FM CHAMPIONSHIP

August 27, 2024

Xiyu Lin

TPC Boston

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome everybody to the press center here at our very first FM Championship. Here with Xiyu Lin, our very first interview of the week. Welcome in.

I want to kick things off by saying I know you sort the call Boston or this area a little bit your home. Tell us a little bit about your connection with the area and how excited you are to be playing in this championship close to where you spend some time.

XIYU LIN: So, yeah, my fiance, he lives here, he works here, so like the last two years I started to spend more time here. Not just the summer, the winter as well. For me I never really see snow until February here.

But, yeah, I've been spending time in Boston and I knew a little bit ahead of time where Mollie was tell us we were working on a tournament in Boston area, and we were all very excited about it.

Like when it really happen right now, I think it's just great. I heard that we use to have a tournament here long time ago, and I'm just glad we can bring it back. Boston has such good sport fans and then they always very supportive no matter to I guess hockey, basketball, whatever, and golf as well.

So, yeah, I'm excited this week playing in front of them, like some of the friend I made throughout the time, yeah.

Q. Speaking of basketball, I know you have a putter cover that I think the room would be interested to know about your putter cover. Can you just tell us about the cover?

XIYU LIN: So, yeah, Barney, my fiance, he bought me a Celtics putter cover, yeah. And then, yeah, it's so funny. We got to watch so many of the -- not really at the stadium, but like I said, just love the environment here.

Like last two playoffs, two years of playoffs, we can just walk into the bar and then everyone was really excited about the game. This year they finally got it done.

I remember that was when we were playing KPMG and that was before the last game. I'm like, I need to put this on, and they finally got the win and that was pretty cool.

Q. Where were you?

XIYU LIN: We were in Sahalee.

Q. Did you watch the final?

XIYU LIN: Actually, not really because it was a major week, but I was -- I watched like first quarter maybe, not even though the halfway. But, yeah, I was monitoring it, yeah.

Q. (Regarding a favorite Celtic.)

XIYU LIN: Do I have a favorite Celtic? Tatum, obviously. Yeah, I just like everything. Not just the basketball, also I'm excited going into Fenway tonight. And then I heard a lot of good things about the Bruins which I was very new to ice hockey so I'm trying to learn.

Q. Can you tell me what the last month has been like being at the Olympics and in Scotland and now here? What's the schedule been like and how do you adjust to getting back here and getting back on U.S. time?

XIYU LIN: It's been a crazy month. Obviously the Olympic weighs a lot in my schedule, so this year my game was kind of a little bit up and down, but then like I would say two months ago I was like kind of readjust my whole focus and really like trying to get a good Olympic week going on.

Then everything worked out really well. I won the bronze which was a big dream come true. I didn't play Scottish but I was in town here the off week, then Megan was really nice that get her connection at her golf club when I got to practice there, and then I got to show people the bronze medal, and also some of my friends here, and everyone was really excited about it.

And then, yeah, then I went to British Open, which is a really quick turnaround. St Andrews was hard, windy. Managed to make the cut which was pretty good, and now I'm back here, still having a little trouble with my golf bag stuck in Paris.

But luckily I call this my home as well so I bring out my finace's iron. Just going to give it a try on the range today. I think that will be the club I've been playing, so he's excited about it.

Q. Has your bag been in Paris since the Olympics?

XIYU LIN: No, just on the way back from Edinburgh unfortunately, because it was -- I don't know if I should mention -- but there are two airlines and none of them were willing to make an effort to go get it, even though I know where it is with my AirTag. It just haven't been moving.

Q. If you play well with your fiance's clubs could some of those move into your bag?

XIYU LIN: Well, they are my clubs. They're just an old set of them. But, yeah, so his iron was just one of my older Callaway sets. So actually that makes it easy because it's the same shaft I've been using.

Only funny thing is he had his wedges and the 50 degree when I introduced him to the Callaway guy, he make him stamp on it. The stamp was on the 50-degree was Janet's short game coach, BW, so he's like you have to hit that. I'm like, I'm not going to.

So hopefully Callaway will give me some fresh wedges and I don't need to use these old ones. But he made my carry it to the golf course today.

Q. Is it something for you where you have done this enough that you can just shake off? You've had crazy travel, golf club things, can you just put yourself into the mindset that you want to be in no matter which clubs you got, what time zone you're in it, how much sleep you have? Have you got to the point in your career where you can mentally handle all that?

