Q.  Minjee, well played again.  Right in the thick of things for the weekend at the Vic Open.

MINJEE LEE:  Yeah, I had a pretty solid day today.  A little bit of a slow start.  I think I started with maybe five or six pars.  Yeah, it was nice to get it going towards the back of the front nine and then into the back nine.

Q.  You had a truckload of pars yesterday you were telling us.  Do you ever get frustrated in that situation or you just sort of know it’s going to happen eventually?

MINJEE LEE:  Well, I was trying to make the birdies, but ended up with pars.  I had a couple good saves in there also as well as a lot of birdie opportunities.  Yeah, today I holed a couple more putts, so that’s a good sign.

Q.  A wardrobe malfunction, shall we say?  Shall we talk about that?

MINJEE LEE:  I didn’t know until the 15th hole, maybe the 16th hole.  That was like my sixth hole.  Yeah, I just had to put my rain pants on, let’s just leave it at that.

Q.  Okay.  So you’re well placed for the weekend obviously.  Is there an advantage to you here over some of the other girls who haven’t been in that position at this tournament before?

MINJEE LEE:  I’ll definitely have my past experiences and obviously my other wins that I’ve had since I’m in this position.  There’s still a lot of golf to be played, so I’m just going to go one shot at a time and just play my own game.

Q.  Starting to get a little bit of a soft spot for the second hole?

MINJEE LEE:  A soft spot?  Oh, yeah, I eagled it today as well.  I don’t think we’ll be playing ‑‑ I’m not playing that course anymore, so I think I left it on a good note.

Q.  Five under twice around in one week.

MINJEE LEE:  Yeah, it was a good hole for me.

Q.  Is it worth any shots to you to have won this tournament before when it comes to the crisis on a Sunday afternoon?

MINJEE LEE:  Like I said before, probably with the experience that I’ve won here before, it’s maybe given me a little bit of confidence if I do get into that situation.  But yeah, I’m just going to try my best and try and have fun.

Q.  What about the fact that you were so close so often last year, does that come into your mind at all over the weekend?

MINJEE LEE:  I don’t think I played that well last year, to be honest.  I don’t think I even made the final day.  Yeah, like I said before, I’m just going to try and go out there and make as many birdies as I can and just try and give the crowd a good cheer.

Q.  Alejandro, 1 under today, you must be pleased with where you are at the moment?

ALEJANDRO CAÑIZARES:  Yeah, yeah.  Today wasn’t as pretty, didn’t have my best game off the tee and missed a few ones, but I managed to get 1 under, so in the end I made a good putt for par on the last.

Q.  (Inaudible)  She said it may have taken you nine holes to wake up this morning.  Did you feel like that out there?

ALEJANDRO CAÑIZARES:  Well, I feel tired, you know.  It’s tough, didn’t sleep very well the whole week because of a little bit of the time change, but it’s normal, it’s expected here.  Yeah, no problem with that.  I just tried to do my best, that’s all I could do.  It wasn’t pretty, but I managed to get a 1 under par, which is good.

Q.  A couple of guys posting really low scores on the other course this morning.  Were you aware of that?

ALEJANDRO CAÑIZARES:  Yeah, the other course is more accessible and the wind is not blowing as hard as yesterday I don’t think.  Yeah, I was expecting that people shoot very low on the other one.  But, you know, it’s a good position for the weekend.  I think it’s going to be very windy, so anything really can happen on the weekend.

Q.  How excited are you being in this position for the weekend?

ALEJANDRO CAÑIZARES:  Oh, really pleased, really pleased, yeah.  It’s good to be back to good position early on and giving myself a chance to have a go at a tournament.  Really happy for it.

(Through interpreter)

Q.  So 10 under, you have to be very proud of how you’re playing.  How do you feel right now?

INTERPRETER:  So her shots were not good yesterday ‑‑ I mean were good yesterday, but shots were not good today, but her putting was better than yesterday today, so I think the game went pretty well because of the putting, yeah.

Q.  Is this your first time playing this competition? 

INTERPRETER:  It is her first time, yeah.

Q.  What’s the experience like with two different courses, playing with the men?  It’s very different than usual.  

INTERPRETER:  So she played two courses when she competed at world tournament, yeah, yeah.  So she didn’t feel awkward at all for playing both courses, but she was kind of awkward to play with the men.

Q.  It’s very different.  So, I mean, still more golf, but right now tied for the lead, in contention going into the weekend.  How do you prepare for the weekend’s competition? 

AYEAN CHOI:  So I heard there was going to be a lot of wind in the weekend, so I’m going to practice a lot for the shots that will really use the wind to have good shots, yeah.

Q.  Great bounce‑back today, 64 after a tough start.

ANTHONY QUAYLE:  Yeah, I was just saying before, I felt like I was still on a the honeymoon yesterday, so happy to bounce back today and hopefully hold on and make the weekend.

Q.  You’ve been in great form up in Japan.  How do you put behind your dodgy round yesterday?  How did you do that?

ANTHONY QUAYLE:  I think the form’s been pretty good lately, finished the year nicely.  It’s just one round of many, kind of have to accept that and try to move on.  It happens all the time in golf, so if you get bogged down in it, it’s going to be a pretty long career.

Q.  Five under, how do you attack round 3?  Do you just play your own game or do you start looking at chasing?

ANTHONY QUAYLE:  I think if we end up making the cut, it could be a pretty good position because the weather’s supposed to be really bad tomorrow.  It might mean an earlier tee time and get out and post a number before the leaders finish their round.

Q.  So one of the key things you did today aside from shooting a good score, 10 birdies, which I know means a lot to you personally?

ANTHONY QUAYLE:  I think it was nine birdies, but yeah, I decided this week to donate $250 a birdie and $500 an eagle to WildArk, which are looking to basically ‑‑ it’s called the Koala Comeback programme and they’re just trying to help with the restoration and regeneration of the habitat for the animals in all the fire affected areas.  Today was nice, a bit over $2,000 today, $750 yesterday, so $3,000 total this week, which is nice.  Hopefully make the weekend and make more.

Q.  Are there any other people involved in that with you?  Would you like other people to get involved?ANTHONY QUAYLE:  Absolutely.  At the moment ‑‑ I found it online, I thought it was an incredible idea and a good programme.  Obviously there’s been a lot of funds donated worldwide to the Australian fire relief, which I think’s incredible.  I wouldn’t say it’s always on the front page of the paper now, but there’s still so much that needs to be done to help get Australia back to where it was.  Yeah, if anyone wants to join in, it’s a great cause.  Yeah, it’s cool to donate anyway, I think.

Q.  So 9 under overall, you’re in a pretty good position heading into the weekend.  How do you feel right now?

JASMINE SUWANNAPURA:  I feel pretty good, I guess.  I’ve been all day I just focus on my game and just keep playing my golf and not really worry about anything.  Having fun out there.

Q.  What’s the dynamic like ‑‑ I mean, I know we go down to just the Beach course now, but two different courses, two different days, we don’t do that a lot.

JASMINE SUWANNAPURA:  Yeah, it’s pretty much different and unique this week.  We play with the guys and, you know, we can see them like hit like the long ball in front of us.  It’s like, oh, cool, if I could hit it that long.  But again, this course for the guys and for us is all like crazy like how straight to hit and that’s about it, I think.

Q.  It’s got to be nice to have Nicki back on the bag for a couple weeks?

JASMINE SUWANNAPURA:  Yeah, she on the bag for four weeks.  Yeah, we have fun.  We had some Asian food together and stuff.

Q.  Overall, how are you feeling as this season gets started?  You had your win last year at Dow.  Starting the new year, how do you feel heading into 2020?

JASMINE SUWANNAPURA:  I feel pretty good, pretty confident.  I think I’m getting older, more adult and, you know, make better decision when, you know, getting old and stuff.  Getting there.  I try to be better every day and stuff. 

Q.  How old are you?  You’re not old.  Growing up.

JASMINE SUWANNAPURA:  Yes, you know.

Q.  A little more mature?

JASMINE SUWANNAPURA:  Yes, more mature, more adult.

Q.  Okay.  So now how do you get ready for the weekend?  Right now you’re just one stroke off the lead so you’re right in contention.

JASMINE SUWANNAPURA:  I don’t think I expect anything much just because tomorrow will be completely different game and will be tough.  Tomorrow I believe it’s going to be really, really windy.  Everything will play differently.  The course, each hole play different, different game plan and everything.  So I’m just going to do my best and, you know, keep it out of trouble and we’ll see what’s going on.

JEONGEUN LEE6:  I’m satisfied with my score today, but I’m sad I got bogey the last hole.  But I made a lot of birdies today, so I’m happy.

Q.  Overall, what is your experience like this week at this tournament playing with the guys? 

JEONGEUN LEE6:  It’s a little different.  I played first time this tournament, so I’m excited.

Q.  Very exciting, it’s a lot of fun.

JEONGEUN LEE6:  Yeah.

Q.  What are your goals for the season?  You had such an amazing rookie year.  What are your goals for this year?

JEONGEUN LEE6:  I want to play at the Olympics and win three times, yeah.

Q.  You’re off to a good start.  You have to feel ‑‑ are you confident heading into the weekend?  How do you feel? 

JEONGEUN LEE6:  Yeah, my shot and putting is good, just I’m trying my best.

Q.  That’s all you can do.  Good job, we’ll see you this weekend.

JEONGEUN LEE6:  Thank you.

Q.  That was a nice hole‑in‑one out there today.  Remind me what hole that was on?

JING YAN:  No. 3, I think.

Q.  And you were on Beach or Creek?

JING YAN:  Beach. 

Q.  All right.  What happened there, can you tell us about it?

JING YAN:  Wind was blowing a little left to right, it was 151 to the hole.  I wanted to hit a 6‑iron, but then it was kind of in between clubs, so talked to my caddie and we went with a 7.  Just carried the bunker.  Hit the shot with a little bit of a draw.  Really liked the look of it, but I didn’t really think it was going to go in the hole.  Then my fellow players and caddies are like, “Oh, there’s a chance of it going in.”  I didn’t see it go in, but yeah, it went in and I was pretty happy about it.

Q.  How many other holes‑in‑one have you had?

JING YAN:  I’ve had four total, but this is my first one in a tournament.

Q.  First in competition, that’s got to be a really good feeling.

JING YAN:  Yeah.  

Q.  And then on top of that it’s the $20,000 to St. Jude, which is great on top of that as well.

JING YAN:  Yeah, I think that’s the best part.

Q.  It’s got to be fulfilling to see whenever our sponsors do something like that?

JING YAN:  Yeah.  I mean, it’s so awesome, like, to be able to help out the kids and, you know, just having it in a tournament with my first one, being able to do that just makes it way more special.

Q.  Marcus Fraser, 7 under today, well played. 

MARCUS FRASER:  Yeah, it was nice, nice to get out there in the morning out on the Creek and started off right.  Made a couple long putts to start with and then felt like I had heaps of chances all day really.

Q.  If your putter’s on, you’re right on top of the leaderboard.

MARCUS FRASER:  Yeah.  Today I just felt like I was in control of my game.  Yesterday I felt the same way, so it was a nice change.  I haven’t felt that way for a long time, so it was a good feeling to have.  Get that putter working nicely over the weekend.

Q.  Is it harder to do these days when you don’t play as you once did?

MARCUS FRASER:  A bit of both, I think.  I still feel like when I come to the golf course, I’m going to play well.  I kind of feel like if I’m coming here, you do it, you do it properly or you just don’t come.  That’s been the mindset the last few weeks. 

And this is a big tournament for us, being a Victorian, and the way they’re growing this tournament into what it is now, it’s one of the biggest events for me and for a lot of Victorians this year.  So really exciting to be out there and see so many people, which is now a great event.

