THE MODERATOR: Here with Katie Lu, one of our sponsor invites this week and Michigan State golfer, so local to the area. This is your first LPGA Tour event every, correct?
KATIE LU: I actually played one last year.
Q. Okay; which one was that?
KATIE LU: The Founders Cup.
Q. So second LPGA Tour event. This time a little closer to your home, current home of Michigan. Tell us how excited you are to be teeing it up this week.
KATIE LU: Yeah, I'm so excited to just be able to be inside the ropes with the pro golfers our on tour. It's going to be a great experience for me and from a learning standpoint, too. There is so much to learn from these professional golfers.
So definitely never going to forget this.
Q. When you heard that you were getting the sponsor invite, can you just take us through how you found out you got the sponsor invite and some of the excitement there?
KATIE LU: Yeah, so I've known that our team gets a sponsor's exemption to the Meijer LPGA, so it's kind of always been on my mind throughout the whole year. Coach and I were on the range and I just casually brought it up. Hey, coach, what are you thinking?
And then she told me, you keep doing what you're doing and the lowest scoring average gets it. It all ended up great. When she told me officially that I go the exemption, I was so excited.
Q. Speaking of what you've been doing this year, I think just a couple weeks ago you were named First Team All Big Ten. Had just a really good season. Take us through the highlights of the 2024 season with your team.
KATIE LU: Yeah, as a team we won a team title at Briar's Creek in the spring season, and I was able to win two times individually, once in the fall and once in the spring, too.
We finished 17th in the country at the national championship this year, and we hosted regionals at our home course, Forest Acres, and came out with a Top 3.
So that was good.
The team is just -- I'm always so grateful to be on a team surrounded by so many good golfers. It was great.
Q. You're now going to be a senior. It will be your last year at Michigan State. Maybe. I don't know if you have any extra years. But you'll be a senior. What is your goal for your senior year at Michigan State, and how are you preparing? I know it's summer right now.
KATIE LU: Yeah, one goal for sure would be to win Big Tens, both as a team and individually. I think that would be super cool.
And to get another All-American honor would be exciting, as well as First Team. It's always fun to win tournaments with the girls, so as many team wins would be awesome.
Q. Have you thought about your future in golf yet, once college is over?
KATIE LU: Yes, I hope to turn professional after graduation, so this week will for sure be a good learning experience for that.
Q. Let's focus on this week. You just played a practice round today, and with Lexi Thompson. Can you tell us about that experience out there?
KATIE LU: Yeah, playing with Lexi was definitely on my Bucket List just because this is her last full season on tour. So just being able to play one of her practice rounds with her was so cool.
She was also wearing green and white today, which was a total coincidence. My caddie and I, Sydney, we were waiting for the shuttle to go to the first tee and we kind of see Lexi walking up back there. In our heads we're thinking, I wonder if she's also playing a practice round right now, and she ended up playing.
So it was so cool to walk nine holes with her and see her game up front inside the ropes.
Q. What was your impression of her in general?
KATIE LU: She's so open. Made me feel very comfortable. She's like very chill, too. We were out there laughing at some golf stories and kind of talking about how both our moms don't know too much about golf, so they're always clapping at everything.
She's a great person and made me feel very comfortable out there.
Q. You said that this week will be a learning experience for you you. What are some of the things you're looking to learn, goals you're setting for yourself throughout the week?
KATIE LU: From a learning standpoint, I would say seeing how creative the pros are out there on the course. After my practice round today I could see their course management too was maybe a little bit different than what I'm used to, because they have played in course maybe more than once and they know how to navigate through different holes depending on how the green a reacting.
So lots to learn from the golf standpoint, and also how they hold themselves out there, walk from tee to green, and just their mental side and composure.
Q. You just mentioned the course. Do you have any experience with Blythefield Country Club or first time out here?
KATIE LU: Yeah, I played once in the fall with my team, and then also once in the spring. But they have it kind of set up a little different with some of the holes.
Q. A lot different.
KATIE LU: Yeah, so it was cool to see how they're playing it different than the usual course.
Q. What were your impressions of the course today as you were playing the practice round?
KATIE LU: Yeah, I thought the course was in great shape. There are some doglegs where you definitely have to be on the right side and maybe not have to hit driver off the tee for every hole. It'll be a good test.
Q. Any particular goals for yourself this week? Making the cut? Learning a lot? What are some of the goals for yourself?
KATIE LU: Yeah, I'm just trying to treat this week like any other tournament just so I don't get caught up in too many things, and just like any other tournament to finish up as high as I can on the leaderboard.
I think definitely come Friday I'll be thinking of that cut line and would be awesome to make the weekend and have a shot.
Q. What sort of support are you looking forward to this week? I'm sure there will be a lot of Michigan State fans out there. How excited are you for the fans? Any particular people coming to support you?
KATIE LU: Yeah, I'm so excited for the fans. I know -- I've already ran into so many Spartans here and some of the volunteers too. They've been saying, go green, and I love it when people say that. In general Michigan State, we have some of the best college fans in the country. No bias there.
But I think a ton of my -- three of my teammates are going to come; some on the men's team; coach is going to come.
So it's going to be a good week.
THE MODERATOR: Well I'm looking forward to watching you this week. Good luck.
KATIE LU: Thanks, Emily.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports