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RICOH WOMEN'S BRITISH OPEN MEDIA DAYJuly 16, 2013Inbee ParkDANA GORDON: Thank you very much, and thank you everybody for joining us today. I'd like to go ahead and introduce Inbee Park. Inbee is No. 1 in the Rolex World Golf rankings, and she is the winner of the first three major championships this season. Inbee, who just turned 25 years old on July 12, has won six tournaments this year and is hoping to become the first golfer, either gender, to win four majors in one season. In last year's Ricoh Women's British Open, Inbee finished in a solo second behind winner Jiyai Shin at Royal Liverpool, and in 2007 when the Ricoh Women's British Open was played at St. Andrews, Inbee finished tied for 11th and now she enters this season's Ricoh Women's British Open with hopes of winning four consecutive major championships. Inbee, first of all, I'd like to extend our congratulations on your success this year. INBEE PARK: Thank you. DANA GORDON: Come up, the Ricoh Women's British Open is coming up in two weeks. It will be played on the Old Course at St. Andrews, the home of golf. So you've won the first three majors this year, and now you're going for four in a row. If you can go ahead and tell us your thoughts about the Ricoh Women's British Open, and how you're feeling with the event only two weeks away? INBEE PARK: I can't wait to go there. I'm really looking forward to going there and playing for the fourth major win. Not many people, not many golfers get that kind of opportunity, winning three majors and going for a calendar grand slam in a British Open and such a great golf course and such an historical golf course. I think I'm just very lucky to have that kind of opportunity. I think I should be very appreciative where I'm positioned. DANA GORDON: Exactly. Last year in the Ricoh Women's British Open, you finished second. If you could just talk about this event a little bit and how this event is different than other tournaments? INBEE PARK: I mean, I always loved playing in British Opens. It's such a challenge, especially with the weather. You just can't expect what kind of golf course you're going to get until that day, until you tee off. So it has seen a lot of ups and downs on the golf course, and you definitely have to avoid the bunkers. I love playing links golf courses, and my fall flight is low so I love to play in the wind. I mean, I'm trying to take advantage, trying to think positive. Q. I wondered if you could maybe talk about the sense of pride that your whole country has when athletes go abroad and are successful on really an international scale, whether that be in golf or in any sport, in baseball and in the Olympics. How strong that sense of pride is back home for Koreans who are successful? INBEE PARK: It is huge. I mean, golf‑‑ women's golf is a sport that pretty much everybody's watching in Korea. It's a very popular sport in Korea. So I mean everybody loves to watch women's golf. You know, obviously, we are very proud to represent South Korea on the world level. Being able to put a Korean name on such an historical trophy, and such an historical tournament, putting my name into the history of golf, I mean, all of Korea is watching me and they are very proud of me. Not many people get this kind of opportunity, and I'm the lucky one as a Korean to get this kind of opportunity. So it is a rare situation that we get. You know, I've been getting a lot of attention from Korea, and, yeah. Q. Does that ever feel like pressure or do you enjoy it because there is so much? We saw with Andy Murray, the entire Great Britain was hanging on every single point. I have a feeling probably for the British Open all of Korea's going to be stopping and watching you. Do you feel that pressure or is it actually something that motivates you and isn't a negative? INBEE PARK: I try to take the positive side of it. I mean, pressure is not the easiest thing to handle on the golf course, not just Korea, but I feel like the whole world is watching me. So I mean, that's something I never got that kind of attention before. It just feels very awkward to me at the moment. I'm trying to get used to the attention. Trying to get used to the pressure, I think I've had very good practice at U.S. Women's Open playing under the pressure. I felt a little bit of pressure there, but I handled it very good, so that gave me a lot of confidence coming into the British Open with the pressure. I mean, you're always going to feel the pressure. How could you not feel the pressure in the type of situation I'm in. But I've played golf until this point. I've won six tournaments, three majors, even if I don't win anymore, I'm very happy for this season. How could you ask more for that? Wanting more majors, wanting more wins, almost feels like I think I'm being too greedy to think. Q. When you talked a little bit about this past weekend, you felt like the putting was a little bit off. Can you maybe talk‑‑ do you get that feeling early on in the tournament whether you're sharp or not, or is that more a round‑by‑round thing? How can you gauge when your putting is really on or maybe when it's not as sharp as you normally are? INBEE PARK: Well, I mean probably my stroke is not always perfect. I get my bad days of putting and I get good days of putting. Last week when I was doing practice I felt like my stroke was fine, then the first couple rounds was okay, and then it was just, you know, I was just doing a little bit bad habits. Didn't really figure out what the problem was until during the round, and I had to fix it a little bit this weekend. It feels much more comfortable now. It feels like balls are rolling a lot straighter now. Q. You talk about‑‑ when I asked you about the whole idea of Korean pride and putting your stamp on golf history, if you will, I know all of you have talked so much about Se Ri, but I wondered who were your heros? I know she probably was, but did you have other heros in the sports world or people that you looked to for inspiration that were Korean, whether it be in any other sport? Were there any particular people that kind of inspired you as a competitor? INBEE PARK: Well, Se Ri, Grace Park, Mi‑Hyun Kim, they were all the first generations who came out on the TOUR. Golf was the sport that was really looking into; and that was the sport I was really interested into. So golf is pretty much the sport that I always watched. So I mean, yeah, I think those were the golfers that I really liked. When Se Ri was playing good, I know Karrie Webb was playing very good golf, and Annika; they were also my role models. I loved Karrie's putting stroke back then. I changed to the same putter as Karrie when I was in elementary school because her putting was so good. Q. What does it feel like to you, I mean, so many people looked up to Se Ri, you are really having that kind of impact. I mean, the girls who are 8, 9, 10 years old are all going to be watching and probably are already are watching you. How does that make you feel the idea that you're influencing because you're on this global stage influencing kids in a lot of the same way that Se Ri did when you were a little kid? INBEE PARK: Yeah, I go to these tournaments where a lot of Korean galleries come watching. The little kids say, "I started playing golf watching you." Hearing that, I think, I'm only 25 years old, and I feel a little old hearing that. And I feel really happy that I could inspire somebody like Se Ri did to me, being in the kind of position where I've always dreamed of, where I've always wanted to go. I think a lot of the little kids give me a lot of inspiration to go out there and perform better for them, a lot of motivation and inspiration that they give me also. I give them something, and I try to give back something to them. Q. Just quickly, just looking back to 2007, I just have a few questions about the Old Course at St. Andrews. How testing do you think the Old Course was in comparison to other links courses you've played, and where does it rank among your favorites? INBEE PARK: Yeah, I remember St. Andrews Golf Course like I played this year. Somehow that's, you know, always stuck in my head for a long time. It's such a nice spot to be. We had very bad weather in 2007, I remember. It got really windy, we got some rain. So it's going to be really depending on the weather that week. But the golf course, setup‑wise, I love. I love the link side golf course where they share the fairways together. That's something you don't see everywhere. So it's a very unique golf course and a very unique experience. Like the 17th hole, when you hit it over the hotel, it's something you never usually do. Everything about that golf course is very special. Q. As you probably know, IMG is helping run the event. I'm not sure if you're aware, but Saturday is Tartan day. Have you got an outfit planned? INBEE PARK: What day is it? Q. On Saturday, we're running a Tartan Day, where we want everyone to come dressed in their finest Tartan attire, whether it be fans or players. I wonder if you have any outfit planned and ready for it? INBEE PARK: Well, I just knew that, so I don't think we've planned anything yet. But if something good happens, I'm willing to change. Q. Great. That's good to know. INBEE PARK: Thank you. Q. You mentioned the low flight of your ball that you're able to play really, really well and win. Is that something that has sort of come naturally with you? Or have you honed your golf swing that you are able to be pretty successful even when the weather is bad, which, as you know, is often the case over at the British Open? INBEE PARK: Well, especially with long clubs, I always like to have a little lower and stronger ball flight. That's been something I've been working the last couple years to make my drive go a little stronger into the wind because I've always lost a lot of distance coming into the wind. So I was always trying to fix that problem. So my ball flight has gotten stronger and lower, and I play much better in the wind than before. So that will play in a good side for coming into the British Open. Q. Is that something you worked on specifically? Because you talked about how working with your fiancee, especially he knows your swing so well. Was that one of the major things you worked on was ball flight? Can you maybe go into a little more detail on what has made your swing better? INBEE PARK: Well, to be exact, I was missing a lot of balls to the right. So we were trying to bring that right‑left to a little straighter. So my release was too early. And we were doing a little bit later. I'm bringing my hands cocked a little bit longer, and really concentrating on the follow through. Naturally, the ball striking and the ball flight got a lot lower since I started working with them. So, sometimes, you know, on the golf course where it's really wet, and those golf courses plays disadvantage because I don't carry the ball as much as when I used to hit it high. But there is definitely golf courses that comes very good, hitting a low ball flight. Q. You mentioned earlier switching to a putter like Karrie Webb when you were in sixth grade. She was, especially at her peak, she was one of the best putters. I wonder if you could talk about sort of looking toward her. Is it her putting stroke or things that you maybe learned from her and watching her that have maybe helped you be a better putter? INBEE PARK: Well, I was really young, so her putter looked really good. And she was using a Scotty Cameron then, the Titleist putter, and that is the putter I wanted. I didn't really think about her stroke or anything. But everything seemed like it was going in, and that's what I wanted to do. So if I could switch to her putter, I thought maybe I could be a little better putter. Q. Is there anybody you've ever studied? I mean, people talk about your putting stroke. It is being admired at all levels of golf. I wonder, were there any putters or anybody on any of the Tour that's you looked to or emulated in any way? Because I know you've been natural left‑hand low. That's how you've always putted. But did you look to anybody particular? INBEE PARK: I always liked Ai Miyazato's putting and her putting stroke. Her rhythm is so good over the putting stroke. Sometimes I don't get a good rhythm. I try to watch her stroke and follow her rhythm. Q. I know you spoke about who your role models were growing up in terms of golfing world. If you could play a round of golf with any celebrity or had a cup of tea in the clubhouse with them afterwards, who would it be? INBEE PARK: Celebrity? Okay. Well, I've always liked Brad Pitt. So he would be one of the celebrities that I like. I like Korean singer, Psi. Q. You've been to Scotland before, are there any particular delicacies you've enjoyed? Have you tried Haggas? INBEE PARK: No. But I love British breakfasts where there are sausages and bacon. I love their breakfast. I love sausage rolls, and yeah, I love going to the U.K. Scotland is a nice place to be. St. Andrews especially where they have such a nice view with such a beautiful golf course. As a golfer, you definitely want to be in that spot. Q. Good to see you after your Kraft Nabisco escapades, and the little role you're on. Has it sunk in for you the novelty of winning three majors in a little over two and a half months. Has the enormity of that feat, have you been able to comprehend it? INBEE PARK: I'm trying to get used to the tension. Trying to get used to the media attention and trying to get used to the stuff that I have outside the golf course. I don't think I'm fully into it yet, but I'm trying to get there. Yeah, I mean, it still feels really awkward seeing my face on the TV everywhere, seeing my name in newspapers every other day. It still doesn't feel me to me just yet. I'm sure if this is something that I need to handle for playing great golf, then I'm ready to handle this. Q. What would it mean for you to win at St. Andrews? INBEE PARK: I didn't really think about doing a calendar grand slam in my career in golf ever. But it's something that I never dreamed of and achieving to the point where I thought it was impossible. It would be doing something that is impossible, I think. I never thought that would be a possible thing, but I put myself in a very close position to be achieving that goal. Just the fact that I could put myself in that kind of position, I think I'm just happy with where I am, and even if I don't win that week, I'm just very happy with where I played this year, and I shouldn't be too much disappointed even if I don't win that week. Q. Did you meet Ok‑hee Ku, and if you did, how well did you know her? INBEE PARK: Well, I played with her in a tournament one time about four years ago in Korea.  She was still playing on the KLPGA Tour when I was there. I know she was playing until like last year. She was such a healthy and such a nice person and very healthy, so we all were so shocked that she passed away. It's such a sad news as a golfer to hear. She's been a very good inspiration for us. Losing her is very sad for us. Q. Did she play any role in the success you've had in your career? INBEE PARK: I mean, of course. She was one of the first ones to go to the world class level as a Korean woman. She showed us that she could do it, but I wasn't born when she was playing here, so I can't relate to that too much as like Se Ri did. But I'm sure she inspired or Se Ri or older generations of Korean golfers. She definitely inspired a lot of us, yeah. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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