Q.  Right where you want to be, mate.

MIN WOO LEE:  Yep.  I don’t know what I’m coming, but I did play lots of solid golf, so looking forward to it.

Q.  The lead’s at 14 under.  Does that pose any thoughts to you when I tell you that?

MIN WOO LEE:  I mean, I’m three shots back, I think.  Like I say, it’s 15 ks tomorrow and the next day, so it’s going to be different for everyone.  But I think the fittest is going to win out here on the weekend, so yeah I’m looking forward to it.

Q.  Does having played so much golf in Victoria play into your hand?

MIN WOO LEE:  I don’t know if I’ve played so much, but into the wind ‑‑ you know, with the wind, being a Perth boy, I think it’s more of an advantage than anything.

Q.  That’s what I mean, it’s the experience you’ve had.  Freemantle’s obviously windy and you played all the big Sandbelt courses in tough conditions.

MIN WOO LEE:  Yeah, it’s definitely not a disadvantage.  Yeah, hopefully it’s an advantage.  It’s been pretty good the last two days, so keep it up.

Q.  Flashes of brilliance out there, mate, first couple of days?

MIN WOO LEE:  Yeah, there’s a lot of positives to take out.  I did hit a lot of good shots and a lot of putts, so I’m just really looking forward to tomorrow and the next day.  It’s nice when you’re playing pretty good golf, so yeah, keen for it.

Q.  And you’ve had flashes of serious questions here, which is not what we want to get used to, is it?

MIN WOO LEE:  Yeah, well, ask me a better question.

Q.  What are we wearing tomorrow?

MIN WOO LEE:  Today was pretty flashy. I had the blue pants and blue shirt, white shirt.  Yeah, you know, tomorrow might be a bit of navy.  Nothing too dull, but a little bit of class and a little bit of flash would be nice.

Q.  How nice is it this week having a little bit more relaxed vibe, staying with the family and staying so close to home, I guess?

MIN WOO LEE:  Yeah, it’s awesome.  I love the crowds.  I had a big crowd the last two days and it’s only Thursday and Friday, which is awesome.  Yeah, the support has been so good.  Everyone’s backing me, which is nice.  Also being with the family is so good.  You know, home‑cooked meals, I don’t get that much over the last few years so it’s awesome.  

Q.  Surely the battle between you and Minjee’s growing old? 

MIN WOO LEE:  I think if we were on a sports bet, I think I’m winning, aren’t I?  Is she on nine?

Q.  Is it numbers or position on the leaderboard?

MIN WOO LEE:  Both, isn’t it?  I like my chances.

Q.  Travis, 12 under, pretty happy with that?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  For sure.  I’m playing good.  It’s my first time playing good at the Vic Open and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

Q.  What were the issues in the previous times?  Did you struggle with the conditions?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Yeah, just the wind a little bit, struggling to sort of flight my ball when I needed to.  There’s a lot of cross‑breeze holes here where, you know, you’re touch and go whether it’s into the wind across or whether it’s down across.  You know, I’ve got a good caddie this year and he’s helped me a lot and he’s pretty spot on with the wind every time.  So a combination of a few things.

Q.  So maybe you’ve figured it out?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Figured it out, yeah, maybe.  Tomorrow’s going to be real windy, so we’ll see after the round tomorrow.

Q.  You’ve actually been playing quite nicely in Asia, haven’t you?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Yes.

Q.  There’s some improvement there for you generally? 

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Yeah, for sure.  I feel like it just takes a little while getting used to the conditions and the courses over there.  The style of golf, everyone says it takes a little bit to get used to, especially guys like myself from Sydney.  We just don’t play on the bermuda‑type greens that they have over there, the grainy stuff.  So yeah, I feel like I’m slowly figuring it out and golfing my ball pretty well, so it’s good.

Q.  And also, do you feel more comfortable just from the experience?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Yeah, for sure.  You ask any of these players out here and they’re all going to say they feel like they’re the best players out here, but until you start to really do it, it’s like your belief goes to another level and I feel like I’m slowly progressing up for sure.

Q.  And the finish today, you made a birdie on the last hole, it’s a nice memory to have.  How did that unfold?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Yeah, the ninth hole here at the Beach course, 3‑wood down the fairway and left me only like a full sand wedge, perfect number to the flag, and hit it in to about six feet and easy birdie.

