U.S. SENIOR WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

August 19, 2025

Leta Lindley

San Diego Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are here with our defending champion Leta Lindley. How does it feel to be here as the defending champion?

LETA LINDLEY: It feels great. I've been looking forward to this day for a long time. I grew up here in Southern California. I'm a product of the San Diego County Junior Golf Association and I played some junior golf tournaments here at San Diego Country Club. I am very happy to be back. I'm enjoying my week, and I'm looking forward to getting the tournament started.

Q. The course looks different than when you saw it before, but give us some first impressions of the new San Diego Country Club?

LETA LINDLEY: Well, it's going to be about the greens for sure. They are tricky. They are fast. There's a lot of undulation. I'm going to be hitting a lot of rainbow putts, so to speak, taking those high lines.

Then the chipping, the grass is pretty grabby. I'm trying to remember how I used to hit these shots growing up when I was in my teens, so I'm channeling some of that. So it's going to be about strategic placement on the greens and who's going to have the good putter this week.

Q. I know you hope to take it home again, but you did have to return the trophy. Talk about your tour with it the past year.

LETA LINDLEY: I was very sad to give it up. I asked for the very hard deadline. I wanted to keep it as long as I could. I took the trophy on a "Dare to Dream Big" tour, and I made it a point to share it with those in my community and even out of state, and really trying to encourage young women to dream big. I didn't dream big enough during my Tour days, and it wasn't until this senior season that I saw myself doing things greater.

I think that's part of being successful is seeing yourself doing great things, getting comfortable with the uncomfortable. So I was excited to share that message with different college teams and young girls that are coming up in the game.

Q. What has your prep looked like this year for this?

LETA LINDLEY: Well, I tried to play in as many events as I could because there's no substitution for competitive reps, so I played in the Florida State Open, the South Carolina Open coming into this, and then we had some legends events. It's really continuing to practice.

But you can hit balls on the range and it's just not the same as teeing it up in a tournament, so you have to test those nerves, see what's going on under fire in competition. So that's how I prepped coming in. I played a couple events before this.

Q. You had two near misses in this championship before you won last year. What did you learn from those two second-place finishes?

LETA LINDLEY: That I was so close, and it was possible is what I learned. That I could play well in this championship and that I could have success here and one day hold that trophy.

To finish second, second, first, I love the idea that I have two silver medals and I'd like to see two gold medals to even it out. I really like evenness, so I'd like to have two gold medals.

But there's a lot of golf to be played, and there's some really great champions here in the field, and I know it's going to be a tall task. But if I just go in with the mindset of one shot at a time and play the best I can, I think I can have a great week and be in contention.

Q. There were only five people under par at Fox Chapel last year. Do you think this is going to be that challenging?

LETA LINDLEY: I never know. It's kind of funny, I don't know that I thought teeing it up at Fox Chapel that there was a 7-under out there, and then when Kaori shot 5-under, I was like, wow, I guess that's out there. I was sort of inspired by her round of golf last year at Fox Chapel. I say anything is possible. If you're hitting it good and making those putts, for sure there's some good golf to be played out here.

I'm just going to try and hit my solid shots and try and make those putts and see what happens.

Q. What did your time as an LPGA member mean to you, especially as they're celebrating their 75th anniversary?

LETA LINDLEY: Well, I just think it was such an amazing time. I'm very proud of my time on Tour, and I feel like I'm a small part of helping the Tour to where it is today. So I'm excited to see -- 75 years. I remember when we were celebrating our 50th anniversary, and my gosh, 75 years already.

To be a part of that history is very special. I'm very proud of my time, my 18 years on Tour, and I'm excited that I'm still in the game and I get to continue to celebrate women's golf and sort of bring attention to senior women's golf as well.

Q. You just mentioned that growth. What are you most proud of in that growth that the LPGA has had over those 75 years?

LETA LINDLEY: Well, obviously, the purses have gone up, the awareness. Teeing it up in Erin Hills and seeing the young women out there play, I came away in awe. I don't know that they get the credit that they deserve and how so talented they are, how far they're hitting it, the game that they're playing today that's so different maybe when I was coming out.

I was able to grow up on Tour, and that really isn't an option anymore. You have to have your game. You've got to be ready to go. There's so much talent out there.

I'm just so impressed by the golf that I saw out there at Erin Hills.