Round one interviews from the Ladies English Open

Day 1 interview with Melissa Reid

Sixth in Tenerife, second in Holland. You must feel that you are getting there?
Yes, Things are starting to come together. I missed a couple of cuts in Switzerland and Germany and I learnt a lot from that. I’m just trying to make the least mistakes that I can.

You started on ten with an eagle, which was a dream start to the day.
I hit a pretty good drive down on 1 and then hit a five-iron to ten foot and holed it and then stiffed it on the next. To be three under after three was nice. The back nine was a lot tougher, the front nine, which was my back nine.

Especially near the water.
The eighth is a pretty scary tee shot. You just have to concentrate on every single shot on those golf course otherwise it will murder you.

Were you disappointed to finish with a bogey?
Yes, I but like I said the wind picked up and it was playing tough for the last few holes. I have put myself in a good position and I want to be on the top of the leader board on Sunday evening. I would have taken this at the start of the day.

Is the Ryder Cup Wales Rookie of the Year a goal for you?
I just want to play well this year and if I do then things like that will happen. I just want to focus on each tournament and each round.

Clive Woodward is a huge inspiration isn’t he?
He is, yes. He has put together a fantastic team that we now work with. I’ve learnt so much which has helped my game and my life really.

Are you ready to win?
I think so. I’m always ready for a win. I wanted to win straight off and I was a bit gutted that I didn’t win in Australia. I can’t expect too much from myself. I set my standards pretty high and I’d love to win this week, especially with it being the English Open.

How much was the wind a factor?
The back nine was my front nine and was pretty calm. The wind direction was right but on the front nine, my back nine, it was much tougher.
I bogeyed a par three, the fifth, which I over clubbed. We didn’t compensate with how much the wind was helping us. It’s not nice to finish with a bogey but you can’t win it on the first day. I’ve put myself in a good position and I’m hoping to shoot a low one.

The wind is supposed to be blowing a bit harder tomorrow.
Excellent. It doesn’t bother me. I’ve got a great guy on the bag and I think that it affects some people and that’s an advantage to me. I enjoy the challenge to be honest of playing in the wind and the rain. I think if you can win in those conditions then you know that you’re a pretty good player.

Day 1 Interview with Kiran Matharu
How pleased are you with your -2 par today?
I’m pleased, very pleased. Haven’t really played well for a long time. I’m quite happy.

So you say you’re shocked?
No, I’m not shocked. When I was practising during the week, I knew I could play quite well. I’ve got new clubs and a new caddie and everything.

Yes, I saw that. He’s name is Thad, what is his last name?
I don’t know what his last name is.

Why did you change to have a new caddie?
I just thought I needed a change and I needed to change my clubs as well, cause I found out they had the wrong shafts.

What clubs have you gone from?
I still have Ping’s, but the shafts are different, they were too stiff. They are perfect now so.

Which ones did you get?
I’ve still got stiff shaft, but it’s a different make. It’s the new Ping steel AMT I think.

What have you been doing the last few weeks, did you go to America?
Yeah, I went to America the week of Tenerife. I went to see Gary Gilchrist for a week, I’ve been with him since the beginning of the year. I went to see him for a week obviously because I wasn’t playing very well. Obviously the clubs had a lot to do with it, personally I thought it was me, but some of it was the clubs. Well, most of it was the clubs to be honest. I’ve got it sorted now though.

Where is he based at?
He’s about half an hour out of Orlando.

So what do you like about this course?
Obviously this course has a lot of wind, I like the wind. The greens are very true and a nice read, it’s in really good condition and it’s a nice setup.

How do you rate your chances here this week for a title?
Well my score could have been better today, I hit one in the water on a par five.

What hole was that?
The eleventh. I didn’t birdie any of the par fives. Actually, I was one over for the par fives. So tomorrow, I think if I can get a few birdies over there, I should be ok.

Day 1 Interview with Natalie Claire Booth

Good round, but you could have done without the 18th I think?
Yeah, no it was just one of those things. I just pulled my second shot a little bit and then it was nicely plugged right up the face of the bunker, so I decided to take an unplayable cause I could see myself hacking at it and seeing it plug in the face of the bunker. I did that and dropped it back, where it plugged a little bit again and then I hit it over the green and chipped and then holed my putt for six, so it was an easy six really. But very solid really, just hit a bad shot on the 18th which cost me a six unfortunately.

It must be quite frustrating though, you leading by two and if you could have just parred the last, you must think those things mustn’t you?
Well, yes and no, we’ve still got two more days to go so I could make that up in the next two days hopefully. It’s just I played flawless the rest of the day, so you can just take it maybe it was a bogey or there where I made par you know, so it’s no big deal it’s just a six on the 18th instead of on the first.

What about the course, I don’t suppose you’ve played it much?
I have actually; we used to play it a bit as a junior. I think I can remember playing county, not county championships, but county matches a couple of times. I don’t really remember it, but yeah it’s fantastic, I love it, it’s really nice.

Good crowd, it seems like the car parks are full?
Yeah, a lot more people than I thought would be here, for the first day it’s great.

The forecast for tomorrow is wind and rain, but it was wind and rain for tomorrow, so it may not happen, but if it does how would that change the dynamics, it’s quite an open course?
Yes, it could do yeah. It just depends on which direction the wind is in, so we would just have to wait and see what happens tomorrow.

A good day at the office?
Yeah, yeah, I am happy.

Day 1 Interview with Emma Zackrisson

Congratulations on your -4 under par, how was it out there?
It was nice, really nice and the wind was nice to us. The weather was perfect, I can’t ask for better weather in England.