Q.  How do you approach the weekend given the forecast is for some wind?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Yeah, just try and keep the ball as low as possible, try and ‑‑ out here when it gets real windy because most of the greens are exposed, putting becomes quite hard.  So hopefully can groove in the putter early in the round and just play steady golf.

Q.  European Tour card would be a nice sort of thing to take away?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Oh, for sure.

Q.  I know that’s a long way aways.

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Yes, it is.

Q.  Nice little carrot?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  For sure.  I’ve paid my affiliate membership hoping to do some damage on weeks like this and just see where we’re at.

Q.  Three starts this season, three cuts made.  You must be pretty pleased with not just the start of the year, but this tournament as well?

JONATHAN CALDWELL:  Yeah, absolutely.  I’ve been playing pretty solid all year, so nice to get another good week and two rounds under my belt.

Q.  Nice to travel all this way and put yourself into position going into the weekend. 

JONATHAN CALDWELL:  Yeah, it’s a long way to come for one week, but looks like it’s worth it.  Nice weekend to make it definitely a worthwhile trip.

Q.  When did you get down here?

JONATHAN CALDWELL:  I got down on Tuesday morning.  I went to L.A. for a few days, so I went that way, which has worked well for the jet lag.

Q.  (Inaudible.)

JONATHAN CALDWELL:  I played nine on each course and then Henry, my caddie, did a bit of walking.  He tells me where to hit it and I just try and do what I’m told.

Q.  What’s been working well for you this week?

JONATHAN CALDWELL:  Hitting it in the right places really, missing it in the right places.  I hit a lot of greens in regulation.  I made one bogey on my 17th today, my 35th hole, so that was a bit disappointing.  So yeah, missing it in the right places, hitting a lot of greens in regulation.

Q.  Stats said every green yesterday?

JONATHAN CALDWELL:  I had 17 greens yesterday, yeah.  I missed one by like three yards.  So yeah, it’s been solid, yeah.  Like I said, I’m missing it in the right places off the tee and when I do that, take my medicine, middle of the green.  Pretty solid.

Q.  Just four shots back going into the weekend.  What’s the thought process there?

JONATHAN CALDWELL:  Oh, no different than the last two days, I just go and hit my targets and try and hit it there and take it from there really.

Q.  It’s been a long time between drinks for you on this tour.  I’m just wondering what it feels like to be back?

JONATHAN CALDWELL:  It’s great to be back.  Obviously so well looked after, better looked after now than 10 years ago.  Yeah, obviously I’m delighted to get back and I’m delighted to be in a position to play pretty decent and obviously have a chance over the weekend, which was the goal at the start of the season.

Q.  Were there any moments in the 10‑year gap where you thought ‑‑

JONATHAN CALDWELL:  Oh, lots of moments, lots of moments.  But this game, you never know what’s around the corner, you never know what you’re going to get with the next shot never mind 10 years down the line.  It’s really about perseverance and hanging in there, and hopefully I’ve got another chance at it and I’ve got that and I hope to make the most of it.

Q.  What are you doing better?

JONATHAN CALDWELL:  I’m certainly playing a lot better.  I come out 10 years ago, I was fresh out of college, from being looked after and pampered.  Playing at a good amateur level, you’re well looked after.  So to come out and I didn’t really know what to expect, I kind of jumped right into the deep end and I didn’t play very well and was young and probably immature.  So 10 years down the line I’m a bit more mature and more organised.

Q.  Is it more a mental ‑‑

JONATHAN CALDWELL:  It’s mental, yeah.  Well, my game’s better, to be honest.  My game’s come on the last two or three years.

Q.  (No microphone.)

JONATHAN CALDWELL:  Well, I changed coaches and started working with different people, fitness and coach and stuff like that.  I’ve got a good team around me now that I feel like we’re making good strides, so hopefully it continues.

Q.  Have you ever gotten tired of the Rory questions?

JONATHAN CALDWELL:  No.  Anytime you’re mentioned in the same sentence as Rory McIlroy is great.  Obviously Rory’s gone on to do great things.  Everybody knew he would go on to do great things and it’s good to see him back where he belongs, I think World No. 1.  So that’s great to see and obviously he’s playing some good stuff.

Q.  He had some nice things to say about you.

JONATHAN CALDWELL:  Yeah, when I got my card he was very kind.  I hope to see him out here eventually when he plays and hopefully maybe get a chat.

Q.  Hope to play with him?

JONATHAN CALDWELL:  It would be nice, yeah, yeah, yeah, especially on the weekend, because he’s normally at the top.

Madelene, congratulations on a wonderful round.  It feels like your biggest challenge at the moment is the flies here. 

MADELENE SAGSTROM:  Yeah, I’m definitely struggling with the flies.

Q.  Tell us, how did you En‑Joie that today?

MADELENE SAGSTROM:  Oh, no, it was fun.  I wasn’t sure what to expect going from Creek to Beach because I know the Beach is a little bit more of a challenge ‑‑ here we go ‑‑ so I kind of was trying to take it patient, be patient and just let it come to me.  I started off really strong, so I was like, okay, let’s see what we can do today.

Q.  How do you compare the two courses?

MADELENE SAGSTROM:  Well, I think they’re opposite but similar.  Like you play a similar kind of game, but I would say that the Creek, I was happy to put a good score in there, happy to get a good score there and give yourself a chance on the Beach.  I would say Beach is a little more difficult, for sure.

Q.  Well, you come in with the clubhouse lead.  Is there anything you want to change for the weekend?

MADELENE SAGSTROM:  Oh, definitely not.  No, I’m going to keep doing the same thing.  I know it’s going to be a little bit more windy this weekend, so I’m just going to stay patient, try to miss it on the right sides and just keep my putting up.

Q.  We’ve noticed you’ve got a lot of fans around the course, especially the young kid stopping you for selfies.  How much are you loving this attention?

MADELENE SAGSTROM:  I love it out here.  It’s like I see my job as being an entertainer and just the fact that people enjoy watching is just so much fun.  I mean, to inspire younger generations and kids is all we can dream about, right?

Q.  And a win a couple of weeks ago, you look like your confidence is at a peak.  Is that how you feel?

MADELENE SAGSTROM:  Oh, definitely.  I mean, winning definitely gives you the biggest confidence boost ever.  I think I’ve kind of done really well to keep it going this week.  I’m really confident out here.  I’m clearly trusting my game and trusting my commitment and decisions, so I’m really happy.

Q.  Just finally, we caught you saying “no worries” on camera.  Can we call you almost Australian?

MADELENE SAGSTROM:  I guess so, yeah.  I’ll take it.

Q.  What are you doing right?  It just all seems to be clicking for you.

MADELENE SAGSTROM:  I think I’m staying very patient.  I know that there’s good golf in my system right now obviously from having good form, but I think that just taking one shot at a time, really committing to everything.  And then, I mean, I know I’m striking it well, so when I kind of get out of that worry zone and just go for it, that’s why I’m playing real well.

Q.  Was it good to get a round under your belt now on Beach now that you’re heading out there for the next two days?

MADELENE SAGSTROM:  Oh, definitely.  I mean, I don’t know if I’ve ever made the weekend here, so I’m really happy right now because I knew this week was going to be a test for me anyways, especially when the wind comes up and the firmer greens.  I missed both the last two holes on the wrong side of the pin, so it can get tricky out here if you don’t miss on the right side.  I’m really looking forward to the weekend, see how I can handle it.

Q.  Historically, do you play well in wind, because the forecast is for it to blow tomorrow?

MADELENE SAGSTROM:  I would say yes, I’m a pretty good wind player.  I’m not sure about how much wind because I think it’s supposed to get pretty windy.  So I think the next two days is just all about patience and just really trusting that you counted it right.  Just knowing if you have a longer club in your hand, okay, I’ve got to be soft with this.

Q.  How do you find the challenge of backing up from your win a couple weeks ago?

MADELENE SAGSTROM:  I think when you come off such a high, you don’t really know what to expect, like “can you keep it going or am I going to start over” kind of thing.  I’m really happy that I put myself in the position that I’m in, and being able to keep up really good play, especially keeping it rolling really nice on the greens.  If you roll it good, you need to make putts to be in contention. 

So I’m really, really happy with where I’m at and how I’ve handled the whole transition going from being a first‑time winner on the LPGA Tour to kind of keep going.

