Read a transcript of the pre-tournament interview with Rickie Fowler and Lexi Thompson.
Read a transcript of the pre-tournament interview with Rickie Fowler and Lexi Thompson.
MODERATOR: Welcome everyone here to the media center here for the Grant Thornton Invitational. Pleased to be joined by Lexi Thompson and Rickie Fowler, our first group of the day. I’ll start off with you guys. Just obviously second year playing together, how excited are you to be paired up again after last year’s event?
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, very excited to be back just to Naples in general, but to be able to be paired with Rickie once again. We had a lot of fun last year. To be part of the team event’s always different and exciting, but also to play alongside the guys, it’s a learning process. You learn a lot, but you have a good time as well.
RICKIE FOWLER: Yeah, it’s fun to mix it up with the ladies and see like it’s a different game in a way in kind of what the similarities are and see how it’s just fun to kind of be alongside and play the same game.
Then where it gets interesting is playing alternate shot together and see what your partner’s made of in certain situations. It was a lot of fun last year, Lexi and I had a great time with it and see if we can play a little better this year and put ourselves in the mix.
Q. For both of you, what can a guy learn when watching a woman play and vice versa? There are skills, like you said, it’s a little different game. What are some of those skills that you can learn from each other?
LEXI THOMPSON: I think a little bit of everything. I think we all bring our strengths to the game in general. Myself, I grew up with two older brothers that play as well and then watching them. But it’s a whole different speed that the guys put on the golf ball and certain curves that I don’t think I girls can do, but maybe don’t think about it as much. It’s just cool to see all the different kinds of shots that they can hit and learn from them and kind of feed off each other. That’s what’s so great about golf, we all bring our strengths that we can learn from each other. That’s what’s so great about this week, we kind of learn from each other and really embrace that.
RICKIE FOWLER: Yeah, I’d say Lexi ends up being a little bit of an outlier on the distance side of things in the women’s game, so that’s a benefit on my side, on the team side with her up there essentially playing from some fun spots for me.
Yeah, I think sometimes watching some of the women play and how simple it can look, for the most part they hit it very straight. It looks simple, knock it on the green, you make a putt here or there and add ’em up at the end. I think the guys make it a little bit more interesting at times maybe playing from different areas. Hopefully I can keep that a little tighter this week so I don’t put my partner in some interesting spots.
LEXI THOMPSON: I hope I live up to what you’re saying, too.
RICKIE FOWLER: I have high hopes.
MODERATOR: I think I have some more questions. Looking back at last year, what were some of the like top memories you had? You hit a holeinone last year together, but what were some of your favorite memories from last year’s event?
LEXI THOMPSON: That was probably one of the top ones, making the holeinone. Looking back at that video, that was a fun experience to be able to do it as part of the team format, especially alternate shot, like I think you got that one from there. It was just an amazing week. How they put on the event this week and how we get treated is really top notch. Like Rickie said, golf needs more events like this. It’s different and it as a lot more fun and enjoyable to be alongside the guys. We’re just super honored to be part of it and golf needs more events like this. Nothing but good memories.
MODERATOR: I know, Rickie, Grant Thornton, you’re a Grant Thornton ambassador. What does it mean to you to see them put on such a worldclass event where the ladies get to showcase their game alongside you?
RICKIE FOWLER: It’s been a lot of fun to see this now in the second year, everyone wanting to come back and be a part of it and some new faces as well.
Like Lexi said, obviously we’re playing for something, but I think it’s a bit more it’s a fun week. Whatever the money might be, it’s more that we’re competitors and want to go out there and beat up on each other as bad as possible. It’s more about the pride of it of.
Yeah, having fun but there’s still something on the line. You want to go out and play well for your partner and ultimately put yourself in a position where you can have a chance to win.
Q. Away from this event, Rickie, you’re jumping into a whole new adventure next month with TGL. Two part. Number one, what are kind of your expectations? Do you have any idea what this whole thing is going to be like? And number two, was there any challenge in the Monday nights every three weeks, how often you’re playing and weaving that into a PGA TOUR schedule?
RICKIE FOWLER: I mean, one, I’m looking forward to it. In a way we don’t fully know what to expect until it really gets going. It’s brand new, something that’s never been done and it’s going to be a lot on the players and how we’re able to help kind of provide some entertainment, because at the end of the day it’s all about having a good time in there and like I said, creating some entertaining doesn’t have to be good golf. We hope it is, but we’re not on a real golf course. It’s as close to making it of playing golf, but indoors. The atmosphere that will be in there with I think there’s about 1500 people, super intimate and very close. Hopefully no one gets hit from a bunker shot because they’re close enough. What was the second part?
Q. (No microphone.)
RICKIE FOWLER: Yeah, no, there’s going to be some potential conflicts just with it being that it’s starting throughout the West Coast Swing. I know on my schedule there’s maybe one week that might be, but other than that, I think they did a really good job of looking at everyone’s potential schedules and based on when teams are meant to play, one, that it’s only it only has to be three of the four guys. And I do know, I think they do have like an alternate list if there’s multiple guys that are maybe out west and it is a little bit of a tight trip to get back and forth.
So no, they’re working closely with our teams and the players to make sure that it’s not something that is going to take away from our normal prep or normal Tour life.
MODERATOR: Awesome. I’ll wrap it up with one more for Rickie. You probably heard the news Lexi’s stepping away from a fulltime schedule next year. Just wondering if you can talk about what her impact on our game has been.
RICKIE FOWLER: I mean, massive would be one way to look at it. As far as the whole game and then looking into the women’s game, it’s been a lot of fun to watch. From I think it was you were 12, played in the U.S. Open. A little sooner than most people, so you got a little bit of a head start there.
I know I am as well as everyone else are hoping that you still will play some so we can see you. Maybe this gives us more time that we can actually play at home.
Looking forward to this week. This being kind of her last as a fulltime player. Might as well go get a trophy and you can go have fun the rest of the time playing a few events here and there.
MODERATOR: I feel like we talk about this every week. This is the last one. How are you feeling?
LEXI THOMPSON: It’s just great to be back here this week. I did say just from a fulltime schedule. Just going to take that time for myself, spend it with my family and friends and really just decompress and make sure that if or when I do decide to play, that I’m ready and I’m in a good mind space. Yeah, we’ll see. I’m going to take it day by day.
MODERATOR: Well, enjoy this week, you guys. Thank you.
