THE MODERATOR: 8-under par round today. Obviously a great round today. Just what went right for you out there? What did you have going?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: I was wedging it really well today, which gave me a lot of chances for birdie. Then I had a really hot putter today and that's kind of what made the score, I feel like.
THE MODERATOR: Then you saw your fellow Denmark, fellow Dane, Nanna with a good round. How cool is it to have both of you at or near the top of the leaderboard?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: I would say that it's amazing that two Danes are at the top. I think it's a really good showcase of golf for Denmark and for women's golf in Denmark and super happy that we're both up there.
THE MODERATOR: Take some questions.
Q. Along those lines, I know it's your playing for, I mean it's a medal play for the week, but when you look at a leaderboard and see the flag there for someone else do you pay attention more than you would if it were a normal Tour event?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Yeah, of course. I mean it would be -- I'm still trying to beat everyone, but it's good to see that Nanna is up there as well. It's just really good for Danish golf and it's, yeah, it's just great.
Q. This is a very broad question, I apologize, but it seems like after watching this for a week and a half now there's almost a feeling in that first day of kind of getting to know the course, feeling your way around and then realizing good scores are out there. Is that the way it looks to you, that the more you play it the more you say, look, I can score here.
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Yeah, I guess you're right. I think especially getting a feel for the greens yesterday made me believe a little bit more about what lines I had to hit and so on and, yeah. I think so.
Q. How big is Danish golf in your mind?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: I mean, I think it's the fourth biggest sport in Denmark, but I think we're producing a lot of really, really good and talented players, when you think about how small we are and how many are on Tour and winning. So I think Danish golf is growing and I think that's really important.
Q. You said earlier that, did you put something new in the bag or change something from last round to this round?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: No.
Q. The one hole I didn't see today did they move the tees forward on No. 6.
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Yes, so I hit a 3-wood to about eight feet and then I holed the putt.
Q. That was fun.
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: That was very fun. (Laughing).
Q. About how long was that hole playing today?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: I think I had 226 meters to the pin.
Q. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like I read a story about you recently, at least this year or so, on maybe was it a Solheim Cup that kind of took some confidence away and it took time to rebuild? Did I read that correctly.
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Yeah.
Q. Okay. Would you mind talking about where your confidence is now and how important that break through was?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Well, I think I've grown a lot in the last four years. I don't necessarily think I was mature enough or ready enough to play the Solheim in 2017. It was obviously a really big honor to get picked by Annika and, but looking back, and you can always look back smarter, I feel like. I feel like I've matured a lot in the last four years and I feel a lot more ready for it.
Q. Can you talk about -- you hear players not just in golf but just athletes in general, talking about the issues they're having, about dealing with certain things. How did you decide to step back, why did you, who did you go to if anybody when you stepped back and how long did it take you to kind of get past the low point and start moving back up?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: I think the low period was two, two and a half years for me. So I was struggling a lot with the difference between the golfer Emily and the person Emily and I think that took a lot out of me and I went to, I had a sports psychologist, I still have him, but he actually recommended me to go see a clinical psychologist. So I did that and after a long time together she has told me that I was having anxiety and like a beginning depression. I feel like just the dealing with all that stuff and the knowing that I was good enough as a person and I wasn't just judged on my golf, I had to learn that for me to gain like inner confidence. So I'm somewhat happy I went through that tough period because it made me learn a lot about myself and I think it made me a lot stronger.
Q. There's a discussion obviously as you know that there may only be a 54-hole event versus 72. What's your thoughts on that?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: I mean there's not a lot to do about it, it is what it is. If they have to cut it to 54 then they will do that and if not they won't.
Q. Do you think there's an advantage either way?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: No, I think you still have to go out and play some good golf. I know I'm going to go out and play the same, give it my all every single round and if they cut it after tomorrow, then I will still know and have looked myself in the eye and said I've done the best that I could.
Q. Was there any sense of urgency to get a good score in today, knowing that might be a possibility, compared with if we would have had 72 holes.
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: No, if there's one thing I've learned or I feel like with golf is that you can force it. But I just tried to do my best on every shot. Obviously I knew that if you have three round to catch up four shots and two rounds to catch up four shots you want to kind of make a move, but I feel like you mentally have to be in a place where you give yourself a chance to do that and I feel like I was today.
Q. Are you and Nanna close?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Yeah, we played junior golf together so we're from the same golf club, actually. Our parents live 500 meters from each other. So we have grown up together and kind of followed each other all the way.
Q. Do your parents like each other?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Well they get along. (Laughing).
Q. With you and Nanna has it always been very competitive between the two of you?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Yeah, I think we have always pushed each other. Obviously when you grow up, we started, I was 10 and Nanna was 12 when I started and we kind of always have been pushing each other, competing and I think that's one of the reasons we're both so good and it's been a good environment to grow up in, having someone to push you a lot.
Q. And do you think tonight over dinner and back where you're staying, what will the dynamic be and that?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: It will be like every other night, I feel like. We don't talk a lot of golf when we're off the golf course, we'll just, we'll do a built of stretching, get some treatment, eat some Chinese food and then we'll go to bed.
Q. Not Japanese food.
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: No, we have a Chinese restaurant in the hotel.
Q. And if you're playing in the same group, are you somebody that likes to interact a lot with the people you're playing with or will you, will it change at all having her there?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: No, I don't think it will change. We're going to stick to our own routines. I chat a little bit here and there, but mostly -- especially when it's this hot, I feel like you are just trying to save energy. And I walk out in the shade a few times, which is kind of a way from the middle of the fairway and I walk alongside the rope. And obviously I don't really speak to anyone there, but it will be the same.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports