THE MODERATOR: Please welcome Julia Lopez Ramirez to the interview area. Julia, 4-under par and bogey free. What was working for you today?
JULIA LOPEZ RAMIREZ: I kept myself under control, a lot of fairways, and some greens. A lot of good putts dropped. I knew on this golf course there would be problems and people are going to make mistakes.
Just keep myself patient out there and play my game and try to have my fun out there. I think I had a lot of fun. The golf course suits me, and it feels like a real golf course out here. It's fun like playing with the best players and obviously with the fans watching. So it's nice.
Q. How does it feel to walk off your first U.S. Women's Open round bogey free?
JULIA LOPEZ RAMIREZ: Honestly, it's been my first bogey-free round since I turned pro, so it's quite exciting. I know things are trending the right way, and it just makes my game and like myself feel more confident about it. I'm excited for what's coming next and the rest of the week.
Q. Being a rookie on the LPGA Tour, you've had kind of a wild season, had your appendix out and tried to find your golf game a little bit, but you seem to be rolling. Can you put in context your season, having that surgery, and now to be tied for the lead at the U.S. Women's Open?
JULIA LOPEZ RAMIREZ: It was definitely a roller coaster at the start. Going through surgery, it took me quite a while to recover and get back to my distance, like my game. Back from it I would say I worked really hard on it. Came out working out and practicing quite a lot. Out here everyone practices quite a lot, and you've got to keep it with the game.
I feel like I kind of kept myself in practice and kept myself in my bubble to know things happen, and you've just got to keep going with it.
Right now I feel like things are turning the right way because I'm more recovered from it and excited about the game coming in. So it's exciting to see.
Q. You talked about your distance, but what's really been working for you in the past couple weeks? Obviously made your last two cuts in the LPGA and come out here and play so well. What's been working so well?
JULIA LOPEZ RAMIREZ: I feel like my confidence is coming back. Obviously the game, it's been a bit of a roller coaster at the beginning just because like practice and honestly like not being out of my place out there.
I think it's been the consistency of my game and being confident out there. I think that's what worked.
Q. You're one of the longest players on the LPGA Tour already. What is it that allows you to generate so much power?
JULIA LOPEZ RAMIREZ: Honestly, I don't know how to answer that question. I've heard people say that because I ride motor bikes my forearms are strong and that's why I hit it far. People say it comes from my legs. I don't know.
I've been hitting it far since I was a kid because I compete with my coach and try to hit it as far as I can, and I think it just came with me.
Q. Did you ever do any speed training, any weight training, anything like that?
JULIA LOPEZ RAMIREZ: No, I didn't. I'm really into workouts, like I really enjoy working out and lifting, so I think that might be part of it. Yeah, I mean, who knows?
Q. What are your favorite workouts?
JULIA LOPEZ RAMIREZ: I'd probably say like I really like doing like a lot of lifting, squats, and bench press and all that stuff. I think it's good and what works for me.
Obviously having the cardio at the end is quite challenging. That's the kind of workout I like.
Q. Just what was the recovery process like? How were you able to come back so quickly after the appendectomy?
JULIA LOPEZ RAMIREZ: Two weeks after my surgery, I played in Arizona. That was like right after. Doctor says it's four weeks is what it takes somebody to recover, and it just takes like longer into -- like I couldn't lift anything. I couldn't take any weight. It was just more like just practicing with it.
So I feel like it probably took about like four or five weeks to full recovery. The first two weeks, like I was trying my best to play out there, but I would say four weeks was like the full recovery for me.
Q. Was there a particular event where you felt, okay, now I'm back to where I need to be, at least physically?
JULIA LOPEZ RAMIREZ: I would say Black Desert was really more like my game, more like positive and strong. So that's what I would say like it kind of came back from there.
Q. Obviously really strong start at a really difficult golf course in U.S. Open conditions. How do you build on this over the next 54 holes?
JULIA LOPEZ RAMIREZ: Obviously that gives me confidence for the rest of the week, but I do agree that it's a hard golf course. Mistakes are going to be made. Like we are not robots out here, even though we're really good players out here.
But I just say I have to keep myself patient out there. As long as I'm in control, that's all I can do.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports