No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - NLU Podcast, Episode 246: Mel Reid
Episode Date: September 10, 2019Recorded earlier this year at the KPMG Women's PGA, here is our interview with Mel Reid. She tells about her experience coming out as gay, the tragic death of her mom, golf in England, the Solheim Cup..., snowboarding, and a lot more. Mel is a great hang and an easy player to root for. Thanks for the time! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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I'm going to be the right club today.
Yeah. That's better than most.
How about him?
That is better than most.
Better than most!
Expect anything different!
All right ladies and gentlemen welcome back to the No Laying Up podcast. We have a short episode today
Little behind schedule getting this out. I've been on the road a little bit I will promise there is a podcast going to be coming on the trip
I recently did to England a lot of you were requesting that one to hear about some little links in Heathland courses.
We played out there.
I have this for you to bridge you until that is done.
It's an interview we did all the way back at the KPMG Women's PGA championship back in
June at Hazeltein.
We spent about 30 minutes with Mel Reed who went on to have a top 10 finish at the event.
She is an English golfer that will be a captain in this week's Soulheim Cup,
Assistant Captain on that team, and has played in Soulheim Cups in the past.
And she's just a really cool, fun hang, and we got to spend a little time with her and have this interview for you.
So it is a bit on the shorter side. And we have still have some more interviews
we want to roll out from that week.
We have Jay Marie Green.
We've had these kind of saved up for a slower time in the season
and with the LPGA season really full in full swing still,
thought this might be a good timing.
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Be sure to check them out without further delay. Here is our interview with Mel Reed
All right now welcoming in here. We're at the KPMG women's PGA Mel Reed
I was I asked if you were warned about us,
you said you're familiar.
You know what you're getting yourself into, I guess.
Yeah, definitely.
I really like your guys' content.
You guys are pretty funny.
I don't want a biggie guys to, that too much.
Well, I was gonna say, wait till we're done
with the interview before you say that.
I'm having a completely different opinion after this.
But no, I like your guys' content, so.
Awesome, let's start right with the easy stuff.
Your background, I think people can recognize the accent
pretty quickly and guess where you're from, but how long have you been
in the States and your background in golf?
Yeah, I mean, I took up golf at a relatively late age,
like 10 or 11 years old.
I was a football player before that, or soccer,
as you guys like to call over here.
But I still played soccer up until a couple of years ago,
and I kind of snowballed every winter.
That's also my other love.
But yeah, I mean, I've just since 11 years old,
I've kind of taken over my life really.
Lifted England, my whole life,
and eventually moved to Jupiter last October,
which I think was a great move for me,
and makes my life a lot easier practicing
and nice weather instead of the pouring rain.
So yeah, I've just made a lot of changes over the last year.
Was that the mean motivating factor to move to Florida? Was it just weather and whatnot? Yeah, it was, honestly. And like traveling, obviously, I've just made a lot of changes over the last year. Was that the mean motivating factor to move to Florida?
Was just weather and whatnot?
Yeah, it was, honestly.
And like traveling, obviously, I've been playing in the state.
So traveling for me was obviously
a much more difficult in England.
I was having to go back every three weeks, which kind of sucked.
So it's made that a lot easier.
And obviously, I have a lot of friends down there as well.
So the move was relatively smooth for me.
Where'd you set up shop down there?
So I live in Jupta, which I think every other golfer lives in. So the only problem is when
you go for nights out and you just want your own privacy in this people there and seeing
how much trouble you're getting into. But yeah, I practice at Bear Lakes, which has two
great golf courses. One's kind of Lynxie, which is great for British Open Prep and things
like that. So yeah, very, very happy down there, just about settled in properly now.
Had my trainer down there, Kemek Donald, who's changed a lot with me, which he's been fantastic.
He's been a huge influence on me down there.
It's been good.
It's been definitely a very positive move.
What was your introduction to the game, Golf?
Basically, I did play football quite competitively,
and my parents basically wanted to not pay
for kind of childcare during summer holidays.
They just kind of threw me to the golf course.
And luckily, I got addicted.
So they used to drop me off at 7am
and pit me up at like 10 o'clock at night.