Q.  You’re back with David on the bag.  What was his reaction when he heard about your win?

MADELENE SAGSTROM:  Oh, he was super happy.  Obviously he was bummed not to be there, but we’ve worked together for the last two years so he was super happy and just screaming.  He knows we’re going to do well together, too.  I think this week is just working out really well for him, he’s really excited to be back.

Q.  What’s the mentality now that you’re still at the top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend? 

MADELENE SAGSTROM:  I think just do the same thing.  I’m obviously doing good things, it’s giving me the right results.  I’m just going to stay patient, do the same thing and be that boring, happy Madelene.

Q.  One other question, your poem that you wrote to little Madelene that got turned into a Drive On video, that was just a beautiful thing.  Where did that come to you?  You’re clearly a creative‑type person anyway.

MADELENE SAGSTROM:  Yeah, I think I was sitting at home and I was kind of ‑‑ I was kind of hit by the moment of winning and I was like, this is like everything that I have done has led up to this.  All the times I’ve been sitting here doubting myself and being hard on myself, like yes, it got me here, but I just wish you would have been a little bit nicer to yourself. 

So I think that for me it kind of was reflecting, going back, okay, where did you come from and how far did you get.  And then just like how the video turned out was like awesome.  I have it on my phone, I keep looking at it.  I saw it this morning and I’m just really proud of seeing my own journey and like hopefully that can inspire somebody else.

Q.  So two 70s to start off with if I read that correctly.

TIFFANY CHAN:  Yeah.

Q.  Two rounds of 70, pretty consistent.  How are you feeling right now?

TIFFANY CHAN:  Feeling pretty good.  Been playing quite consistent the last two days.  I’m glad the weather turns out pretty nicely.  Kind of have slightly unlucky wave because more people say morning was no wind today, but I managed to pull out a couple of great shots out there, make a couple of good putts, so I’m looking forward to the weekend.

Q.  Tell me about a couple of those moments, any moments that really stood out to you.

TIFFANY CHAN:  I made a good par on the second hole, the par 5, because I pull my drive so I have to lay it up.  Have like 190 for my third shot, so it was already quite at a disadvantage because everyone could go for the green.  Then I made it to the green‑side bunker and had like six, seven feet par putt and then I make it.  So I guess that kind of start my round pretty nicely because I birdie the first hole and then just keep on going.  I hit a couple great shots, too, like three, four feet so it was like good birdie out there.  Hopefully the weather stay calmer tomorrow and then look forward to my first weekend.

Q.  So heading to the Beach course for the next two days, leaving Creek behind, what’s the difference between Beach and Creek?  We hear a lot of people say Beach is definitely the tougher of the courses.

TIFFANY CHAN:  Yeah, for sure.  With the wind blowing, definitely the Beach is much tougher than the Creek because the Beach is more on the cliff side, Creek is more inland.  You know, you’ve just got to play steady, put it on the fairway, avoid the bunkers.  I’m happy to be in the weekend.

Q.  And you made the weekend two weeks ago in Boca as well, so two easily made cuts so far this year.  How are you feeling?  What did you work on during the offseason?

TIFFANY CHAN:  I have been working a lot with my coach, which he always jokes about I met him a Thursday last year at the Open and then I was going through some ‑‑ I was struggling a little bit and then I decided to drop out of Australia Open then to see him for a straight week.  Then we make a lot of good changes through last year.  My results been gradually going up, and this offseason we worked really hard on some more technique stuff and more short game.  So get my wedges around the greens dialed in, which I feel really confident around the green right now, like most likely I could scramble pretty nicely, like in Boca.  I really thankful to him because he teach me a lot of short game and then wedges stuff.

Q.  Is he Australian then?

TIFFANY CHAN:  He is British but then live in Sydney.

Q.  What’s his name?

TIFFANY CHAN:  Ian.  He has another guys player called Josh on the European tour.

Q.  Ian Trigg?

TIFFANY CHAN:  No, Goldman, G‑O‑L‑D‑M‑A‑N.  He’s here with a couple other guys, too.  He’ll be here and Adelaide as well.