XIYU LIN: I guess. I mean, it's still unfortunate. Most of the bag delay I experience normally come the next day. This time I had a little more difficulty on it. I've been spending the whole morning trying to call both airlines.

But there is just like -- I mean, I'm just hoping it will get on tomorrow's flight and arrive tomorrow afternoon. So far there is nothing guaranteed.

But then, I mean, at this stage like you mentioned, I'm lucky enough to have some sort of familiar clubs with me. I just believe it's still mostly about my mind, and then if I can just, you know, somehow adjust my expectations and use today and tomorrow to adjust it and then also with the support we have out here, we lucky we have multiple tour truck out here, and then, you know, just hopefully we can put together a decent set of club.

And then it's all on me, which I have confidence in myself. (Smiling.)

Q. Do you have a lot of experience playing here at TPC Boston? Have you been here before?

XIYU LIN: I played a round the Saturday before I leave for British Open, yeah.

Q. So that was the week between the Olympics and the British?

XIYU LIN: Yes.

Q. And were you able to take in any other sports in Paris like basketball?

XIYU LIN: I went to watch tennis and also the table tennis final. The tennis was semifinal, Djokovic winning the semi, so it was pretty cool.

Like this year finally there is not that many restriction with the sickness we experienced last two Olympics. It was a little far away so like I tried to go a little bit, and also actually was good that I got to watch the men's Sunday because I kind of had a feeling what the fans going to be.

But it was definitely one of the most crowd I was playing in front of, and then seeing how they were cheering for the men's and kind of like rehearsaling the excited or the nervous, thinking about in a weeks' time I'll be doing that, I think that really helped.

Q. You mentioned your allergies in Scotland. Do they bother you here, too?

XIYU LIN: No. Soon as I get off the plane I'm all good. Yeah, it's just been, I don't know, maybe one of the rough there I'm always allergic to. With the wind the pollen was a little stronger.

Q. You said your fiance's name is Barney?

XIYU LIN: Barney.

Q. Ba-r-n-e-y?

XIYU LIN: Yes. Wang, W-a-n-g.

Q. This event and the course specifically has a long history as a PGA TOUR event. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh have all won here. What would it mean to you to be a champion here and add your name to the list of champions at TPC Boston?

XIYU LIN: Well, I think no matter what tournament I win, first, I will be very proud. But definitely here I feel like -- like I said, first, this is another place I start to call home, so I will have lots of support and I will be very excited playing in front of them, and hopefully I can perform like really, really well.

But I think so far, like I mentioned as well, I've been meeting some difficulties, so I think obviously I'll try to play to win, but we first have to kind of adjust the expectation a little bit.

I think I'm just going to go step by step, try my best to get used to the new clubs these two days, and then lucky I played a practice round here two weeks ago so I know the course pretty well.

And tomorrow I'll have nine holes of pro-am. Like I'm just hopefully going to get all the information I need and then during the tournament, I'll definitely try my best to be very aggressive and playing some good golf.

We will see what's going on.

Q. WNBA played in Boston for the first time this month; first year of women's hockey in Boston, first year of WHL; the women's soccer team is coming. Does it feel like with this event, and is it kind of neat to be part of a blossoming period of women's sports in Massachusetts and New England?

XIYU LIN: For sure. And I also met someone telling me they going to play the Mid-Am here, Women's Mid-Am, a week or two after this tournament.

So, yeah, I think being a part of it, it's great. I definitely since -- like actually it's funny, since Olympic, when I was looking at the men's I was thinking how much crowd we going to get for women's. I was very surprised we found out we got pretty much the same amount of support, which it's great for us.

And then ever since that, everyone is as excited as me winning the bronze as the men's doing good, so I got a lot more attention, lots more support, and in this area, like lots of friends or members of the golf club has reached out and I always feel like really supported from them.

I will be very excited to see how much crowd we have this week as well.

Q. Did you bring your medal with you or is it someplace safe now?

XIYU LIN: The medal is in my fiance's apartment, which is a little bit north of here. He refused to have me bring it to Scotland.

Q. Should have brought it today. We should have told you.

XIYU LIN: I know. Well, he will come tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much.

XIYU LIN: Thank you.