So I was really fortunate like where I grew up.
There was like 90 juniors. And 20 was really fortunate like where I grew up, there was like 90
juniors and 20 of them were like my real good mates, you know,
majority of them were boys as well.
And so we literally would just play like 45 whole day, just
absolutely obsessed with it.
So for me, it was a lot, a lot of fun kind of getting into the game.
And I really enjoyed the social aspect of it, which is kind of
weird now because obviously my goal was I would say I'm quite
introvert and you spend so much time in your own. But for me, it was the social aspect which is kind of weird now because obviously my goal was I would say I quite introvert and you spend so much time on your own but for me it was the social aspect
that really kind of attracted me to it. Those first few years, what was that transition
like from discovering the game to you know kind of being obsessed with it and then obviously
into a pro career? How quickly did you know something you could pursue as a career?
I mean it's kind of where I wanted to be a professional footballer, then I wanted to be a
personal border, and then it was about 14-15 where I got started to win quite big events
that I was, actually, I kind of want to do this for a living.
So I was going to go to college in the States at 17-18 years old, but my mum kind of persuaded
me not to exosperate a bit wild as a child. So I think let loose in this country, I was going to USC, so let
loose in California at 17, I might not have made it, so yeah I got a job for a
couple years and then turn pro at 20 years old which turned out to be a good
decision. We were talking a bit about your game and what it's like before the
mics were turned on, let's see what I can get you to repeat, but what is your
game like and how does it stack up at a golf course like this? I mean I what it's like before the mics return down, let's see what I can get you to repeat. But what is your game like and how does it stack up
at a golf course like this?
I mean, I would say I'm among the long players.
I'm definitely not the longest,
but I have a really high ball flight
for a, I hate saying it, but for a girl.
So kind of all my strength is carry.
So on a golf course like this at Hazelteen,
it's, I find that is one of my advantages
is that I can kind of carry the bunkers at all at like 245. So yeah, that that is one of my advantages is that I can kind of carry the bunkers that are all at like 245.
So yeah, that's definitely one of my strength is kind of the height that I hit out.
I can stop six signs and stuff on quite firmish greens.
So hopefully I can just pull my head out of my ass and put in a couple good results.
But a major chip, championship set up sets up well for you, you would say.
Yeah, I mean, with me it's always been my been my head you know it's not necessarily been my golfing
ability so you know we've actually I know it sounds stupid because I've not had a great
season but I found something I felt last weekend in Grand Rapids so I actually practice really
well the last few days so I'm actually feeling pretty confident going into this so hopefully
you know this is going to be a start of kind of a really strong stretch for me but again
you just you know with me like I said it's all in my head, so I just need to control my own stuff
that's going on there really, and then we should be fine.
You've talked, it sounds like length is one of the strengths of your game.
I was curious, in your words, maybe another strength, and then also, what do you think is
the weakness in your game?
I struggle with confidence, which people,
I feel like I'm quite confident outside of golf.
And then not as confident as I should be inside of golf,
which is kind of odd.
I feel like a lot of golfers are completely opposite.
So that's definitely my weakness.
I'm quite a confidence player.
But then one of my strengths is if my back's against the wall,
I always seem to perform well.
So for me, I overthink a lot of things.
The more simple I keep it, then the easier it is for me.
It was actually really funny.
I played golf with hate and anger off people.
I grew up with Rory and played golf with her
at Bears Club not long ago.
And he was basically talking about the same thing.
And so I don't know why.
Like, it's just kind of stuck with me a little bit.
And I've been trying to do that the last few months,
just to try and keep it really simple because I mean you can just you can't
overthink this way too much this game especially because it's just so you know it's just so
technical at times but that's kind of with me is I keep it simple I usually play pretty
free.
What compared contrast the differences between playing a full ladies European tour schedule
and playing here on the LPGA tour in the States?
Well this is a thing I mean when I first came out in Europe the schedule was awesome,
it was a great place to saw your career, obviously they've struggled a little bit with events
now in Europe which I feel really sorry for the girls for because it was such a great stepping
stone to then come on to the LPGA where as now I feel it hasn't got that strength as
what it used to be anymore and hopefully it will come back to what it was. But the LPJ is so different in so many ways. I mean you can be good in Europe but you have to
be great to even compete out here. The strength and depth of the LPJ is getting so strong and
it's getting stronger every single year. I feel like more and more girls are able to win out here,
whereas years ago I felt like there was a handful of girls that could win. I just feel like
the strength out here is just getting higher and higher and higher, so there's more and more girls that can compete.
Even making the cut, I know it sounds silly, but even making the cut you've played well.
No cuts going to be over par and so for me you just cannot be off, you could just cannot
have an off day out here, which is awesome, but when you're struggling obviously it's
difficult, but it certainly makes you a better player for sure.
Going back was a 2007 Women's British Open at St Andrews.
You were a low amateur.
How many times have you played St Andrews prior to that week?
I played quite a lot.
We used to have a few amateur events down there, so I kind of knew the golf course pretty
well.
I feel like it's, I think, St Andrews is obviously a special place, but it's, I just feel like it kind of sets up
well for me. I've always played well around there even as an amateur, so, but yeah, it was
quite cool because like my dad was on the, like, on the bag and stuff, and I think he
enjoyed it more than I did. Like, there's the level of his side a bit more than I did.
I think he was getting more attention than me, so, no, it's just a very special week,
like my family were there there and it was just cool
to kind of finish higher up.
And this is how cocky I was when I was at age.
I actually was gutted, I didn't win.
That's like how am I in my sense?
That's how I changed.
But I genuinely thought I could win.
I think I had like seven, three puts a week and I was just absolutely gutted, I didn't win.
But that's what youth gives you, isn't it?
You kind of wish you could go back to that.
I wish I had that fearless now, but I've got so many bloody cracks on me.
Yeah, I mean, yeah, when you were kid, if you're not fearless, then you've just got no chance.
So it was just cool.
It was cool to play and have my family though.
Eddie Pepperel called those gremlins.
Everyone's got little gremlins on their shoulder and the...
The old dickhead, the more annoying they become as well.
Well, first I'm curious if how long usually into an interview before somebody brings up
the topic of you came out as gay last year.
I'm assuming nine minutes were probably later than most that bring it up.
It's about 20 seconds.
It's keep boys have done quite well.
But no, I was especially curious about what you said about it, the reasonings behind
it and what not, and I'm just curious what life has been like since that decision.
My fan base has become different, for sure.
I mean, listen, I feel like people have just completely took on the sexuality side of it,
which was not, I didn't expect it to get the attention that it did.
But like I've said, I feel like I can only speak on behalf of kind of the LPJ girls, but
a lot of these girls give back in so many different ways
Which is incredible to like charities and their own organizations whereas for me
Because I've been in it and I've seen the dark side of our community of the LGBTQ community like I
I see the struggles that a lot of people deal with and some of them have been my best friends, you know
So for me, it was just important to kind of be brave enough to say like look,
I'm not, you know, people interpret it. So sometimes interpreters as certain people and it was
just important for me to kind of give back in that way and just, you know, be proud of who I am and
you know, that was kind of the big thing for me was just to be brave enough to be, you know,
normal about. I hate the
word normal but for other people to be educated and be like look there's nothing. Has it
been welcoming feeling? Yeah for sure. I got some really cool messages
from the girls. Which actually meant a lot to me. I was kind of a little bit nervous about
how some of the girls would react. Because obviously we do have gay girls out here,
but some of them are going to be very private about it,
which I 100% respect, and 100% understand as well.
But I had a lot of girls I didn't expect reach out to me
and give me support, which I thought was really,
really cool to be honest.
Yeah, and overall, obviously you're going to get the odd
comment here and there, but overall, I've had a really
positive reaction from it.
So hopefully it's helped
one or two people to you know just be more comfortable in their own skin basically.
Was there anything that kind of triggered the timing of it or why you decided to do it and was it freeing I guess in any way?
Yeah one of my best mates Molly Gallatin we'd spoken about it for a while. I always say like you know I'm
ordinary doesn't change the world and I'm always like
have these big things that I want to do and change that like that's I want people to
remember me and all this stuff and so we discussed it for a while and then she introduced me
to Athee Ally which is obviously who I had partnership like partnership with who who did
my story for me so as soon as I met them I kind of felt
very comfortable with them and I obviously agree with with what they do. So I
trusted them with my story and it was about six months later that I actually
finally had the guts to do it. So and it was in the off season which I thought was
perfect timing. I didn't really want it to happen during the season.
When you say your fan base has changed, what way has your fan base changed?
I mean, I'm sure you can imagine. I just get a lot more women following me now.
So you played the 2006 Curtis Cup at Band & Dunes?
Was it 2000? Yeah, maybe.
Yeah, I just wanted to hear about that.
Well, maybe 2000. That sounds like such a cool place to play a team event.
Oh, it was exciting.
And then you played in three Soul Hump Cups, too.
So I wanted to talk about that a little bit.
Yeah, Bannon Doons was sick.
And I got to play with my, like, childhood best friend,
Brianne.
She'll kill me if I don't mention Brianne Laox.
I think she played three Kerskulls.
She always likes to mention that as well.
So we played together.
Yeah, it was just awesome.
I'd never heard of Bannon Doons before.
And then we got there, and we're like, this is awesome.
Like, such a great guy. I haven't played it since. I would love to go back to
kind of Oregon and go back and play it. But, I mean, like I said, I kind of, I feel like
I just love team events. I've grown up in team events. So for me playing Curbs,
Solheim Curbs, to me, just really get me going. And I just love like the
whole team atmosphere, I love the change in ring banter, like that for me is
just what it's all about. I think that's why I kind of have quite close knit
team around me, because it's kind of important for me to feel like I'm part of a
team. So yeah, I mean honestly there's nothing more, like there's nothing more
exciting to me than representing, you know representing my country, my con and a solo
MCO. What's your favourite solo MCO memory?
I think obviously the one in cleancast on my first one was pretty special just because
the way that we won it. And then for those that maybe aren't as familiar with the solo
MCO, how did you guys win it and what was that like?
Well I think it was down to the last three matches. I can't remember the exact can't remember the exact situation, but there's no way we were going to win basically,
unless like Suzanne won the last three holes to Harvard,
Athah had to win two out of the last three to Harvard or something,
and I think Kara had well had to win the last three to win one out,
and we did all that, like we won the last, whatever holes we had,
to win it by one point, I think, in the end.
So, just the pie and everything afterwards
I was just ridiculous. So that's definitely one of my fondest memories and I think the
one in Germany as well which was in 2015? Yeah 2015.
3 and 0 in that one too. Yeah I did lose a match, played four matches
and one three and a half points which was special for me obviously because Germany is not
an easiest place for me to go to so So I kind of felt, it was the
first time me and my family had been back to Germany since obviously, since my mum and
so it was a special for me to play well and it was a shame we didn't win but for me it
was kind of a win, a win week for me.
What was the party like then? You brushed over that one pretty quickly. That's where
you went to details. I just remember, like me and Laura, we call her Dame A,
obviously, she's a Dame now, but me and Laura,
we were playing together and then whatever we were.
And for some reason, me and Dame A,
like, ends up in the volunteers' tent.
And they couldn't find us anywhere.
And we were just down in Guinness' with all these volunteers.
And yeah, we just go, we're just drinking Guinness out the curb.
And yeah, it was all a lot.
It sounds like you need to be on that team this year at one of Eagles in Scotland.
I know, I know, I know, I'm trying my hardest.
I'm trying to be like, Vee, hey, what's up?
Two cups in, I'm like, are you doing?
Let me get you somewhere, that's things.
But yeah, no, obviously I'd love to be part of it.
I know I haven't played great this season, but I definitely, hopefully I can play well,
at least in a couple of events coming up
just to keep her a little bit interested in me.
Switching topics a little bit,
where do you like to snowboard?
Honestly, I like only snowboard in Europe.
We went to Lake Louise when I was a kid,
but it was absolutely, it was like minus 40 degrees,
so it wasn't like the most pleasant trip of my life.
But we go to the same place in Austria,
places near Kitspil, we go pretty much every Christmas
all new year, we've been going since before I was born.
So we basically feel like we own the resort.
And we kind of act like it as well.
They get a new Mercedes every year when we go.
Because we spend so much money in the bar.
So we're a bit of a drinking family.
But yeah, we know we have a lot of fun.
Like the family goes.
We've got friends that go there now or so.
But yeah, obviously Snowboard and France, Switzerland.
But I'm definitely going to do a trip in the US
for sure this year.
What's tops on your list for the US?
I mean obviously, I've been whistler.
I mean, I don't know.
I've got a few people telling me about Colorado.
Let's tell your ride.
Really?
Tell your ride's really cool.
Is it?
Yeah, there's no lifelines.
It's 4,000 foot vertical.
Okay, sweet.
Because some of the boys go after like,
A&A they go to, is it Big Bear?
They go there straight after A&A, so we'll see.
I'm definitely, I'm gonna bring one of my snowboards
back over after Christmas, so we'll see.
I'm trying to plan something next January.
Sorry, I kind of hijacked it.
Oh, good.
Well, switching back to golf a little bit,
you know, you talk about some of the places
you want to snowboard, but are there any golf courses
in particular that, you know, you are on your bucket list
that you really want to see or
They're out there that you haven't been to I think definitely Pebble Beach
You know, we've got our US open there and a few I can't remember the exact date 2024 2022 maybe
So I'm absolutely stoked to be able to go there, but
Pebble Beach I think is is a big one for us We just I know some city, but it's the LPJ
This is why like KPMG is such a great event for us
and the PGF America because they put us on great golf courses
that the guys play.
And that's what we want.
We want to play the golf courses that the guys play.
We want to play the Pebble Beachers.
We want to play the wings for,
we want to play these huge golf courses.
And KPMG and the PGF America give us that opportunity.
So that's why this is like, honestly,
one of the girls favorite golf courses. Like golf events, sorry, purely because of the
great courses that we play. But yeah, we want to play all the big courses like the guys
do. That for us is it's so important for us. It's it's clear how much people have parked
up this week. Like people talking about the course and just I think just good infrastructure
all around. It makes it feel like a that much bigger than all that. Yeah, you know, the
PG America do a great job here with KPMG, so it's a great event.
Do you have the the women's British Open and the Scottish Open circled on your calendar this year?
Kind of American style courses but over and...
Yeah, it's a funny one really woven as a British Open golf course.
It's not something like a bunch of the American girls, like I was apparently Brittany Lang last week and she's like,
dude, that's not a British open golf course.
So, you know, woven to a great golf course
in its own right, obviously, but as a British open,
you kind of want links, you want rain, you want wind.
But, you know, they played it there a few,
a couple of three years ago, you know,
so it is a great golf course, it's a great venue.
You get a bunch of people there because of the location,
which is great for spectators like for us and having spectators there but for me a British open
should be a link school of course. Do you struggle in the window with such a
high ball flight? Well I didn't use to. I kind of actually this year I've kind of
thought about changing ball in the wind just because I get so much spin on it
but maybe I just need to swing it a little bit better but yeah I mean this is
the thing like you just adapt for one week and you know you just put it back in your stance and just you know hit it
lower but yeah like even the Renaissance for the Scottish open isn't really
lengthy so you know you're really gonna need it this year probably but we
not. What are the golf courses here from Derby? Derby yeah. What are the golf
courses like in that area? We've actually got a great selection of golf courses
all within, not far away.
My golf course, it tries people,
the first 11 holes are uphill.
She goes all the way up.
Yeah, you literally go all the way up.
People legit have heart attacks at all the time.
It's really depressing.
But anyway, it's an awesome golf course
like right in the country.
Yeah, first 11 holes go a bit uphill
and you can literally just see the whole of Derby.
It's pretty sick and then you obviously make your way back down
But yeah, they can't have buggies
Well, I think they've just introduced buggies now
But they didn't used to be able to because it's so like there's so many slopes on it and stuff
But it was cool growing up so much fun
But yeah people people don't enjoy walking around as far as geographically is that it's like south east of
Birmingham and...
Yeah, we're literally, you cannot get more middle of England.
We're like as far away from the coastline as you can get.
Which has been easing that far, but yeah, we're just like kind of bit northeastern Birmingham.
So luckily I don't bring that accent with me.
What are your favourite courses in England?
Berkdale's certainly up there.
The courses around like Liverpool, Blackpool area are pretty
pretty sick. South Point Ainsdale, Hillside. Yeah I mean like, like, live them isn't my favourite golf course at
all on the planet but it's a great golf course. But yeah if you live in like that Liverpool, you know,
like West Manchester you've got some awesome golf courses around there. West Langs is up there.
West Langs is up there. West Langs is up there. Yeah. West Langs is up there. Yeah, West Langs is up there. Yeah, yeah.
Or maybe you've literally got,
you've literally got like seven or eight golf courses
that are all world-class just around to corner from you.
So when you were talking about the Soulhorn Cup,
you mentioned Germany and the emotions that brought back.
I think, you know, in doing research for this interview,
I'm familiar with the story,
but I'm sure some listeners are not.
Can you talk about why that was so emotional for you?
Yeah, it was seven years ago this past May.
My parents, as normal, they would kind of come out and watch me at quite a lot of events.
I was paying a tournament in Germany and I think it was after the Tuesday.
Players party, my parents were drawing back and unfortunately it in a car accident, my mum didn't make it
So I obviously as a family we obviously really struggled going back to Germany, but
Yeah, so that's why that soul home was so
Special for me because my whole family came out and there's a lot of us so
Yeah, it was just it was just nice to
Kind of just play well and not let it beat me if that that's it was kind of like a competition thing for me. Like I didn't want it to beat me.
So for me, it was just a kind of special moment
and having my family, I was pretty cool.
And you'd said in interviews, obviously the aftermath,
I can't imagine, but you said,
you kind of got into a bit of a funk and a dark place.
I was just curious, if you could discuss that and then
the work you did to kind of get out of that and get to a better place, I was just curious, if you could discuss that and then, with the work you did to kind of get out of that
and get to a better place both in life and golf.
People have obviously exaggerated stuff.
I lost my mom at 23 years old.
Like it was just difficult.
And I wanted to look at, I moved back in with my dad.
I lost, I don't know, I just felt like
I wanted to look after my family,
and I'm the youngest of seven kids by 11 years.
But I still felt like I needed to look after my family.
I'm quite protective of it like that.
Especially my dad, because my dad's an awesome guy,
like an absolute living legend, but he's an older guy,
they had me quite late.
So I just wanted to, like, look after him a little bit,
and I don't know, I just golf wasn't a priority anymore.
And you know, I just, I don't think that
me dealing with stuff sometimes, like,
I go and enjoy myself, you know,
and I probably just golf just took a back seat,
and people just, the problem is when you're an athlete,
and you're in this kind of arena all the time,
people are very, they have an opinion on everything, and you can't hide from anything, because if you're in this kind of arena all the time. People are very, they have an opinion on everything
and you can't hide from anything
because if you're not playing well,
people are criticizing you and so,
it just was a bit of a snowball effect really.
And then probably two years after my mum passed away,
like my brand, who I mentioned earlier,
one of my best-made from home,
she kind of ran me out of my sight,
look, you need to switch that out.
Like, I'm not letting you just destroy yourself.
Like, this is not, you've got to stop feeling guilty or whatever you need, I'm there for you.
I literally just took a hard look in the mirror one day and I just stopped and that was
a completely changed, literally within, which is crazy, literally within that phone call.
So I have a lot to go to her, really.
After the soul-hime, did you feel like you had some sort of, not closure, but some sort
of, you felt like you really some sort of, not closure, but some sort of like you
could, you felt like you really had some momentum to move forward?
Yeah, for sure. I mean absolutely, like it was, yeah it's kind of funny to say
that it was kind of, it was the pink elephant in the room, like, because I never
went back to Germany and the soul-hymers in Germany and I really wanted to get
in soul-hymia, I don't want to go to Germany. So it was a big kind of mental achievement for me because psychologically that was all
it was, I just needed to get over that.
And I think that that then helped me to get my card in the States, honestly.
Like it gave me such a huge confidence booster after that.
And then ended up playing quite well for like a couple years.
So yeah, I mean you look back at, you know, when you, uncertain things in your life,
like you look back at things like that and you think, oh, actually, I'm not, I mean you look back at, you know, when you're uncertain things in your life, like you look back at things like that
You think, oh actually, I'm not, I am quite strong and you know, I did that like you can sometimes always try and improve
And I think that's what athletes just naturally do and sometimes you need to take a step back and be like, oh actually I did this really well
And just like reflect on actually the good stuff because we just constantly think of the things that we can get back around
I should have been, I should have been a bird been building three in a row and I didn't.
And blah, blah, blah, oh, you're still short-shaught,
60.
I know about a short-shaught, 66.
Do you know what I mean?
And that's what we just naturally do as golfers.
So something like that, I think, is important to go back,
reflect on, and pat yourself in the back, basically.
You talked a bit about how your season wasn't going
as well as you maybe had hoped.
What goes wrong for you when you're struggling
and what do you do to get things back on track?
Or what are you working on?
Well, I changed my coach a year ago to Jorge Perrata
and we've obviously changed a lot.
I've moved country, I've changed trainer,
changed manager, changed caddy.
Like I changed a lot this off season.
Absolutely busted my asses off season quite honestly.
And so I probably put a bit too much pressure on myself
to start the year because I expected so much for myself. I kind of feel like I've
always said this I feel like when things are going to settle down you will
like catch up with yourself and then you'll go you know in a really good
forward direction very quickly. I feel like I'm just still catching up a little bit
but I'm a lot further up than I thought I would be at this point so I mean what goes my honestly is just my head I just probably expect a lot further up than I thought I would be at this point. So, I mean, what goes on is honestly, it's just my head.
I just probably expect a lot for myself.
And, you know, I sometimes think of things that I can't control.
And it's just about, that sounds stupid,
but it is about just keeping it simple and just focusing
on what you're trying to do, not trying it,
what you're not trying to do.
And like I said, I felt like I kind of got something
out of that last weekend.
So, we'll see.
I'm feeling pretty good, which is quite unusual.
So.
What, who are some of your best friends out here on the LPGA tour?
People you run around with?
I'm quite fortunate.
I kind of hang out with the legends of the game.
So I hang out with Dame, I quite like Laura.
I just hang out with Webby, Lives 20 minutes away from me at home.
Kind of like, I don't know, really.
I just, I get on with everybody to be completely honest with you.
But I'm very select about people I let in my circle,
if that makes sense.
But yeah, I'm actually pretty good friends
with the officials as well.
Yeah, I'm very quite select to actually let in.
Like, I hang out with Jay, quite a bit,
Jay Marie Green.
She's ridiculous.
We had her on the phone.
She is ridiculous.
She's on a different planet, literally.
What's a good Jamie Regreen story then?
Oh, the way to Scott, this bar nearer is called
Jambi Bay and it's free drinks on a Thursday.
I should not be going.
I'm about 10 years too old to be going in there.
And I just don't know.
I feel like I'm just in GT and a couple other guys post.
Oh yeah, and I just get dragged in there by J.
I literally live two minutes away.
So she's like, dude, I'm in Jumpei and I'm like,
dude, that's good.
Like, what am I doing?
So yeah, there's a few girls out here
that definitely lead me astray.
But I think I do a pretty good job of doing that
as well as the people, so we're all bad influence
on each other.
What's your favorite tournament or favorite stretch
of this season?
It's pretty much now, like I love playing in Michigan. Everybody's really really friendly there.
Obviously KPMG is one of my favorite events, British Open, Scottish Open.
So we're like coming into a nice stretch, I like Toledo.
You know, start the season, you're on the West Coast.
So for me it's like the travelling is quite a lot.
Like you go Australia, come home, then you're in Hawaii, come home,
then you're in the West Coast, come home.
Like so it's kind of a lot of back and forth.
Um, I definitely prefer to play kind of, yeah, kind of like these kind of golf courses like Michigan.
I really enjoyed, I really enjoyed here.
And then obviously going home is quite nice.
So I kind of like the middle of the season.
But you also won an Australia couple of years ago.
Yeah I did. I do love playing in Australia.