Q.  So what are your plans now as you head to the weekend?  You’re well within striking distance.

TIFFANY CHAN:  I just going to work on couple more shots.  I wasn’t too happy with some of the full shot on the shorter clubs today, so I’m going to work it out with my coach on the range.  If I could get that dialed in, I missed a couple of, you know, like full wedge shot because the ground’s pretty firm so not get used to it and lost a couple shots in the last two days, so if I could get that dialed in, I think the weekend will be a good one.

Q.  Robin, 8 under today.  Do you really like this type of golf course?

ROBIN SCIOT-SIEGRIST:  Yeah, yeah, I like it when the wind picks up a little bit.  Yeah, I mean, the course is not very long so like you have a lot of little clubs in and the par 5s are pretty much, you know, reachable.  But yeah, with the wind it gets really tough and a little bouncy everywhere.  Yeah, it’s a course that I really like.

Q.  Have you been in this part of the world before?

ROBIN SCIOT-SIEGRIST:  No, never, never.  It was quite a trip to come here, but yeah, it’s very nice and happy to be here.

Q.  And just for one tournament? 

ROBIN SCIOT-SIEGRIST:  Yeah, just for one tournament.

Q.  Okay if you win it.

ROBIN SCIOT-SIEGRIST:  We’ll see.

Q.  Have you been in this position before at another level, leading a tournament with the cameras and the press and everything that goes with it?

ROBIN SCIOT-SIEGRIST:  Not on the European Tour, but I’ve been on the Challenge Tour.  Yeah, there’s two more days and I’m pretty happy with what we’ve done. but yeah, there’s two more days, we’re only halfway.  I played really good golf, hopefully continues like that, but in the meantime, you know, it’s good.

Q.  We don’t know much about you.  I guess that’s one of the beauties of sport, isn’t it, that someone lesser known can bob up and now you’re leading the tournament with two days to go.  You must feel good about that?

ROBIN SCIOT-SIEGRIST:  Yeah, yeah.  I just got my card from Q‑School in November and I’m trying to, you know, make as many points that I can.  Yeah, obviously it’s true, you don’t really know me.  Of course it’s great to be in this position.

Q.  You had a great result in Mauritius at the start of the year.  How keen are you to build on that and what will you take from that weekend into this weekend?

ROBIN SCIOT-SIEGRIST:  Well, it was good to ‑‑ yeah, the result was great, I had a great weekend and finished top‑10.  It was my second event on the European Tour.  Yeah, obviously I put some points on the board and everything.  You know, for confidence and the way I play golf, because I played Challenge Tour, I didn’t play many European Tour events, so it’s a little bit different.  You think your game is here, but maybe it’s not.  Yeah, Mauritius was a great experience to build up that confidence and know that I’m on the right path.  So yeah, it’s nice to come here and after two days be leading the tournament.

Q.  What would a win mean this weekend?

ROBIN SCIOT-SIEGRIST:  I’m sorry?

Q.  What would a win mean and do for your career?

ROBIN SCIOT-SIEGRIST:  A lot.  A win is always a lot for people.  Yeah, if this happens ‑‑ I mean, we’re not there, I don’t want to really think about it.  There’s a lot of great players behind me.  We’re only halfway.

Q.  What made you choose this event?

ROBIN SCIOT-SIEGRIST:  Honestly, because I didn’t get in too many events the last couple of weeks.  I mean, there was Saudi Arabia, Dubai and everything and I didn’t get into these events.  So I wanted to play, I needed to play.  And yeah, I mean, in the end like just wanted to come here, you know, and see if I can do something.  And I’ve never been to Australia, so it’s nice to be here for the first time.

Q.  What expectations did you bring to the week?

ROBIN SCIOT-SIEGRIST:  Not many.  In general, I don’t have many expectations.  I’m just trying to do my job, like really do what I need to do on the course and during practise rounds and everything.  When I’m playing, you know, obviously there’s pressure and everything, but I’m just trying to do my best and we’ll see at the end.

Q.  Jed, you’ve accomplished a lot of things in your young career and now you’re going to be in the lead group in a very big tournament.  How’s it feel?

