KROGER QUEEN CITY CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY P&G

September 17, 2024

Minjee Lee

TPC River's Bend

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, very pleased to be joined by defending champion of the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, Minjee Lee.

Obviously a new course, but still the same tournament you won last year. What do you remember most about your win last year?

MINJEE LEE: Yeah, I mean, obviously the playoff which Charley. It was quite a lot fun those couple holes. Yeah, no, obviously remember playing Kenwood and just like the course and the fans out there. It's always like a nice crowd, so always nice to have crowd support when you're playing well.

Yeah, just we're at a different venue this year and looking forward to the week.

Q. Have you got to see the course at all today or yesterday and what have you made of it?

MINJEE LEE: Yeah, so I've seen all 18 now and I think the greens are quite tricky. Off the tee it's not as tight, but like I think your iron play will be really important this week, and obviously getting the speed right with the greens being on the quicker side.

Q. Maybe how does this course play to your strengths and what are you still maybe trying to figure out about this course?

MINJEE LEE: Yeah, so I have seen it once now and trying to see -- well, I'll play the pro-am tomorrow and see the front nine again. I think the front nine there is a little bit more water that comes into play.

And obviously the back nine it's just playing a little bit longer. So I think just getting obviously the yardages correct, because it's such like a tight landing spots on the greens because they're so small and quite undulating. I think that will be quite important as well.

Q. The LPGA doesn't play a ton of golf courses that have this much water on it. Do you have to make that adjustment when you come out and see a golf course like this?

MINJEE LEE: I think obviously visually you can see it more, so comes into like your vision and your peripheral a little bit.

But I think you just got to be more on with like the wind judgment or like which direction it's coming from and how much it plays into effect. A lot of the holes where there is water, it's more like downhill a little bit or a little bit uphill, so I think just getting the right yardage and playing a little bit extra to carry the water or little things sure more the details come into play.

Q. Obviously haven't seen you since AIG. Has it been nice to have a little bit of a break to get refreshed with this stretch of the season coming at you?

MINJEE LEE: Yeah, so I had a nice break after our last Europe Swing. I feel like after all the wind at the Scottish and AIG I was a little worn out.

Yeah, just needed a couple weeks to refresh and do a little bit of practice and sharpen a few things knew game. No, it was good.

Q. This event served as a park plug last year to get you going. Do you remember what you were thinking coming into this event last year and when you got the win what shifted in your mindset for the rest of the season in 2023?

MINJEE LEE: I think I kind of came into playing this tournament with no expectations. Like I just kind of had a different mindset. Like I was like, I want to do all the things that I can in my control and like just stick to the process.

That is pretty much what I did. Just did everything pretty well last year to win, so I definitely think it definitely gave me a lot of confidence going into the rest of the end of the season.

For me it was a big confidence boost.

Q. Are you looking for that again, just to -- not get you rolling; you've had some pretty good finishes this season - but continue the roll that you've been on to go into the rest of the year with another title defense at BMW coming up?

MINJEE LEE: I think every week I come in with a mindset that I want to contend and play well.

Yeah, no, it would be nice to have a nice result here and just kind of back up a few of the good finishes I had this year.

Q. I know it's weird defending at a different venue. Just can you put into words what that's like, to try to get yourself geared up to go to a different course?

MINJEE LEE: Yeah, I was actually talking about it with my physio yesterday. I was like, it kind of doesn't feel like I'm defending. Obviously I won the tournament last year, but because we're at a new venue feels like I'm learning everything new and getting to know like a new place, which most of the time it doesn't feel like -- it's not the same as when you've been to the tournament and you feel the vibes from the course that you kind of remember from the previous year.

I'm really looking forward to a different challenge this year. So, yeah, no, I feel like it's a little bit different when your defending at a course you won at. Obviously good vibes coming off just my memories from last year.