and don't be too hard on ourselves -- it's just golf, so good things will happen, bad things will happen. You just move forward. It's fine.