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KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 7, 2016

Gerina Piller

Sammamish, Washington

KRAIG KANN: Good afternoon once again everybody, welcome to the KPMG Women's PGA Championship here at Sahalee in Seattle. Great pleasure to welcome in Rolex ranking No. 16, Gerina Piller. No. 16? That's a big jump for you this year. What does that say about your play and about what you've accomplished.

GERINA PILLER: Well, it's pretty crazy to think that I'm 16th in the world, just coming from little old me from Roswell, New Mexico. My goal every year is just to be more consist tents. It's clearly shown the past couple of weeks. I'm just going to keep doing that and the rest of it will take care of itself.

KRAIG KANN: Do you enjoy, I don't want to say the celebrity that's come with playing great, but the extra exposure and notoriety that's come? Because clear it's different now.

GERINA PILLER: Absolutely. Before it was just the big break exposure. And now that I've been on Tour for six years and with Solheim and just the good play that I've been having, it's fun. People are shouting your name. I think it's great. Always said there's going to come a time and place when they're not going to ask for my autograph anymore, so I better enjoy it while it lasts.

KRAIG KANN: Have you been getting autographs out there and what is your take on this golf course, because a lot of players have been making some comments, I'd like to get your impressions of the golf course this week.

GERINA PILLER: Yeah, it's definitely going to be a good test. You've got to work it both ways off the tee. And very demanding second shots. It's just all around is going to really challenge your golf game, putting, chipping, it's just -- there's not an easy hole out there.

KRAIG KANN: No, no. And with the way you've been playing, though, you missed the first cut of the year. Since then you haven't missed a cut. You've got seven top 10 finishes this season. So if we were laying out the cards and people were saying who's the favorites this week, you are definitely right there. Do you feel that when you step to the first tee? Has your mindset changed to where you're not just one in the field, you're one to beat?

GERINA PILLER: Absolutely. I think that this year, especially after Solheim it gave me a lot of confidence. And it would kind of come and go after Solheim, but I think this year with playing really well it just really confirms that I belong out here and not just to make a cut on the weekend but to be in contention at the top, week in and week out.

Q. How much does Rio feel you? And how much are you paying attention to rankings?
GERINA PILLER: You know, to be honest, I've never really -- like was paying attention at the beginning of the year. And I guess the more I've played well the more it's obviously been brought to the spotlight.

But it's kind of one of those things, it's like Solheim, you can't really try to make the team, because, you know, you've got to control your golf game. And to make a team you've got to play good golf.

So I know that if I play good golf -- if I play the best I can play and I don't make Olympics, I know I need to work a lot harder.

If I play the best that I can play, I know that I can qualify.

Q. This place is a ball-striker's paradise. And that plays right into your wheel house. Does that give you more confidence coming into this? How important would it be to get your first victory at a major?
GERINA PILLER: Yeah, I feel that's one of the strengths of my game is my ball-striking ability, and especially with distance. Some of these holes are playing really long. I know 8 was a really, really long hole, and it's going to be a really good test. But it would be awesome to get my first win here. But don't put the cart before the horse here and just really focus on that first tee shot.

I feel like this week you've got to kind of dumb it down, and just go back to the basics of hitting fairways, hitting greens, and just start with that. This is the kind of course where you can't really stray off from your objective because it could definitely bite you in the butt.

Q. I've got a follow-up that's completely off the reservation here. We were talking earlier about that ad with you and Martin, have you been surprised by how much play that thing has gotten and how enthused people have been by it?
KRAIG KANN: You and your husband are rock stars with that commercial.

GERINA PILLER: I think it's been more him. Yeah, it's been great. I've been recognized in a lot of different places. I think it's really awesome that not just -- I think I saw it the other day on ESPN. It's kind of surreal by that's me on ESPN. It was a ton of fun. They did a great job. It still cracks me up every time I see it. It took us all day to film it, because we couldn't stop laughing.

KRAIG KANN: Do you really wear the glove playing ping-pong?

GERINA PILLER: I don't, but I was really impressed that they actually even got a right-handed glove. To find a right-handed glove is pretty impressive.

Q. How important is getting to No. 1 in the world for you? We just had No. 1 in the world in here and you're No. 16. What do you need to do to get there and how important is it to you to get there?
GERINA PILLER: You know, I started golf pretty late, so I know all these girls out here, they have the experience and they've done all the world championships AJGA's and stuff like that. I feel like I'm kind of a late bloomer. I started in 2000. Played in high school my first time. And went to college. So I feel like I'm kind of just coming up in the rankings.

To be No. 1, that would be a dream come true. And I think every year I've gotten a little better. If I can just focus on that, it's just one step closer to get higher and higher.

Q. I was wondering, there's so many great young players out there, but only one American in the top-20 that's under 30 and that's Lexi. Why don't you think there aren't more great young American players?
GERINA PILLER: I just think that's sports in general. I feel like when I grew up -- are you trying to say I'm old, by the way?

