Q. Ingrid Lindblad, 5-ubder 71. Talk us through your round a little bit.
INGRID LINDBLAD: You know start off pretty hot. Hit a great 3-wood on one just short of the green. Chipped and made the putt.
Made a good up and down on 2.
Birdied 3.
Birdied 4.
And I was like, I don't know what's happening anymore. It was a good start, and then I kind of hit a really bad shot on 5; made bogey.
But still said like keep the doubles off the scorecard and make bogeys instead of doubles. Overall it was okay today?
Q. Is the course playing harder or easier than you expected coming into the week?
INGRID LINDBLAD: I feel like off the tee it's playing a little easier. I kind of expected -- well, last time I played U.S. Open it was in December in Houston, so there was a little bit of rough, but I kind of expected it because when I've seen U.S. Open on TV it's been really green and like thick rough and everything.
But here you kind of have the pine and the sand instead. But I thought it played a little hard off the tee actually.
Q. How much nerves are you feeling out there? You look pretty at ease. How are you feeling out there?
INGRID LINDBLAD: I feel like it was more yesterday on the first tee box. First day we tee'd off on 9 so not a lot of people. Yesterday it was Annika, and that's pretty big.
And then this morning I -- the first tee shot is pretty comfortable for me, so I feel pretty comfortable, and then I was more nervous when I hit the tap-in on 18.
Q. That approach on 18, take me through the shot.
INGRID LINDBLAD: I had 97 meters in, a little downwind. You kind of have the ball above your feet there so I tried to grip down a club, gripped down a 54 degree.
I think it started a little bit more left than I thought, or than I was thinking, and then I saw it and I thought it went in at first because the ball was right behind the pin from where I was standing.
And then I heard the crowd and I was like, yep, that's close.
Q. And I know you've said that playing with Annika was really special for you. Pine Needles in general has a lot of history. Can you speak about your experience so far with her and now that's it's you, is there anything she said to you that's sticking with you that's carrying you through the weekend?
INGRID LINDBLAD: I remember after the first day I read a few articles. She said I was fearless and she knew that I hit the ball pretty far, but she was really impressed by my short game, especially on this course. You need to be able to hit really good chip shots to get close to the pin, and that's what I did the first day.
So it was really cool that she said that because it's Annika. (Laughter.)
Q. And what about your experience on the course and just --
INGRID LINDBLAD: With Annika?
Q. With Annika and just because the course has so much history with her and just for women's golf?
INGRID LINDBLAD: I mean, like I don't know a lot of history around Pine Needles and U.S. Open because I was not very old when they played here.
But -- huh? It was cool to play with Annika. She's still very solid player. You know, she can two-putt from basically anywhere on the green, and I thought that was really cool to see.
Q. Playing with Jin Young, the world No. 1, I'm sure that's a level you aspire to be at.
INGRID LINDBLAD: Yeah.
Q. Seeing it up close, what did that mean to you?
INGRID LINDBLAD: Like I don't know much about her actually. You see her name like on LPGA on the leaderboards and everything, but I don't know like a lot of players out here. Like I don't x off how good they are and everything. I know she's pretty solid because LPGA they're like oh, she's the best ball-striker on tour.
It's really cool to see like it didn't feel like she hit any bad shots. If she did, she two-putted and made par. So that was really cool to see. She's really solid.
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