FORTINET FOUNDERS CUP

March 17, 2026

Natasha Oon

Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome to the 2026 Fortinet Founders Cup. We are joined by Natasha Oon. Welcome. Can we open up by talking about your journey up to this point here, making your rookie start on the LPGA Tour? Can you just put into words and summarize what it means this week to be playing?

NATASHA OON: Yeah, it means so much to me to play this week. I've always kind of rehashed this in my head when I was going through really tough times. It was such a rocky road. It was a slow climb and tumbling back down, slow climb, tumbling back down.

Now I feel like I've kind of seen the top a little bit and I'm just excited to just keep climbing up yeah.

Q. You've been playing on the Epson Tour to prep for this week. Just talk about how you felt over your game the past couple weeks?

NATASHA OON: I went out there was like, hey, I think this was a good warmup coming to here. I was just so happy to see everyone that I knew on the Epson Tour and cheering them on. Everyone told me, it's been a while. I was like, it has. It has been a while. They're like, what happened? Then I have like, oh, this happened and that happened, but they all cheered me on.

Being in the tournament I had to kind of take a while to get comfortable and just shooting that minus-3 on the first day was like, oh, hey, not too bad.

I remember there were days in my rehab story where I was like, how am I going to do? I don't feel good about everything? When I stepped on the tee I felt a rush of home again.

The Epson Tour, they're so welcoming. I love the media team. There is new faces and they're doing so well over there.

So, yeah, I just felt like it was such a good choice for me to go.

Q. We just had Juli Inkster in here right before you. Can you talk about your relationship with Juli and how you think that's helped you?

NATASHA OON: Juli has always looked out for me and always mentored me. Her husband was out there, too. He's my coach. They drove all the way here. Brian -- sorry, Juli was like such an idol to me growing up. What she did with like San Jose State and then having to hold this award to help us start our careers, I feel like her name should be talked about more.

She's paving roads and making it easier for us to be here. I think I aspire to be her. I aspire to inspire like her in the future. Yeah, she inspires me and I can hear her on the 18th like, hey. So, yeah.

Q. Can you just give us a little bit of the Reader's Digest of the injuries that have set you back?

NATASHA OON: I had a sessamoid stress fracture. Everyone is like, what's a sessamoid? I'm like, that's what I said too when they told me that. It's a bone in your right foot, and got stressed because I kept pivoting on it, turning on it.

It was first diagnoses as a turf toe and then became a plantar plate tear, and now I know medical terms I wish I didn't know, but I do. Yeah, had a cleft and it was stressed out.

I then did like physical therapy. I went through physical therapy and it just never went away. Then I decided to get surgery, take it out. So in parties I say I don't have all the bones in my body and I'm really interesting after that.

Yeah, then I rehabbed myself and my body was a lot weaker. Then I had issues with that. I had to get stronger slowly.

It doesn't do itself like -- you think it goes like quick. You think after that it's like, okay, here is an upward trend. It's always like this weird scale of things and sometimes you go back because you did too much. Sometimes you're too slow and you go out there and you're like, why am I not doing this right? Why am I not doing that right?

It's just the managing of things and it takes a while to figure out. It's like a Rubik's Cube. Yeah, went through so many medical products, journeys, I even tried to be like okay, let me watch this video about how this is done and everything.

Yeah, I learned a lot. I learned a lot for sure. Yeah.

Q. I would imagine since you weren't traveling and competing you had some extra down time. Did you pick up any new hobbies or interests?

NATASHA OON: I picked up singing. Picked up board games. I play Dungeons & Dragons. Really weird time. That was a ride. Four hours for like ten minutes of movement on that game. There is a board game for a Ponzi Scheme. Have you guys seen that? That's really weird.

I sang karaoke at bars. I would sign my name, like an Adele song, thanks. And then I like hiked. Went to Yosemite to test my foot out. It was okay.

Yeah, I mean, yeah, I had a lot of -- Parks and Recreation. That's a cool show. Love that. Treat yourself for sure. Treat yo'self.

Yeah. I could go on and on. Yeah.

Q. Did you watch LPGA golf?

NATASHA OON: No. No. You know, so sorry. Every time I'm like, I should be there but I'm not and I don't know what to do. I'd call my mom. (Making crying noises.) You got it. Just calm down. You're fine.

Let's just take a melatonin and let's just chill. Yeah, I didn't watch any. I would hear about it and reach out. I just needed time off for sure.

I felt like a normal human being. It was cool. Yeah, very cool time in my life.

Q. Welcome back.

NATASHA OON: Thank you. Thanks for the yap session.

Q. You were so vulnerable, and to be as young as you are and to be willing to be that vulnerable about something really, really challenging, why did you want to share that publically?

NATASHA OON: I think I've always had a hard time being someone other than I am. Sometimes I show too much and, I don't know, I just get hurt by it. But at the end of the day I never regret it. I feel like I can talk about things more freely. The people who are supposed to connect with me connect with me. It's such an amazing feeling to feel that connection.

So I just choose to share my truth all the time. I think what I get back is way more and I get to hear people's stories as well.

I know you. You're on Instagram. I see your picks.

Q. I did follow you on Instagram because I love how much you just remind the world of Alyssa Liu. I know that's been a huge inspiration for you. Talk about her, her mindset? I feel like you're on very similar journeys. What is it about her in particular that you resonate with so much?

NATASHA OON: I mean, she just like looks so free in that rink. I was so -- and the whole world was -- so enamored by it. I think she kind of contextualized what I've always wanted to feel through this journey.

How much fun I've been having getting better every day. I struggled being on the green for more than 20 minutes when I was rehabbing. I was like, what do I do? How can I practice? I'm missing everything and I used to make everything.

My past haunted me a lot. It was the big you were so good; now you're here. That wants a choice I had. Okay, I want to stop. I had to do it. For her, she chose it, which I feel like is such a bolder thing. She was like, no. She took a break and came back and did that.

So I was just like, oh, wow. Look at that energy, how much she just kind of stays in her lane and like enjoys it and enjoys the process. I think this is like art. I think shaping shots, getting better at it, choosing the clubs, it's art.

I was like, wow, why don't we share my art, be more bold about our choices. She's like, I go with the fits. So I'm like -- I'm from the Bay Area and I had my friends come. I have my friends coming and I made a party playlist. Here is some tournament vibes, some spectator essentials. Bring a book. Why don't we all have fun with this?

I love her. I love her and I'm so glad and thankful that she has spread that energy, that whim see.

Q. Give as you couple songs of the playlist?

NATASHA OON: Let me pull it up. I also have Dwayne Johnson as the cover of my party list; Watch Me Work is the title.

Q. W-e-r-k or just work?

NATASHA OON: No, it's work. That's a good -- I would do that. It's sheet music to that song he sang. It's about power and drive. Then the playlist, wait, let me turn it.

Where is it? Some songs is Just Keep Watching by Tate McRae, Circus by Britney Spears, everybody wants to Rule the World by Lorde. I'll put that.

Q. I think that's perfect.

NATASHA OON: Thank you, queen. Love you.

Q. We've asked a lot of questions about you today. Anything we didn't ask about you that we should know about you?

NATASHA OON: I mean, you guys did a great job. I'm so happy. I love all the women here. And the guys, sorry. But all the women here.

And I don't know. Like I think I'm just excited and you guys have fun with it and stay open, ask questions, and everything, and I'm very thankful all of you are covering this week. Yeah, let's have a good week.