Q. No.
GERINA PILLER: Just making sure. Like when I grew up I felt like you played everything. Like when I was in middle school, our basketball team was the same girls as the volleyball team. And I was actually a cheerleader one year, because all the girls were cheerleaders and soccer. You did everything.

Now there seems like there's a lot of younger kids that pick up golf, and that's all they do, they focus primarily in one sport. I think that has a lot to do with it. And, too, now, the junior programs that are offered and available are just phenomenal.

Q. Surprised there aren't more young Americans in the top-20?
GERINA PILLER: Am I surprised?

Q. That there's very few Americans in the top world rankings right now?
GERINA PILLER: It's hard to say because the World Rankings change -- obviously they can change weekly. I don't know. We have a ton of great players. I don't know why that is or I wish I had the answer. Maybe I should go tell them we need to have a meeting and to play better, I don't know. But, yeah, I mean it doesn't make them any less of a player.

I think that the difference between No. 1 and say 20 on the list or even -- or ten, you know, it's very minute. We're the best of our sport. And it could be half a stroke. If you just look at the stats and look at our scoring average, there might be .025 between one girl and the next. We're all pretty much right there.

KRAIG KANN: You're about to be a part of something pretty cool. Because of the Solheim Cup experience, the White House trip is coming up in a couple of weeks time to go there as a team.

Noticing where you are now with your game on this Tour and if you go back to the putt and the win for Team USA, how much did that really affect everything that's happened since? I mean if you look at the seven top-10s and top six at ANA this year, contention in majors, is that because of something that happened in Germany?

GERINA PILLER: For sure. I know growing up in high school and even in college I was told all the time that I was such a terrible putter. So it was kind of ironic that I made the putt to secure the Solheim Cup. So that's definitely helped my putting confidence. And to kind of get that out of the way.

It's just one of those things that when you come out here on Tour you see these girls and you've played against them, but to be able to come out here and kind of hold your own, I think that's a huge confidence boost, and I feel like that I'm there. The first couple of years I was just kind of getting by, top 10s here and there, but I didn't feel like I could compete week in and week out. It was like this week I like the course, so I'll play well this week. And next week I don't really like the course, so I'm probably got going to play well.

But I feel like this year, especially, I feel like I can compete and contend at every tournament.

KRAIG KANN: UL International Crown, this is the last week to potentially qualify to make the teams. We already have the countries that are in. How important is that for you? Right now you're going to Merit Club in Chicago.

GERINA PILLER: You know, I've always said this, anytime you can support your country and represent your country, put the Stars and Stripes on, it's a great honor. Obviously I've never played that before. It's just one of those things that -- to represent your country would just be awesome, no matter if it's International Crown, Solheim, Olympics, anytime. So I definitely am looking forward to that and just focusing on, again, playing good golf and the rest will take care of that.

KRAIG KANN: Only four make it. Those three alone say a lot about where you're at.

Q. There's interest at Sahalee here of becoming a future Solheim Cup venue. Would it be a good venue in your estimation?
GERINA PILLER: Yeah. This course is great. It's absolutely stunning. It's beautiful. It's in great shape. It's a phenomenal test of golf. And it would be pretty awesome if we could get one here.

Q. Lydia is going for her third consecutive major win this week. When players are just having locker room talk and Lydia comes up, what do people mostly say, her peers?
GERINA PILLER: You know, there's not many bad things you can say about a girl that's No. 1 in the world is just absolutely killing us on the golf course. She's a great player and even a better person. She's just great for our Tour, even more so, for me, it's just impressive that she can come out here week in and week out and especially three majors in a row. I'm still working on my first win. Maybe it just comes easier for others. But I don't think I've ever heard anything bad about her.

Q. Where did you film the commercial?
GERINA PILLER: We actually filmed it near Tampa. There was -- they rented a house and we went down there. It was kind of funny, we drove up to the house and all the stuff was outside. And we pulled up and we're like, is there like a garage sale here or is this the right house? We go in and I guess they moved all the stuff out of the people that lived there and then brought their own stuff in. A lady was driving by and she was like, is this a garage sale? And I'm like, no. Are they moving? I'm like, no, we're going to film a commercial. She's like, way cool. So it was really cool to kind of see the behind the scenes thing. And definitely that was not Martin chopping the celery. They brought someone in for that.

KRAIG KANN: It wasn't?

GERINA PILLER: No. Unless he has something hidden that I don't know. (Laughter.) Works in the kitchen on the weekend, I guess.

KRAIG KANN: If you are to win this week, there will be plenty more commercials, a lot more endorsements. Best of luck. Thank you so much for coming in, and congratulations on all you've accomplished. Thanks a lot, Gerina Piller.

GERINA PILLER: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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