PORTLAND CLASSIC

July 30, 2024

Ingrid Lindblad

Columbia Edgewater Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, I'm here with Ingrid Lindblad, our Juli Inkster Award recipient this year presented by Workday.

Welcome to the Portland Classic. Happy to have you here. Can you just talk about what you're feeling like about to be teeing off here at the Portland Classic?

INGRID LINDBLAD: I feel pretty excited. It's kind of weird because it's actually my first like normal LPGA event, which is kind of crazy to say because I feel like I played in a lot of events, but never like a just a regular LPGA event.

So I'm excited. The course is nice. I've never been in Oregon before so it's a little different type of golf course, but it's been nice out there so far.

Q. Yeah, you usually just play in the majors, right? I know you played a couple practice rounds already. What are you looking forward to about this course, this event, when it comes to teeing it up?

INGRID LINDBLAD: I think you just got to be more precise off the tee box. You got some big, big -- I don't know if they're called Oregon Pines or what they're called, but the very big trees. I've never seen those before.

So just a couple holes where you have to be a little bit more strategic where you hit it off the tee.

Otherwise it's as I said when I went from am to pro, it's just another golf tournament. Shouldn't be much different.

Q. Speaking of what you just said, going from am to pro, that's been a transition just this year. Can you tell us about the transition and how being on the Epson Tour and being a pro has been treating you so far.

INGRID LINDBLAD: It's been a very different. You know, a little -- it's been a transition for sure.

The first few events we tried to have someone with me so I am not traveling alone which has been very helpful. Especially on Epson it can be a little lonely. Everyone wants to get out of Epson, so just trying to have someone with me.

I feel like I got more and more used to the way the tournaments are set up for each week, and just getting more and more used to it as time goes on.

It's a little different too. Before we traveled with two coaches and four or five teammates, and now you're just on your own.

Q. Couple of follows from me on that. With you playing on couple Epson Tour events this summer and now playing Portland, going back, we'll go back a bit, you deciding to stay in school for another year to kind of finish your story, lack of a better term, how much do you think that helped you prepare for not only the Epson Tour this summer, but this week and becoming a professional?

INGRID LINDBLAD: I think obviously like my golf game was really good my senior year, but then I was kind of like borderline do I want to stay, do I want to go.

I'm happy I stayed the whole year because you don't get it back. You didn't get college back. You don't have that kind of setup after college. You're so spoiled with everything.

So I had -- I actually had one of my teammates ask me in the spring, she was like, what have you done different this year? She was like, you haven't had -- I think until the national championship I didn't have a single round over par the whole of my fifth year.

She was like, what have you done different? I was like, I don't know. I'm just a little bit better at golf, and I think that was the goal of staying the last year, to get better and everything, and it played out fine.

Q. As a follow to that, with winning the Inkster Award, because that's the highest-ranked senior and final year of eligibility, so when Juli called you about you being the winner of the Inkster Award, what were some of those initial conversations with Juli and what have you guys talked about this summer as you transition from amateur to pro?

INGRID LINDBLAD: I actually found out in April that I was getting it and I was kind of like, oh, yeah, that's fun. I don't think I realized how big it was when I got it.

And then obviously I wish Juli would've been here this week. That would've been really fun. We talked a little bit last week and she was like, I'll make it up to you. Let me know whatever you need. So it's been helpful. If I need any advice I've just been able to ask her about it.

I haven't talked to her that much so wish I kind of talked to her a little bit more. Hopefully after this week we'll get back to it a little bit.

Q. Both of you two are playing. She's at U.S. Senior Open this week. One of the things that you're getting as a result of winning this award is a mentorship retreat. So Jenny Bae who won it last year, she went on a three-day retreat with Juli and a couple of others in Northern California, have you guys talked about that at all yet?

INGRID LINDBLAD: I think we've talked briefly about it but haven't like set anything up yet. But I'll be very excited to do that.

Q. And last one from me: What is after this week? Let's do two questions. One, what is the goal for this week since this is a regular LPGA event? Is it kind of you're trying to get, okay, this is what I'm going be doing week in and week out, and what's the results goal, and then what is your schedule like going forward from here?

INGRID LINDBLAD: I mean, the goal for this week is obviously top 10 would get me into the next LPGA event. I don't think that's a stupid goal or anything. I think that's not impossible.

And then going forward, I'm going back to Baton Rouge next week for a week off and then back to -- the next Epson event is up here in Oregon, so back to Oregon. Then hopefully two weeks off and then it's three-week stretch in September on Epson which is in -- I think they're in Alabama, Alabama, and Arkansas. So convenient in the south for me.

Q. The last one. Jenny talked about this last year, too, about the $50,000 that the winner receives. Not only for you, but for these winners that receive this, because you're taking that first step in your professional career, how important is that to have that a little bit of peace of mind on just some travel expenses and all that that's covered when you first started your professional career?

INGRID LINDBLAD: I think it's super important. I've heard some of the girls on Epson, they drive so many hours to each event. Just having that little extra comfort, you can buy that flight and fly there and save a couple of hours and just save a lot of hours driving.

So that's something we talked about. And just like don't worry about booking the absolute cheapest flight. Book something that's convenient. So having that extra, you don't have to stay in the cheapest hotel possible. You can actually like play a few events knowing that if I don't play well here, I'm still good.

Like I don't have to make -- obviously you want to make money from playing, but obviously you have that little extra security if it doesn't go well. Then at least you have a little backup.

Q. You touched on earlier about some the loneliness in professional golf.

INGRID LINDBLAD: Uh-huh.

Q. How did you experience that? Any stories you heard from fellow professionals about how they dealt with and are handling the loneliness?

INGRID LINDBLAD: I think you probably have to find someone, someone you like. I know a couple girls out there that I played college golf with, but I don't like know them as like my best friends obviously.

So I think you just kind of find someone to travel with, or I've stayed at hotels so haven't really stayed with anyone else. I know some of the girls on Epson stay in housing and with someone else they know.

But just I think finding someone that you click with that you can travel with or even stay with during a tournament just to get your mind on something else.

But I think some of the girls that -- some of the Swedish girls that have gone through Epson to the LPGA said it's lonelier on the Epson. It's a little friendlier out here which makes since. On Epson everyone just wants to get out of there. They want to be out here. Not on Epson.

So it's a little different I think.

Q. You mentioned we were talking about a little earlier qualifying at the end the year. How big of a goal is it? You said you want to be out here. What are you doing to prepare for qualifying here at the end of the year?

INGRID LINDBLAD: I haven't really -- like until last week, I was like, oh, I'm in Stage II. I'll go back down to Venice, Florida, go back there. I know the course. I played well there last year.

No, wait, I'm in Q-Series I realized. So I think I might go back a little bit to Sweden just to catch up with my coaches, take some time off. I haven't really gotten that far in my planning yet, but I think it would be a good thing to go back home and touch base a little bit.

But I don't think anything different than I usually do before a tournament.

Q. I know Juli probably has given you a lot of advice since you won this award, but what advice do you have for Juli this week teeing off at the U.S. Senior Women's Open?

INGRID LINDBLAD: Well, the U.S. Senior Women's Open is usually thicker rough and a little quicker greens, firm greens, so hit the fairways and hit the greens and I think you'll be pretty good.