I didn't play great this year,
but I do absolutely love playing in Australia.
The golf course out there are so good.
Trappregor.
Oh, they're so good.
Like, just Lynxie, just so pristine.
Like, they're just ridiculous to the good golf courses.
Like Melburn and all that sand ball areas, just a joke.
So, yeah, I just say I really
enjoy playing on a straight air, but it's just apps. It's miles away from America. It's like
closer from England, I swear. Like it's so much easier traveling from England. It's like two flights.
Here was just ridiculous, but that was good. It's good fun. I was enjoying asking what's the
what's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you on a golf course? I don't know, there's been quite a few.
I've definitely, I'm a bit of a, well the only thing I've got going for me is that I'm
athletic, like I'm not the most intelligent and so that's anything I'm going for me.
So I try and like jump the rope constantly and there's been times where it's kind of hard
to see and I'm like well I'm fully committed now and I've definitely stacked it like flat,
like straight on my ass a couple of times.
So that's been awesome.
Yeah, my fly's been down numerous times.
Just I feel like I don't get embarrassed that easily.
People are like, oh, dude, you've got like this
on the top and I'm like, whatever.
So as long as you don't react to it,
you don't get embarrassed.
But oh, the jumping the rope, I do quite regularly.
It's quite fun for me.
Watch.
I can only imagine seeing you at 4.
I'm already committed, and I'm like, do I stop and look like an idiot?
Like, I'll just jump, and then I've completely missed just a little bit.
Have you started surfing?
I haven't even started for a little bit.
I've done a little bit in Australia actually.
So I picked a relatively quick, I'm not great by any stretch imagination, but yeah, I mean
the waves are not absolutely pumping in Florida, but um...
They call it the East Coast Slop.
Yeah, I can see that, but it's nice to kind of like get in the ocean, not have to wear
wet suits because in England the seas brown, so it's not very encouraging to get down there,
but yeah, I'm definitely going to get more into it this off season.
I was actually talking to Jay about that so I think she's got a
paddleboard as well. That's what we forgot to ask her because Randy's a big standard
paddleboarder. Yeah oh she loves it. She's always is talking about it.
Yeah. What's your favorite football club? One from Derby so it's Derby County.
Yeah. Nobody's heard of them over here obviously. We're pretty awesome. Are they like
right below? Yeah we're right below the Premier League.
OK.
But yeah, apart from being the best football team in the world,
we were just, we were black and white.
And one of the oldest football clubs.
So near me is Nots County, which is like,
Nots Forest is like our rival.
So they're like sister team.
It's Nots County.
And when they first ever played a,
this is actually just a fun football fact that I tell everyone. But they first ever played a this is actually just a fun
football fact that I tell everyone when they first ever played their first foreign game against
Juventus Juventus didn't have a kit and so they let them their kit and Nott's County
playing black and white stripes and that's why Juventus playing black and white stripes.
Wow.
There you go.
Football trivia.
Kid.
We need kit.
The kid needs to make the niggas way into golf.
That is a much better way to refer to an outfit.
There are uniform.
Tron's quite taken with some of the kids
that the women are.
I think it's much more interesting than that.
Japanese.
High socks and the gel.
Oh, are you two around the golf course?
Yeah.
Oh, yeah, there was a girl last week.
I won't mention who it is.
Full on yellow waterproof suit, which I thought was pretty.
It was pretty incredible.
There was an orange jumper earlier with, I mean, I'm blown away by some of it, because Curtis
Lock gives me some of his Calloway Japan stuff, so I'll wear that, but then I see it out
here, I'm like, I would legitimately wear that.
That looks like part of that collection.
You'd wear a yellow waterproof suit.
What's that?
Oh, you should see what he'll wear.
Oh, wait, is that an improvement? Yeah, that's nothing. That wouldn't be, that
wouldn't even make it. It does go a bit. Yeah. All right now we got to let you go but thank you so much
for coming in. Best of luck this week and let's do it again sometime. Cheers boys, thank you very much.
Thank you. Thank you.
Get the right club, be the right club today. Yeah!
That's better than most.
How about in?
That is better than most.
Better than most!
Expect anything different!
I
Expect anything different