U.S SENIOR WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 30, 2024

Juli Inkster

Fox Chapel Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, it's my pleasure to welcome Juli Inkster into the interview room. Juli, a World Golf Hall of Fame member; five-time USGA champion. Juli, played yesterday here at Fox Chapel. Tell us about what you saw and what you might expected this week from the course.

JULI INKSTER: It's good golf course. You have to drive the ball straight. Can't play out of the rough. The bunkers are very penalizing. Even the bunkers by the greens, because the ball kind of just sinks down and you got a high lip. So a lot of greens that you want to hit and make sure you get in the right quadrant.

But I think it tests all aspects of your game: driving, iron play and short game.

So putting, I mean you could hit 18 greens out here and shoot 80. It's just really about getting it in the right spot and taking advantage when you have a chance and playing safe when you just need to two-putt.

There is only three par-5s and maybe two of them might be reachable. I mean, I think the par-5s you're going to have to try to maybe take advantage of.

But par-3s are great, long and there is one short one. Yeah, it's going to be a good test. I didn't except anything different.

Q. You talked about the short game and the challenge of the greens. Saw you practicing yesterday with a long putter. Is that something you thrown in the bag recently?

JULI INKSTER: Yeah, threw it in about three, four months ago. Sometimes you just need to really switch it up, so I really -- I've been putting bad for five years, so I feel a little more comfortable with it.

It's going to be a good test for me, but if I putt decent I think I'll have a good week.

Q. A lot of talk about moms on tour, and it's one of the ways in which you were a pioneer. You won the three amateurs and three LPGA majors, then you had Hayley and Cori, then you won four more majors. How did you make that transition?

JULI INKSTER: Well, I mean, that's a good question. I look back and that's probably my greatest feat is traveling with two kids on the road and playing well.

You know, I had a great support system. I had a nanny that traveled with me for 13 years, so the kids really know if I wasn't there she was there or Brian was there.

I made it a pact never to be away from the kids more than ten days, and the schools were great allowing them to come out when they needed to be out. They knew it was more important to be with me instead of doing schoolwork. Socially they adapted going back and forth.

I don't know, it worked. It was a lot of work. I look back on it, I spent a lot of days just in my golf clothes the whole day because when I'd get home I would put my mom hat on or when I get up I put my mom hat on.

We went to every park, every museum in the country. I have great relationship with my kids now. I'm going to be a grandma, and so a lot of things have changed. All for the good.

Q. Your career started with the three women's amateurs in a row, three USGA events. How cool would it be to have another USGA event at this stage of your career?

JULI INKSTER: I mean, this is the one I worked for. I would love to win this thing. I know I'm not getting any younger. The girls are 50; I'm 64; 14 years is a lot of years.

I still love to compete, but I've gotten to a point where I don't like to set my alarm, so it's kind of hard to compete when you don't like to set your alarm.

I enjoy playing. The competition, not so much anymore. I love the banter of playing. But I've done the grind for so long. These tournaments are great, but I'm pretty happy when they're over with, too.

Q. What is a major week like for you? What kind of experience do you need to get through, you mentioned a test like Fox Chapel?

JULI INKSTER: You know, you got to prepare. I've been kind of practicing at home, playing some late nine holes and stuff. Playing and practicing at home is way different than here.

You just got to hit the shots. I still feel like I have pretty good length for my age, so that's really not a question.

It's just more of getting the putts to drop and being mentally -- that's the hard part. This is a grind golf course. I'm sure it's going to take five hours to play with the greens the way they are. It's really hard to stay focused when you haven't done that for a year.

So that's kind of probably be my biggest test, is to try to stay in the game for five hours.

Q. After getting a look at it yesterday, is there a specific hole you think will be the biggest test for the field?

JULI INKSTER: I'm still trying to figure out 16. If you hit hybrid off the tee to the right you got a long iron in. If you go left you really don't have anyplace to hit it.

I'll get one more day at that. I think every hole out here is a test. I mean, you got to lay back on some of the holes because the driver puts you right in the bunkers, or you got to strap -- or you got to just go for it and hit it where you should hit it. Sometimes you just got to hit the shots.

But I'm looking forward to it. I'm really happy where I am in my life, and if I compete on Sunday, that would be icing on the plate.

But I look back at my career, and with raising kids and going to college and playing golf and playing later in my life, the awards that I've gotten after I've played and being the Solheim Cup captain, I mean, I couldn't ask for a better career and a more fulfilling career.

Q. There are so few players 40 and older competing on the LPGA these days. Is that trend something that concerns you? Anything that can be done about it? Do you worry what it might mean for this championship in the years ahead?

JULI INKSTER: Yeah, I do. The problem is these girls are starting so early playing professional golf. I call them professional amateurs. They're traveling at 12, 13, around the world playing in these high-end tournaments.

You know, you play 10 to 12 years or 10 to 20 years, so you're 32 and you're burnt out. You don't want to play anymore.

So, yeah, I worry about that. You look at the top of our Money List. I mean, how many have gone to college. It's very rare. They're starting out 16, 17 playing professional golf.

It's a hard, lonely life. When you're hanging around your parents for the next 20 years and you haven't built any friends in college, you don't have any activities or anything you like to do outside of golf because you have never done anything outside of golf, it makes for a lonely life.

Yes, I do really worry about that.

Q. On the other end of the spectrum, what does it mean to have JoAnne Carner still out here at 85?

JULI INKSTER: Yeah, that's my girl. It's awesome. There is a women that just loves the game. You know, Beth Daniel and Meg Mallon are good friends of mine. She said Carner is out there every day hitting balls and playing.

But that's what she loves to do. And I love to do that. I call -- when you go to the range I call it my church. I'm just out there, put my headphones in, listen to the Giants game or music. It's my peaceful time.

I think that's the same way with JoAnne. She's done it for so long. But she's plays because she loves the game. There is no one telling her to go out there and hit balls.

Q. Curious about doing broadcasting and looking at golf from a different perspective. Maybe are there one or two things that maybe could help you this week in playing this week or things that you've seen stepping back from it as a competitor and looking from a broadcaster's point of view?

JULI INKSTER: Well, yeah, I learned that most of the winners are patient, and I'm probably the most impatient person out there. Patience is a big thing, staying in your game plan and focusing on the shots ahead.

But, yeah, you do learn a lot from the players that are playing well, how they just keep moving forward, moving forward. I have a tendency sometimes to look back, so that is something that would probably help me.