JED MORGAN:  It feels awesome.  It’s obviously what you do, like what you want to happen through the first couple rounds of a pretty big tournament.  I haven’t been in the last group of a tournament as big as this before, so I’m excited.  I’m a bit scared, but it’s all going to come in sort of one hit and I’m going to try and just sort of I guess learn as much as I can from the players that are around me, because they’re all a little bit better so they’ve obviously been in that situation a few more times.  But then also just stick to what I’m doing.  Like me and my brother are having quite a bit of fun and just chewing the fat a little bit, so it’s good fun.

Q.  Did that learning start today?  Did you ever think about where you were before the round finished?

JED MORGAN:  Yeah, absolutely.  I accidentally ‑‑ I said to my little brother, I said I don’t want to know the scores today because I’m playing good and I don’t want to sort of hinder that at all.  But I saw the score through 10 holes and I was 6 under through 10 and that’s when I started thinking about it quite a bit.  But I handled it fairly well coming in.  I would have liked to make a couple less mistakes, but you can’t do really too much about it.

Q.  So do you therefore take that sort of mentality or do you try to block it all out?

JED MORGAN:  No, you can’t block it out.  I find I can’t block it out.  I’ve got a couple things going with my sports psychologist, just like a four‑point setup that we work on quite hard.  Then just try and do those as good as I can.  If I don’t do them, then I’m probably going to hit a bad shot, so I try to do that as best I can.

Q.  Are nerves ever a problem for you?

JED MORGAN:  Yeah, absolutely.  Like I said, I found that I’m like second or where I am now, I started thinking about it quite a bit.  But I’m getting better at handling those situations, it’s just doing it on a different stage.  It’s pretty cool to do it, like, yeah, it’s something you don’t get to do very often.

Q.  What about handling this sort of situation and the cameras?

JED MORGAN:  Most people would think I would like the camera, but nah, it’s good, it’s fun.  It’s what you do it for.  You don’t want to be like one of the last groups away from the action, you like to be in the action and one day hopefully I’m going to have to handle that action, so better decide early than late.

Q.  You knew this was coming.

JED MORGAN:  Tried to scoot out, but didn’t.

Q.  In all seriousness, you’ve done a lot of ‑‑ you’ve achieved a lot of things.  You must have known that if it progresses in that way that you would have to deal with the pressure and the situation?

JED MORGAN:  Yeah, I knew it was coming.  Like I’m excited for it, absolutely.  No, I wasn’t afraid of it.  I was actually really excited to come and do it.  (Inaudible) say that on camera, but now I have.

Q.  So the four things you’re working on, are they secrets you can’t tell us from yesterday?

JED MORGAN:  A couple, yeah.  Things you can’t verbalize because if you verbalize, they go away.

Q.  Fair enough.

JED MORGAN:  Yeah, keep them to yourself.

ROUND 2 INTERVIEW

7 February 2020

MATTHEW GRIFFIN  ( -11)

MATT GRIFFIN:  Friday afternoons can be tricky when the wind gets up and it’s nice to shoot another good score.

Q.  Your history here is obviously good.  Does it help?  I know it was six years ago that you won.  Does that help?  You see the shots, you see the holes, you’ve got good memories.  Is any of that still worthwhile?

MATT GRIFFIN:  Yeah, for sure.  It’s quite a tricky golf course.  It’s not a place you can just bomb away and smash it off the tee, you’ve got to think off the tee and leave yourself in the right spots.  So I think that will help.  With a bit more wind on the weekend, that will become even more important.

Q.  The scoring’s been super low to this point, we see that historically here, then it tightens up on the weekend.  Does that play to your advantage?

MATT GRIFFIN:  Yeah, definitely.  I think I’ve never been one that’s loved really low scoring weeks, but when it gets a little bit harder that definitely suits my game.  We play a lot of that golf up in Japan, so I’m used to that.  Yeah, just get out there tomorrow and hopefully chase the leader down.

Q.  What do you feel you’re doing particularly well to shoot the numbers you are?  Would you automatically point to the putter?  Have to think you’re holing putts.  What else? 

MATT GRIFFIN:  Yeah, putted nicely and probably just kept the mistakes off the card.  We’re all going to make birdie out here, but I only bogeyed ‑‑ 18 was my only bogey for the first two days.  I’ve always thought when you’re not making bogeys you’re playing pretty good golf.

Q.  How did you make the bogey?

MATT GRIFFIN:  I made a poor decision off the tee and hit driver, probably should have hit 3‑wood.  No. 18 plays really difficult just straight off the left and got behind the tree.  I wasn’t in bad position, but hit a really poor wedge and poor wedge, poor chip and made a pretty poor 6.

Q.  And you would be happy if it blows a bit tomorrow?

MATT GRIFFIN:  Yeah.

Q.  You would be okay with it?

MATT GRIFFIN:  Yeah.  I think as long as it’s pretty consistent all day because there will be guys out really early, it doesn’t sort of flip it too much, but a good solid wind all day would be nice.

Q.  I have to ask you a very rude question, mate.  You’ve reached this stage of your career where you’re going to be surrounded by young kids and you’re the grizzled old veteran.  

MATT GRIFFIN:  Well, well I played on (inaudible) I played with Peter Fowler, Peter O’Malley and Marcus Fraser, so shows the group I’m more accustomed to now.  It’s nice.  Hopefully I can use my experience, with those conditions it will help a bit more.

Q.  Because there are ‑‑ you remember the situation yourself when you’re coming up like Jed Morgan or the young French guy who’s in the lead, first crack at that stage is pretty daunting, isn’t it?

MATT GRIFFIN:  It is.  I think winning the first time is quite difficult because until you do it, you don’t know that you can.  Nice going out there on the weekend knowing that if I can get myself in the mix coming down the final stretch, I know how to do it, I guess.

Q.  You raise an interesting question.  You’ll have a decision to make should that happen.  You’re pretty safely ensconced in Japan there.  With the lure of a European Tour card, have you given that some thought?  What would you do?

MATT GRIFFIN:  I don’t know.  We would have to make that call when I come to it.  Probably I’m not the one making all the decisions now, I’ve got a 7‑month‑old and a wife at home, so it would be a good, I hope I have to make that decision in the next couple weeks.

Q.  You had a fantastic day, eight birdies on the Creek.  Ally, congratulations on a fabulous round.  Now, you’re known for your accuracy off the tee, so I have to ask, what happened on the 18th?

ALLY McDONALD:  Actually, the previous tournament in Boca I struggled with a little bit of a pull off the tee and I just got a little quick on transition and unfortunately that was the worst drive I hit all day.

Q.  A pretty calm recovery, though.  What was going through your head?

ALLY McDONALD:  You know, when I walked off 17 I just wanted to give myself a good look, try to get another birdie on 18.  Unfortunately, the drive kind of set me up as a little bit of a struggle.  Then I had an iffy lie in the rough, kind of sandy and the ball did not react anywhere close to what I thought it would.  But I walked out with par and had a great round, so I’m very happy.

Q.  We were just having a chat off camera about the fact that when you were here last year, you missed the cut.  This is a huge trajectory.  What’s going so right for you now?

ALLY McDONALD:  Well, it’s the beginning of the year.  Last year I was still in a little bit of a swing change transition and I have a better grasp for sure beginning of this year.  Short offseason, so I feel like I’ve kind of rolled out of CME quickly into Boca.  Yeah, I’m just happy to be here, happy that I played a lot better these last two rounds than I did last year.

Q.  A wonderful opportunity, inclusion for the Solheim Cup in 2019.  How did you find that?

ALLY McDONALD:  It was great fun.  I wanted to play a little better, obviously we wanted to get the win as the United States, but I think it was huge for my career and a big confidence boost for me, just where I see my career heading in the next few years.  I definitely want to be part of another one now that I’ve got one.

Q.  12 under overall, you’ve got to feel pretty comfortable about where you are right now.  How are you feeling?

ALLY McDONALD:  Yeah, I’m feeling good.  I know last year the Beach course was considered to be the harder course, which is why we spend most of our rounds there, so I was looking forward to the Creek course today.  After I hit the ball really well yesterday, I was hoping to go out and make a lot of birdies and I did.  I started the round 8 under through 12 and the wind kind of picked up.  Just didn’t have any really close looks at birdie in the last six holes, but very, very pleased with where I’m at.

Q.  Bogey free throughout the tournament.  Like you said, you’ve got to be happy about how you’re playing.  Work on anything in the offseason, or what brings you here playing so well?

