SOLHEIM CUP: LEXI THOMPSON INTERVIEW

Lexi, this will be your sixth Solheim Cup appearance. Can you tell us what it means to you to have qualified for the Solheim Cup so many times and what your expectations for your sixth playing are this year?

It means the world to me to be able to play on the Solheim Cup. I know every year that I know it’s that year playing it’s my No. 1 goal to be on that team to be able to represent my country. It’s my favorite event by far. There’s nothing like waking up, putting country’s colors on, and going to represent and be alongside a team at that.

Stacy’s not using the pod system this year, your impressions on the new strategy and what your thoughts are since you’ve all played under the pod system before?

Yeah, I agree. Not that the pod system was a bad thing by any means, but I think Stacy has a great strategy in mind and just all keeping us together and not really breaking us apart. We all get along very well and we know each other’s games well too, so that always helps. But I definitely believe that Stacy knows what she’s doing, so we’re excited for the week.

Stacy said that while making your picks, that the team was going to rely on you two heavily for your experience. Does it change your mindset at all for the week coming into that with that new leadership role and what’s it like to embrace that and have it for this week, especially having five rookies on the team?

I believe that we’re all leaders in our own way. We come into this week and we bring a strength of ours to the whole team and the captains and assistant captains. It’s not somebody overpowering the other. It’s all about just coming together as a team.

Lexi, 72 holes stroke play is obviously a different beast to match play. I know you probably haven’t been playing as well as you might like, but just wondering how does that change your mindset going into this? Does it ease the pressure a little bit knowing that it’s match play and a bad hole is just one hole or is it more responsibility having to maybe try not to let down your partner or support your partner?

Well, I don’t think match play has anything to do with it. Match play, stroke play, you still have to play your game and golf. But, yeah, might not have been the year that I wanted, but this is this week. I’m not focusing on the past. I’m here with my team this week and going to represent my best.

This is the first time we’ve really had statistics to kind of look at when y’all are building up your partnerships?

It’s something I guess that we haven’t really done in the past. I think it’s a great source for us that we’ve been able to really look on in being able to team up our matches. Not that we’ve done that, but we kind of have a really a better idea about it. So I think it’s definitely a little bit of an advantage, for sure. We’re pairing up the best that we can with whoever we’re paired with.