THE MODERATOR: Okay, welcome to the media center. Joined by Linnea Strom, 2024 champion of the ShopRite LPGA Classic present by Acer. Just talk a little bit about what it means to be back here. You were a first-time winner here last year. What it means to be back at such a special place to you.
LINNEA STROM: It's so good to be back. I played the course yesterday and it's just so fun to be out there again and remember all of the shots that I hit, especially on the back nine last year.
So it just brings back a lot of great feelings; obviously some of the best memories that I have.
So, yeah, it's super fun to be back and I'm super excited for the up coming week.
Q. Any shots in particular you were remembering specifically when you were playing the back nine the other day? Anything stand out to you?
LINNEA STROM: I think my chip in on 9 for sure. And then kind of like the middle was a little bit of a blur, but that's why it was fun to play yesterday, because I felt like I refreshed some of the memories I had from the last couple holes.
Yeah, it was great, especially my last three holes, 16, 17, 18; I remember those pretty clear. So it was great to play those holes again yesterday.
Q. Last year was such a historic finish. That doesn't happen very often and it's very unique, the situation that you were in. Just talk about too did that ever settle in to you? Do you think you still realized what you did that day and how remarkable it was?
LINNEA STROM: I think it did after a while, and especially when people come up to me and call me Miss 60. It's pretty cool and fun to get reminded of it.
So, yeah, it's obviously just proved that anything is possible. I think I have that in the back of my head going into this week, too, that I love this golf course; I know it's very scorable; but it can also be a little bit tricky, especially if the wind picks up.
When I played yesterday I played pretty late in the afternoon. It was pretty windy, so some of the holes can be tough if the wind picks up for sure. But I think just having in the back of my head that anything is possible on this golf course.
Q. What has this past year been like for you as an LPGA Tour player with a win now out here? You were part of the Rolex Awards. You have that title by your name. Summarize those thoughts about being a winner now.
LINNEA STROM: I think after my win last year, I think I finished off the season pretty strong, so I think just gave me some confidence going into the summer and going over to Europe and playing those events as well.
Then obviously at the end of the season getting to attend the Rolex Awards, it's something I always dreamt of. I think that was pretty special and kind of reminded me of what I did last year with the win as well.
It's for sure giving me some confidence and a little bit of security, too, which is great. So, yeah, I'm just very happy to be back here and just have those great memories come back to me.
Q. When you were walking yesterday, I'm sure some of the volunteers and folks here saw you. What was the reception from just the long time volunteers and people that are at this tournament now when at the saw you in your practice round yesterday?
LINNEA STROM: I think that's what so special about this event as well. Because everyone that are here, feels like everyone are very close-knit and a lot of people have been a part of this tournament for so many years.
So I think it's great to see some familiar faces. Even yesterday when I got the shuttle to the driving range the guy recognized me straightaway and just talk me through how special it was for him to watch me win last year.
So I think it's just great to talk to some people that were here last year and supported me. Yeah, it's a very special place, and I think that the people that are here, they love this tournament as well. So I think that makes it even more special, and I'm very glad that I ended up winning this tournament for that reason.
Q. You're also kind of a part of the Swedish golf regime that is playing really well. You won here last year; Ingrid won earlier in LA; Maja's win last week. Talk about the close-knitness with you guys and Maja winning the U.S. Women's Open last week.
LINNEA STROM: I mean, it's pretty crazy. I think when you think about it, within the last year a small country like Sweden have four wins on the LPGA Tour. Just within a year.
I think it's for sure going to be more at the end of this year, too, so it's pretty crazy. I mean, it's a small country. I don't know what we're doing that's producing a lot of great golfers, but also great people in general as well.
So I think it's been great to watch some of my friends win, especially last week with Maja winning the U.S. Open. I think she even said as well she didn't come in with a lot of confidence before, which is kind of what I had similar last year coming into ShopRite.
I think that just makes it even more special, is to kind of have a couple weeks when you struggle, don't feel like everything is coming along how you want it to be, and then to go out and win a tournament, I think that's pretty cool.
Q. You mentioned confidence. What is the confidence like coming into this week, particularly yesterday playing in the practice round, playing on a course that you won here last year?
LINNEA STROM: I feel like my confidence is pretty good. I'm having to work for it for sure. The confidence hasn't come from any of my results the last couple weeks. Coming off a lot of the missed cuts lately, but I feel like it's pretty close.
I'm trying to get that confidence up a little bit more because that's probably the last missing piece that's missing at the moment. But I think -- I'm hoping this week will help me with that, just being back here where I feel like home now. It's great.
I know the golf course very well. I think I played here four, five years before. So it's just very familiar place for me to come back to, and I think that's going to help me this week for sure with some confidence as well.
Q. How do you feel your game has evolved taking over the entire scope of your professional career? How would you feel your game has evolved from the start of your career to now?
LINNEA STROM: I think my game is getting better and better for each year. I think that kind of after my win last year, you know, I kind of told myself that this is great with the winning category, that I don't have to play every week. I can take some more time off and actually work on my game and continue to improve each and every day.
Because I feel like that's kind of what I needed last year. I needed to sit down with my team and go through what I need to do differently in order to reach that next level.
I'm still kind of in that process a little bit where I feel like I still have so much more to give in my golf. I feel like I can still get a little bit more consistent with my ball striking. I know I have the potential to do that, so, yeah, I'm just trying to keep working hard every day.
But I feel like it's for sure in a better place now than what it was when I first came out on Tour. Yeah, I'm very excited about that.
Q. How does this golf course set up for you compared to the one you played last week?
LINNEA STROM: Obviously very different golf course from last week. I loved Erin Hills. It really suited my eye and I was disappointed that I didn't play better than what I did.
This golf course is great. It's not a long golf course, but I feel like you're still hitting a fair amount of drivers off the tee, if you can take advantage of the par-5s and try and make birdies, maybe some eagles on the par-5s.
And I'm also trying to focus a lot of my wedges this week. It's a lot of -- depending on how the wind, what kind of wind direction, but you can have a lot of wedges. Then the par-3s are on the longer side, so you kind of need to have everything covered: Long irons, good off the tee. The rough is pretty thick. I hit some in the rough yesterday.
I think it'll be important to hit fairways this week as well.
Q. What kind of things do you notice or does a Tour player notice about course conditions, turf conditions, that the average recreational player would not?
LINNEA STROM: I think Tour players in general are pretty good at the first day you go out on the golf course you kind of get somewhat of an idea how it's playing, how the greens are rolling, if it's grainy, if it's not grainy. You know what kind of rough it is, if you're going to hit fliers from the rough.
There are so many things you need to take into consideration. I think Tour players are generally pretty good at that versus an amateur golfer. That's why we have our caddies as well, to kind of help us read start lines. Like yesterday I hit a shot from the rough that ended up coming out as a flier, and then we kind of make a note on that, that if we have a similar lie in the future it's probably going to fly a bit farther than we expect it to.
So yeah, I think just the first look we have on the golf course we kind of just look at everything and take notes of that.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much.
LINNEA STROM: Thank you.
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