Q. So how you doing, Beth Wu?
BETHANY WU: I'm doing well. Honestly, like I'm pretty excited to play this week. Haven't been excited to play a golf tournament in a long time.
Q. Good.
BETHANY WU: Yeah, it's good.
Q. Why are you excited?
BETHANY WU: Just after the season I think I just did some lifestyle changes, perspective changes, and like started reading these books and all that.
And I was getting bored doing the same things, so just switched it up a little bit, and now I'm actually excited to play golf again and to do this as my job and have these opportunities and all that.
So, yeah, I got nothing to lose this week honestly.
Q. What were you reading?
BETHANY WU: This book that actually Lilia Vu suggested called The Slight Edge, and then that led on to another book called The Happiness Advantage, and now I'm on my third book, The Book of Joy with the Dalai Lama and the bishop, so, yeah, it's pretty good.
A lot of like personal happiness joy, our own path and all that. So, yeah, all that good stuff.
Q. That's something we hear Jin Young Ko say a lot. She wants to be the happiest golfer on the golf course. Does that help you?
BETHANY WU: Yeah, I think I kind of learned this through the books, is that happiness leads to success, and usually a lot of people think it's vice versa, like me myself included.
But now that I have a different perspective on things, like I can be more grateful and have more gratitude for what I do and everyone around me.
Yeah, just try to surround myself with like my good circle of friends and all that, all my family, and so, yeah, uh-huh.
Q. Being so close to being part of that ten, to make it without having to stop here, is it different to think back on that time with this perspective of happiness and joy?
BETHANY WU: You know, I think -- looking back at it did sting a lot, but everything -- again, everything happens for a reason. I learned a lot this season. Learned what I like to do off the course, scheduling my practices, and all that.
So I'm actually very proud of how I finished and how well I played with the amount of tournaments I had, or I had entered.
So, yeah, I mean, it's just another tournament. So, yeah, honestly I kind of forgot it was happening. Someone was like, You ready? I'm like, For what? (Laughter.) I forgot and I'm leaving the next day to Alabama.
Q. Hopefully that means you had a good break though.
BETHANY WU: Yeah, it was good. I took like two and a half weeks off. I went to Arizona, San Francisco, drove around. So, yeah, it was fun.
Much needed, too.
Q. Looking back on that first year as a pro, what did you learn? I mean, we hear it all the time. When you're in school someone makes all the plans for and you does all this...
BETHANY WU: Yeah.
Q. What are the big takeaways from that first year as a grown up out on the road?
BETHANY WU: Yeah, I think it's just more so finding things to do off the golf course. Like for me I started -- like I would always go to these ice cream shops wherever we traveled to, so my friends and I would find the place, go there, try to get it like four out of the six nights we're there or something.
Best one I had was in Albany, so that was really good.
Q. What was that one called? Do you remember?
BETHANY WU: I don't even know the name, but toasted s'moreo.
Q. Toasted s'moreo?
BETHANY WU: It's like by far the best flavor I've had. But, yeah, that is one thing I did, and then I got off social media for a while and that was very healthy. I got to like just -- it happened in Coeur d'Alene when we were playing up there. My friend and I, we'd just drive up to the lake, sit there, just take it all in, like nature.
She would bring books and I brought a book, too, all that stuff just, to get our minds off social media and all.
Q. And it helped. That period of time the Symetra Tour went to some gorgeous places.
BETHANY WU: Yeah, it was really nice. Coeur d'Alene by far the most fun part of the trip. I drove my car so I made it all the way to Albany, back to Idaho, back down and stuff.
Yeah, got to go see Yosemite for the first time. Yeah, it was really fun.
Q. So you played Crossings?
BETHANY WU: Yeah.
Q. Have you been out to this part of the U.S. before?
BETHANY WU: I mean, Prattville earlier in the year, but not Mobile. Yeah, people are like, Are you going to go visit? I'm like, No.
But like, I mean, it's just like another tournament to play in so it's okay. You just have to adapt.
Q. And that's actually a question that I've heard a couple reporters asking lately about your thoughts on seeing a course you've never seen before. There were some people who were out here practicing earlier in this the week; there were some people who just come in blind.
BETHANY WU: Yeah, yeah.
Q. What works for you?
BETHANY WU: Honestly, it's like I would rather just go into it blind, like I see the course for the first time. It's a long week, long tournament, so -- and I wanted to spend more time at home anyway, so it really doesn't matter to me.
Just show up, go to the golf course, adapt to it, and then go from there. That's all you have to have with golf. We don't play on the same golf courses every week, so it's just see who can adapt the best. So, yeah.
Q. You had a fun group playing with today, Andrea and Allison, a little college and junior amateur reunion.
BETHANY WU: Yeah, yeah, no, it was fun. It's always good to see them both. I see Andrea back at home once in a while, too. Haven't seen Alison in a while because of school and all that, but it's so fun to see old faces. They're like some of the good friends from way back, so, yeah, it was really fun.
Q. I feel like you should -- I mean, I've known you forever personally, so it's weird talking to you thinking, Man, you could finally make to the LPGA Tour.
BETHANY WU: You know, it's kind of wild. Like honestly, I'll be straight. Last year I was like, I don't even know if I can do it. Then finishing 11th I'm like, Okay, like I kind of have a chance.
Now I'm like, All right, I'm excited to play these tournaments. Like I'm excited to play. I have nothing to lose. A year from like today I had no -- I barely had any status on Symetra; now I'm here with full -- potentially playing for full LPGA.
So a lot of things can happen in a year.
Q. Uh-huh.
BETHANY WU: So, yeah.
Q. So we're in the first week, hopefully around for two.
BETHANY WU: Yes.
Q. What's the strategy for trying to get through these two weeks? This is a slog.
BETHANY WU: I know. I have no idea what the strategy is. I think it's just doing the same thing I've been doing all year, just like plodding along. It's a marathon, definitely not a sprint like usually.
I think it's more so like how -- basically make the least mistakes out of -- less than everyone else, so...
I think physically it's going to be a little tiring, too, so I think just really maintaining energy, and then, yeah, it is what it is on the golf course. After I play, just have no regrets.
Q. Have you found an ice cream place yet in Mobile?
BETHANY WU: Yeah. No, I think we're going to go tonight. I'll let you know.
Q. Nice. Please do. Report back.
BETHANY WU: Yeah. Has to have a good waffle cone.
Q. That's your mark?
BETHANY WU: The ice cream flavor -- the actual consistency and waffle cone. If there is no waffle cone it's an automatic no.
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