ALLY McDONALD:  Yeah, I think the main thing was that I didn’t want to get into too technical in my offseason, I just wanted to be ready to tee it up the beginning of the year and feel comfortable and like my game’s in a good spot.  So we didn’t move too far away from where we were finishing the year at CME.  I was hitting it really well coming in this week, kind of fixed a few things after Boca.  Yeah, I’m pleased with how I’ve been playing and hopefully carry over to the next two days.

Q.  How important was it not to be overly aggressive on those last six holes?

ALLY McDONALD:  Well, number one, most of the holes played into the wind, which takes some of the advantage out I think on some of these holes.  Specifically, I would say there were only two holes, No. 14 and then No. 16, where I had realistic chances and approach shots into the greens.  The other holes were kind of long irons.  Then yeah, I didn’t play 18 as I had planned obviously, but it was just important when I didn’t have a lot of good looks, I made two really good two‑putts from over 40 feet on the last two holes.  That just kind of keeps me feeling good about even though I didn’t make birdie, it was good to two‑putt and not throw anything away on the last few.

Q.  Do you allow yourself time to think about what a win this weekend would mean for your career?

ALLY McDONALD:  Yes and no.  I mean, I think I’m so much of a player that if I do everything right, then hopefully it produces that.  So going to bed tonight, teeing it up tomorrow, I’m just going to try to take care of the small things, one shot at a time as I’ve always done with my career.  Overall, yeah, I know the trajectory with a win would be huge, but there’s a lot of holes left, a lot of shots left until then.

Q.  Congratulations, sensational 8‑under par round.  That’s got to feel pretty special?

ROBYN CHOI:  Thank you.  Yeah, I just had a really good few stretch of holes, back‑to‑back eagles, so that really helped me.  But no, I just really tried to keep steady today.  I knew how low this course could like ‑‑ we can shoot on that course, so just tried to ‑‑

Q.  So it started on the seventh?

ROBYN CHOI:  Yes, the seventh.  Yeah, I went eagle, eagle, birdie, birdie, birdie, yeah.  Yeah, from the seventh, yeah, I just made a really big putt on seven and then I was just lucky the second shot on eight just went in the hole, yeah.  It was a lucky day.

Q.  From how far?

ROBYN CHOI:  My second shot?

Q.  Yeah.

ROBYN CHOI:  That was about 124.  It was like into the wind so I just hit like a punch 7 and I think it was like one bounce and in, yeah.

Q.  How long was the putt on seven?

ROBYN CHOI:  Seven was maybe like a 40‑footer maybe.

Q.  A bomb?

ROBYN CHOI:  It was a long one.

Q.  Have you had a stretch like that in your playing career before?

ROBYN CHOI:  No, no, this is my lowest round I’ve had in a tournament and practise round.  Yeah, I’m pretty excited today.

Q.  What does it feel like?

ROBYN CHOI:  I’m excited actually, like just going into the weekend just being in contention.  I mean, I haven’t had that in my professional career yet, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow, yeah.

Q.  Have you looked at the leaderboard around you, the names around you?

ROBYN CHOI:  Well, I’ve had a little glimpse on No. 10, like when I was on the 10th hole, just where I would be, but no, I haven’t seen a scoreboard yet.

Q.  You’re obviously playing well enough.  Will the nerves be a factor?

ROBYN CHOI:  I guess nerves are something we always have to play with, but I mean, trying to play with that and controlling it is probably what we have to do.  I’m hoping I could hold onto that tomorrow.

Q.  You played a few LPGA Tour events obviously, but this is one that’s presenting you with a really big opportunity for the rest of the season.  Has that dawned upon you?

ROBYN CHOI:  Yeah.  I mean, if I could play well and then like, you know, best outcome would be winning and then getting my card like that.  But I don’t really want to think too much ahead of myself.  I’ll probably play one shot at a time tomorrow and we’ll see where it lead me.

Q.  What have those experiences been like as a young pro?

ROBYN CHOI:  Well, I mean, on the LPGA, I sort of, like I was really like on the cut line, just missing cuts.  I really sort of played for the experience, I guess.  I wasn’t really up there against all the like world‑class players.  I think that has really given me a good experience, I guess, like just I mean, to play, like today I think it came from experience from last year, just playing against world‑class players and just seeing them pretty much every week.