FM CHAMPIONSHIP

August 28, 2024

Yana Wilson

TPC Boston

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome Yana Wilson here to the FM Championship media center, sponsor invite this week, another sponsor invite for you. Can you tell us how excited you are to be teeing it off in the inaugural FM Championship?

YANA WILSON: I'm so excited, so grateful to FM and all the sponsors that was able to make this possible. This is my first time playing the course and it looks beautiful. I'm just really excited to be kicking it off this week.

Q. What did the conversation look like, or how did you find out you had received the sponsor invite? What were your initial feelings?

YANA WILSON: I got a phone call maybe about two, three weeks ago before Q-School. I was actually in Palm Springs preparing for it, and my immediate response was yes. Didn't even ask my parents. I was like, yes, I'll play, right away. I was super excited to get the invite and call.

Q. It's another great LPGA Tour experience. I know you played at Mizuho and on the LPGA Tour. How are you feeling about all this LPGA Tour experience that you're racking up?

YANA WILSON: Very excited. I'm just trying to get used to it as much as possible, because hopefully this will be my life for the next decade or so. Right now I'm just in that stage of trying to get on tour and play more.

So, yeah, I'm just really grateful that I get to be here and get to gain this knowledge and experience that these girls already have.

Q. You said it a bunch of times, that being on the LPGA Tour was your goal. You've made it through pre-qualifying just last weekend. How excited are you to get through the first stage and now make it on to qualifying?

YANA WILSON: Yeah, getting through that first stage was a ton of fun. I didn't really put too much pressure on myself. I had a ton of people telling me to take it easy and just one shot at a time, and that's kind of what I did.

That's what I plan to do on Stage II, and hopefully Stage III if I make it on through Stage II.

So, yeah, just my whole mindset going into that is just one shot at a time and don't put too much pressure on myself.

Q. What are some of your goals this week then? Playing as a sponsor invite, trying to work on your card, what are you looking forward to doing this week?

YANA WILSON: Just having fun, walking down the fair which my caddie, smiling, laughing; nothing results-based. Just having a good time out here. Trying to hit as many fairways and greens and make as many putts as possible.

Q. As I mentioned this being the first FM Championship, FM has done so much to make this championship great. Big purse; hotel accommodation. Talk about some of the things that they have done and how you feel excited to be involved in those.

YANA WILSON: Absolutely. This is amazing to be like the first year. You know, just everything that's included with it, the courtesy cars, BMWs, the hotels, dinners, last night the Red Sox game. It's just a ton of cool stuff they've done. They really outdone themselves. Just allowing us to experience all of this stuff in a tournament I think is really cool.

Just really grateful to be here again. I love it.

Q. TPC Boston is a really beautiful course. You've now played both sides. What are your impressions of the course?

YANA WILSON: The course is very fair. If you hit it to your spot you're rewarded, and if you miss it, not so much. I definitely think this is one of the trickier courses I've played. These greens are probably one of the purest I've ever putted on. I was practicing on the practice putting green this morning, and those greens were really rolling fast. I could barely stop my ball on a downhill putt.

No, this course is just amazing. I'm really excited to play it this week and see how my game tests against it.

Q. In your junior career have you played any at all in this area, Massachusetts, Boston?

YANA WILSON: Yeah. Two years ago I played in the Wyndham Cup. It was down kind of by Cape Cod. It was at Old Sandwich Golf Course, one of my favorite courses of all time over there. Kind of similar with the layout: a lot of trees, a lot of thick rough, and very nice fairways and greens.

That would be the only time I've played in the Northeast kind of area, including Boston. So, yeah, I'm just excited. I love Northeast golf. Just excited to play this week and very happy to have events in Boston.

Q. Women's sports has been growing a lot in this market in particular. What are you excited to see out this week from the Boston sports fan, which I know can be pretty great? Do you feel like there is a lot of momentum in this area for women's sports, and how excited are you to see that this week out on the course?

YANA WILSON: Absolutely. I know Boston fans are one of the best fans in the country. Me being a Celtics fan, I know how big their fan base is. I am just really excited to see them all out her this weekend. I think women's sports will be huge here. I think LPGA bringing the FM Championship here and I think it'll be great, so...