You’ve had a few weeks where you haven’t really played as well as you have in the beginning of the year, is there anything you’ve changed, have you changed anything?
Well, I have been playing well all the time, but I haven’t really made the puts for the last few weeks, I’ve been playing steadily and really nice, but today I made the puts again.
And I’ve been home for a week and a half, two weeks really having a break and that’s good. You know to get some more energy.

How’s the weather in Sweden?
Its better, it’s sunny and nice, I could practise like a normal person.

Have you played here before?
No never.

And how do you find the course?
I like it it’s a really nice course. I’m sure if the wind starts to blow it can be really challenging.

How are you feeling for the weekend, do you think you have another chance?
If I play the way I played today, definitely, so I’m just going to hope it stays with me.

Day 1 Interview with Joanne Mills

Pretty good score on the first day, nice place to be in?
Absolutely, I think just to shoot under par in the first round and fortunately we had no wind this morning, great opportunity to go out there and shoot a good score and that’s what I did.

The forecast was terrible and actually it’s great?
It’s great to wake up each morning and see the sun shining, instead of the rain, but the crowds are out today, which is great to see.

As far as the course is concerned, they say it’s going to blow tomorrow; will it be a completely different course with the wind blowing?
Yeah, it’s obviously a lot different. You have to judge your clubs really accurately, when it’s windy and today was a little bit easier because there was nothing to contend with, but tomorrow if it does blow it will certainly be a lot tougher.

What do you think the secret of your game today was, good putting or?
Actually I started with a 3 putt on the 10th hole and then I had another one on the 15th, but apart from that that was the only two bogeys I made all day, so I was really happy to sort of keep on the fairway, keep it on the greens and missed a few good chances, but at the end of the day 68 was fantastic stuff.

Day 1 Interview with Samantha Head

How did it go with you today?
I played well, I think a little bit rusty having a week off, I didn’t play much last week, really just rested. I felt a bit rusty today, but I played ok.

The weather was fantastic; it’s supposed to blow a bit tomorrow though?
I don’t mind the wind at all, I think the golf course is a great golf course without the wind, but it’s completely different and I think when it’s windy, it brings out some really good golf and low scores obviously will be hard to come by, but I think you’ve got to be patient out there and just stick at it.

What do you think the cut might be?
I have no idea; I don’t look at the scores. I know that I want to be as many under par as possible. So that’s my only thought for the week.

Ok, so you enjoyed it today?
Yeah, I loved it.

Day 1 Interview with Lynn Kenny

Pretty solid round of golf -1?
Yeah, I will take that, it’s obviously a tough golf course, but we got it pretty calm the wind will probably pick up this afternoon and then I’ll have the wind tomorrow afternoon, so it’s a good first round score, I can’t complain, 17 out of 18 greens, but 34 puts is maybe a wee bit too much.

I was watching on the first 9 and you holed a couple of good putts?
Yeah, I made a couple of really good birdie putts, but I didn’t make my par saves, I had two three putts, which was from quite a long range, which is fair enough, but obviously you don’t like to three putt at all. I didn’t put myself under any pressure, I had a lot more chances, but I did make a good few as well so I think it’s a fair round of golf, I think -2 would have been fair, I had a few good bounces and stuff though. -2 would have been fair, -1 I’m a bit frustrated at.

The finish wasn’t quite what you wanted?
No, I had three really loose drives on 16, 17 and 18, don’t really know where that came from, but put myself into trouble, got onto the green on 16 with my second shot, which was a great shot on, but then 3 putted it because I was that far away.
Seventeen I had a really bad drive as well, hacked it out managed to get it onto the green and it was again a good two putt. Put myself under pressure there and then coming up 18 I just had two drives straight right so off course on 18 I went straight left. So had to hack it out again and had a five iron into the green for my third and two putts bogey.

We always say, because you come from Scotland, if it starts blowing tomorrow it might be an advantage to you?
The wind doesn’t bother me obviously, I’ve grown up playing with the wind on links courses, all the big championships are links courses, this is playing like a links, so if the wind does get up I think I have a good imagination in terms of how far you have to allow for the wind and things. I need to go and do a bit of work on the swing because it was a bit loose towards the end there.

Good first round score.

What was the key to your round today?
I changed my putting grip and it’s working. I was playing quite well for the last few weeks but the putting wasn’t working. I’m trying not to think, only hitting and not thinking about anything. The putting was very good today and I am not used to that.

How much did you like the course?
I think it’s a great course with a few tricky holes where you have to play carefully. There are a few par fives that you can reach in two so I like it. I don’t really like the 17th but its a good course.

What does it take to win?
I think the key to golf is the short game. If the long game is good, the course is not too long so if you miss a shot and you chip well you can still make a par. The game around the greens needs to be good.

Have you played here before?
I just played on Wednesday in the pro am.

How is your game in general?
The long game is very good but I have been taking 35 putts and getting very stressed. You can’t play like this. I had 27 putts today which is much better.

Day 1 interview with Elizabeth McKinnon

Tell us about your hole in one at the fifth. Was it your first one?
It was my third but my first one in a competition. The others were in practise rounds. It was nice but no car!

You hit a six iron?
Yes. I only saw it at the end. It landed four yards short of the pin and a bounce and a roll and it was in. At the second I had a tap in for two after a five-iron there. At 13 it finished six feet past and that was a two. That was a six iron. Then I three putted 15 which was a shame. I rushed it a bit.

How pleased were you with your 69 in general?
I’m happy because I’ve had a rough season so one round; it’s nice to enjoy it. I’d never played here before and when I arrived I like it straight away. It reminds me of Machynys where we play the Welsh Open. I play well there. If its windy all the better because I quite like wind. It wasn’t windy today but I was quite happy to get those birdies in early just in case the wind got up. I like the course.