ISPS HANDA WOMEN'S SCOTTISH OPEN

August 14, 2024

Esther Henseleit

Dundonald Links

Press Conference

Q. Huge congratulations. You're the Silver Medal winner of the Paris Olympics in the golf. You made history doing so. I mean, obviously a few days on now but how do you reflect on what was an incredible week for you?

ESTHER HENSELEIT: Yeah, it was a great week, great experience to play in my first Olympics, and of course, I'm happy with the result. It's amazing to have a medal in my hands, and it's been great to be the first German and first European to do so in the Olympics. And yeah, I mean, it was an amazing week. It still has not really sunk in. I think I need a few weeks and maybe some time at home to really reflect and look back but I'm very happy with it and I was really able to enjoy it, as well, on the golf course and in the Village. So it's been a great week.

Q. You've obviously won golf tournaments before but there's something different about winning in the Olympics and an Olympic medal, isn't there? It's somehow more special, I guess.

ESTHER HENSELEIT: Yeah, definitely. I feel like you're not really a golfer that week. You're really an athletes, and everyone you see on the streets knows what the Olympics are. It's definitely another level to it. And yeah, I mean, Le Golf National is great. Never seen that many spectators on a golf course is to be honest and I guess it was very close to Germany as well. So many Germans out. So many German flags. So many people shouting my name. So that was something really special.

Q. How has been the reaction been within the sort of people you hang out with in the golfing fraternity?

ESTHER HENSELEIT: It's been incredible. Everyone comes over, says how happy they are for me, and yeah, I feel like it is almost bigger than winning a normal tournament. So many messages. So many -- even on German TV, I haven't expected such a big feedback but it's been crazy, yeah.

Q. About that, because the reaction in Germany I know is quite big. It was a day where I think Germany only won one other medal. Edge you won the best medal of the day even, and the reaction in Germany was quite big. You've managed to put golf, which isn't such a big sport in Germany in people's mind, especially women's golf. So that's something you're probably quite proud of.

ESTHER HENSELEIT: Yes, definitely. I hope that some little girls maybe saw it on TV and now want to try out golf, and hopefully it will keep on growing in Germany. But golf sport, and especially women's golf, yeah, it's been fun. I mean, I saw the TV coverage after, or at least the last few holes, and the German common Taylor was just going crazy, which you don't normally hear in golf. It was just like whenever I hit a shot and it was online, just losing it completely. So it was pretty funny but it's really cool to see.

Q. Yeah, I mean, it's all about the impact outside the sport, isn't it. Did you feel that this was coming? We know you played good golf this year. So I guess it wasn't a major surprise that you did well at the Olympics, but nevertheless, it's such a big achievement. Did you feel it was coming?

ESTHER HENSELEIT: Definitely. I mean, I've been playing well and especially on hard golf courses, and going into the week, it's definitely one of the harder ones we played. It was almost like a major setup. That normally suits my game.

So I knew that I would have a chance to be in contention. But of course, you never really know how your nerves are going to be playing the international and how the week is going to go except the last six holes on that golf course, you feel like anything can happen. Even if you don't hit a super bad shot, you can get penalized very quickly.

So it's always hard to say how you're going to do that week.

Q. Doing well in that tournament, on such a big stage in front of big crowds with your game going as it is, I guess you can't help but think this is giving you a big boost to try and get in that Solheim Cup team. It must be on your mind now.

ESTHER HENSELEIT: It definitely is. I mean, I'm just outside the automatic qualifying spots on both the World Ranking and the LET points now. Yeah, it's definitely my goal for the next two weeks to automatically get into that team. Yeah, I can't rely on a pick.

Q. Even if you didn't get in automatically, which you have a great chance of doing, getting a pick, there's few better ways of trying to nudge the captain, is there, than picking up a Silver Medal at the Olympics?

ESTHER HENSELEIT: Yeah, I feel like it definitely helped. I feel like I've played really well this year. Sadly I haven't won anything yet and I've been in contention a lot, and especially in the important tournaments. So I feel like I can play really well on the big stage and even last week, I felt that every day, I was getting a bit more comfortable in front of the crowd and with the golf course. So I feel like I've really grown over this year, and really handled myself well under pressure. Of course, I hope I'm going to be on that team in a few weeks.

Q. And lastly from me, big two weeks coming up, obviously you've got this one and then the British Open following it. How is your energy levels and are you riding the momentum, or is the adrenaline starting to dip a bit? How do you feel physically and mentally going into these two weeks?

ESTHER HENSELEIT: I mean, I'm still a bit tired. But the last two days have been very relaxed. I've just been trying to get my energy levels back up. It definitely helped that it was a Saturday finish. So I kind of get another day to recharge.

I mean, links golf, you never really know what's going to happen. It's the first time we play in such windy conditions in a while, so it's going to be interesting to see especially how it plays tomorrow in the wind and the rain.

But I'm really looking forward to it. I always enjoy the challenge of links golf. Yeah, I hope I'm going to do well.