ABERDEEN STANDARD INVESTMENTS LADIES SCOTTISH OPEN

August 16, 2020

Kylie Henry

The Renaissance Club

Quick Quotes

THE MODERATOR: Welcoming Kylie Henry who finished a fourth round 69. Talk can you talk about how you found conditions and how you played?

KYLIE HENRY: Yeah, so conditions were really quite a good bit calmer today, the ball couldn't wasn't going as far and the course was playing great and I played solid and I bounced back every time I made a mistake. I'm really happy with my game and how I played.

THE MODERATOR: Finishing asked leading Scot in the Ladies Scottish Open, must be quite a proud moment for you?

KYLIE HENRY: Yeah, I'm delighted with that. It was -- you know, there's a good few strong Scottish players and I'm delighted for our home tournament to finish the top Scot, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: You managed to get down to England to play only two of the Rose Ladies Series because of the lockdown in Scotland. Did you play one of Paul Lawrie's events.

KYLIE HENRY: Yeah so it was great. Paul Lawrie put on, it was meant to be a couple of events but ended up just being the one at Carnoustie, which was brilliant. It was so good to play a good, tough, strong course before coming into this week. Yeah, I found that really beneficial, and I'm just so grateful, actually, that the tournaments that I am playing are in Scotland and I'm not having to travel far and we're just so fortunate that we've got great people like Paul Lawrie and Martin Gilbert going so much for Scottish game for all these years.

THE MODERATOR: You finished 15th in the Paul Lawrie tournament. Where did you sit in the leaderboard.

KYLIE HENRY: I finished tied 10th, which was great. I played with Paul Lawrie himself in the first round, so that was really cool to play with him around Carnoustie where he won his Open. It was just great, really good fun. They set the course up really well and it was really fair for the women to be playing against the men. Just a great opportunity, really.

THE MODERATOR: Did he give you any links tips you've taken into this week?

KYLIE HENRY: Just watching. He's so impressive. He strikes his irons really well. So it was just great to watch how he played Carnoustie, and he played got day that I played with him, as well, so that was good fun.

Q. Can you talk about playing a Women's Open, the first one at Troon, so close to home?

KYLIE HENRY: Yeah, delighted to get a spot for this coming week at Troon. I played Troon a lot as an amateur. We played the Helen Holm every year, so I have great memories of playing there, but I actually haven't played it now for about 11 years or so. I'm just really excited to be playing the British Open. I think this will be my seventh in a row and quite happy with that and looking forward to it.

Q. The two rounds you played this weekend, impressive. Did you feel that was coming?

KYLIE HENRY: To be honest, I felt like my game's been really quite strong for a while, and I was gutted when coronavirus kicked in because it started in Australia with a couple Top 10s and I was trending well. I feel happy with my game. My driving is strong and I'm feeling really powerful and I'm putting well. Those are my two main strengths I would say right now.

THE MODERATOR: How do you manage through lockdown when you couldn't play to stay so competitive?

KYLIE HENRY: It was pretty tough, actually, for golf to be completely taken away. I think everybody found that, not just professionals. To not even be able to get on the golf course at all or practice was really tough. Luckily I don't live with my parents but I was delivering shopping to them now and then because they stay in the country, so I was able to hit a few balls from their garden into the farmer's field in the back. My husband and I were really delighted to at least have that.

But you know what, something like this really makes you so grateful and makes you really realise how much you love the game when it's taken away from you in that way, and I think when the lockdown finished and we could get out on the golf course, we were so grateful to be playing again. I feel like that gives you a fresh perspective, as well. We were quite fortunate.

Q. I know all your focus will be on next week now, but what happens beyond that? You say your playing opportunities were pretty limited coming out of lockdown and there doesn't seem to be a lot after the Women's Open. Do you have any plans? Will you play more Lawrie events if they are available?

KYLIE HENRY: Yeah, I'll definitely play the Paul Lawrie events if they match nicely with our LET schedule. But after the British Open, I go straight to Prague to play in the Czech Open and then there's a week off and we are scheduled to play Switzerland back-to-back in September.

So the near future is looking quite good. We've got a good few tournaments. I guess, what will that be, that will be five tournaments in six weeks. So that's pretty good.

Beyond that, I'm not sure. Just waiting on our tour. We'll just see sort of how things go with coronavirus and sort of take it from there.

Q. When you played the Helen Holm at Troon, it's fantastic the top female pros are getting a chance to play there. Can you talk about what treat is in store for the world's top players next week?

KYLIE HENRY: It's such a great, traditional links golf course, which is fair. If you play, if you're hitting good shots, you're going to end up in good spots and you'll shoot a good score. I love that it's not -- it's not too tricked up or anything like that, and that's kind of what I mean when I say it's a traditional links.

And I just think you're right on the water, as well, so it's very exposed. I think this week at Renaissance, we've been very lucky not to get some brutal conditions. Obviously the course is playing tough but we've had pretty calm conditions. I know it can really blow around here. So I think we'll maybe get some more difficult conditions at Royal Troon next week.

Q. Will the bubble for you next week be a hotel bubble or are you able to stay at home?

KYLIE HENRY: I'm actually having to stay in a hotel because my brother has flown in from Dubai, and although we are -- it's very complicated. Although we are short game a room this week in the hotel in the bubble, he can't come out of that bubble to stay with me in my home next week. So if he's going to be staying in the hotel and sharing a car, I'm just going to stay with him in the hotel. That sort of makes the most sense I think.

Q. Be a strange week staying in a hotel.

KYLIE HENRY: Yeah, my husband, Scott, was saying, "You're going to be less than five miles from me and I'm not going to get to see you." It's a funny one.

To be honest, I'm delighted, I'll do anything to play in the tournament. To go and stay in a hotel, it's hardly punishment, anyway. At least the tournament's on.

Q. I think you're the leading Brit, let alone the leading Scot. How far you exactly from Troon, your house, and where you live normally?

KYLIE HENRY: So I live in Milngavie, so I don't know exactly how many miles that is, but it is on the outskirts of the city. It's one of the sort of suburbs I guess. I think if I were to stay at home, it would probably take me about 50 minutes to get to Troon. And I think staying in the hotel, it's probably going to take about 40.

Q. So it's less than an hour normally to Troon?

KYLIE HENRY: I think so. Obviously depend on city traffic. The good thing about not staying in Milngavie, I don't need to come through the city traffic. If you're staying at the Hilton right at the motorway, you can get on the M77 and get down the road to Troon quite easily. At least that's a bonus about not staying at home.