Q.  And you’re obviously no stranger to the European Tour, but has the card lure got anything for you or no?

MARCUS FRASER:  No, no, I’m pretty comfortable at home now.  I’m loving being home and being around the kids as much as I possibly can.  Yeah, that’s not even a thought at the moment.  I know it’s a European Tour event, but I’m working a lot of other things and not thinking about the end result at the moment.  It’s nice to put some stuff into play that hasn’t been there for a long time, so it’s nice to have a little refresher almost.

Q.  Some of these courses don’t play to your hand, the Australian for example, but this one I would imagine is right up your alley?

MARCUS FRASER:  For sure.  As I said, when the ball is played on the ground, it definitely helps me a lot.  When it’s played in the air, which 95 percent of the time in professional golf it’s how high can you tee it and how hard can you hit it.  Yeah, it’s nice to play these courses.  When you’re relying on a bounce, you’re trying to think about where you’re pitching it and the wind really comes into it.  Yeah, every shot’s different out on the golf course and we don’t get that a lot, which is a testament to this golf course really.  It’s a really good golf course.  It feels like the golf course has really come alive out here.  I know it’s been down for about 20 years now and it feels like it’s really settled into the land and it’s fantastic out here.

Q.  You’re a winner.  You get over the line a lot when you’re in contention.  What’s the secret to that?  What can you put into play this weekend?

MARCUS FRASER:  I think the biggest thing is just doing your stuff of really well and that’s what I feel like I’m doing at the moment.  I feel like I’m in control of what I’m doing and I haven’t felt that way for a long time.  If I can continue to do that over the weekend, I think I have a chance.  But as I said, I’m not thinking about the end result, I’m thinking about the stuff that I’m trying to put back into place which helps me play well.

Q.  Nick, 10 under, how’d you get there?

NICK FLANAGAN:  Both pretty solid both days.  Couldn’t have had any worse, that’s for sure.  I made my fair share of putts but missed a couple of short ones, probably three or four short ones inside five feet.  Just on some of the greens that they lost a little bit with the fungus they had out there, a couple of bad bounces.  But playing solid.  Felt a little bit more solid yesterday than today, but scoring well so that’s good. 

Q.  We know you’ve had your ups and downs, we saw you at the PGA.  I assume the little one’s now been born.  What’s been the impact?

NICK FLANAGAN:  Yeah, yeah, she arrived on the 21st of January, so a busy couple of weeks before I came back here.  Didn’t play a lot of golf.  Had another cortisone shot put in my wrist about a week and a half before I came back here, so I played nine holes before I came back.  Didn’t have a lot of sleep obviously looking after the little girl and my wife’s been taking the brunt of that.  Yeah, everything’s going really well and it’s definitely kind of a new chapter in the life.

Q.  She’s at home?

NICK FLANAGAN:  Yeah, everyone’s still back in San Antonio.

Q.  Was it difficult to go away for the first time to play golf?

NICK FLANAGAN:  Yeah, it definitely was.  I wanted to come and play, I thought I would be able to play all four of these events while I was back but I’m just not going to do the four.  I’m just going to do the first one and the last one and have a little break in the middle and give the wrist a break and kind of, you know, take it from there.

Q.  What is the future?  You talked about maybe doing the (inaudible.)  Has that changed since the finish at the PGA and does it change depending on what’s happens here, perhaps?

NICK FLANAGAN:  Yeah, I think my perspective’s changed a little bit just since the end of last year, having a little baby and stuff like that.  You know, I think I’m a little bit more laid back.  Things will work out no matter what happens.  I’m still playing really good golf, and as long as my body kind of cooperates, this cortisone shot I have in the wrist has really helped and hopefully that sticks for a little while longer and we can keep going.

Q.  The PGA result, you know, and the cheque that came with it, has it kind of made you feel a bit more comfortable?  Are you feeling a little bit more relaxed about everything?

NICK FLANAGAN:  Not feeling comfortable, but I’m feeling less stressed than I was, for sure.  It goes pretty quick.  We paid a lot of bills with that cheque, which is nice.  Taxes are coming up over in the U.S. as well, so got to keep making it.  Yeah, definitely something that we needed coming to Christmas and having this new baby.

Q.  Two days to go, Nick, do you have a feel for these things (inaudible)?

NICK FLANAGAN:  Yes and no.  I mean, it’s golf, you know, who knows what’s going to happen.  If I feel like I’m playing solid enough and if the putting’s feeling pretty good on these greens and I’ve had good performances here in the past couple years, just haven’t finished it off, so hopefully third time lucky.

Q.  And one bogey?

ALEJANDRO CANIZARES:  Yeah, I played really nicely.  Obviously the Creek is a little more accessible than the Beach.  Most of the par 5s are reachable and I took advantage of that and I putted really well.  I didn’t make many mistakes, hit the ball nicely with my irons, so really pretty nice.

Q.  Did you see that coming?  Has your form been good?

ALEJANDRO CANIZARES:  Well, I didn’t have many expectations because it’s a long way from home, so you don’t know how you’re going to feel, but I was hitting the ball well.  I’m working on the right things, I think.  I’m a good putter, so sometimes I see the hole really big and that’s what happened today.

Q.  You came all this way for the one event?

ALEJANDRO CANIZARES:  Yeah, this week, yes.  It’s with my category on the European Tour, you’ve got to take advantage of the events you want to play.  And I really like the golf courses here in Australia.  Most of the golf courses are beautiful.  The only problem is the jet lag, so I’m trying to beat that.

Q.  Your father’s a very famous Spanish golfer.

ALEJANDRO CANIZARES:  Yes.

Q.  Can you talk a little bit about his influence on your career?

ALEJANDRO CANIZARES:  Yeah.  Obviously I don’t know, if he wouldn’t have been who he was, if I would have been here, so I’ve got to be really thankful for having a dad that has played four Ryder Cups and has played such a high level of golf.  Grew up watching him, motivated, wanting to do the same thing and here I am, so really thankful for all that.

Q.  Talk us through your round a little bit.  Did you make any long putts?

ALEJANDRO CANIZARES:  The longest putt I made was on eight, my 17th hole; that was probably 25 feet.  The rest was within 15 feet.  Hit the par 5s in two, most of them, and the ones that I didn’t, made up and down.  Three‑putted actually one of them, I don’t know if it’s two or three, three‑putted that one.  The par 5, yeah.  Made a good putt on the next, so just played really nicely, didn’t make many mistakes, knew where I was going, putted nicely.

Q.  When did you actually get in?

ALEJANDRO CANIZARES:  I landed Sunday morning.

Q.  You’re waking up in the middle of the night, that kind of thing? 

ALEJANDRO CANIZARES:  Yeah.  Fall asleep around 8:00, waking up at 1:00 or 2:00 and falling back asleep at 4:00 or 5:00.  It will be better today hopefully.

Q.  Have you played much in Australia before?

ALEJANDRO CANIZARES:  Yeah, I’ve played in Melbourne.  My first time was Melbourne, Kingston Heath, in 2009.  Then I played Perth three times, Lake Karrinyup.  Before Christmas I came here to Brisbane and played Gold Coast.  Just lovely golf courses, I love it.

Q.  What was your understanding of this golf course before you arrived?

ALEJANDRO CANIZARES:  I’ve never been.  When I got here, I had no clue what it looked like.  I saw that it was kind of like linksy, obviously the name.  It’s just a beautiful design with a couple great golf courses.

Q.  Are you surprised at all?  Looking at your world ranking, your status, you’ve won twice in Europe, but not recently.

ALEJANDRO CANIZARES:  Yeah, just surprised I played so crap the last three years.  No, yeah, it’s been complicated.  I got injured three years ago and it took a while, then some other things, and I became a dad a year ago.  Life changes, but I’m getting back to it, I’m starting to work harder.  Still motivated, I still want to play.  I’ve been on tour for 13, 14 years and I still really want to do it.  Still got half of my career ahead of me I think.

Q.  Son or daughter?

ALEJANDRO CANIZARES:  Daughter.

Q.  At home?  Still at home?

ALEJANDRO CANIZARES:  Still at home.  She’s 11 months old.  Beautiful.  What can I say?

Q.  What time do you tee off tomorrow?

ALEJANDRO CANIZARES:  8:20.