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INTERNATIONAL CROWNJuly 24, 2014Candie KungTeresa LuYani TsengOWINGS MILLS, MARYLAND KELLY THESIER: Good afternoon, everyone. We would like to welcome Team Chinese Taipei to the interview room here at the International Crown. The only team to go 2‑0 today and win both of their matches. A total of four points and leading Pool A. First off, congratulations, ladies, very nice playing today. Yani, I'm going to start with you, a very nice start to your match. You really took over on that front nine and we were talking to some people and they saw a little bit of the Yani of old come out today. Take us through your match and what was really working well for you today. YANI TSENG: I saw that, too. I felt like the old Yani is back. I really feel nervous, I feel very pumped up, because I think that, I mean, playing for my country and my teammates is much better. It's much more motivation than playing for myself. I just want to do well for my teammates, I want to do well for my country. Today, this feeling, I haven't had this feeling for a long time. Especially the last few holes and the first hole when I stepped on the tee. I made that birdie putt, my hands were shaking. Last time my hands were shaking like that was when I won at Royal Birkdale, so it's been a long time. On the last few holes, it's just incredible, I love the feeling, actually. I know I'm nervous. I know I'm juiced up. I hit it longer, and, I mean, I smile all the way because I'm nervous. I always remember when I'm nervous, I smile a lot. I played so good today and, I mean, Stacy and Lexi, they played really well today and we have to play well to beat them. It's a tough game, but it's so much fun. I love this. Hopefully I can't wait for the next few days. KELLY THESIER: Candie, what was that feeling like standing on the first tee hearing that National Anthem before you guys teed off, and then being able to really kind of wear your flag and play for your country today? CANDIE KUNG: I had goose bumps all the way. I was trying to hold my tears in, I have to say that, because we never had a chance to do this. This is the very first time that I got to play with my friends and in team event, representing Chinese Taipei. It's a big event out here, and same as back home. I know it's life at home, everyone was watching, I'm sure everybody probably had tears and goose bumps as me, even though they're not here. But it was such a great feeling to actually be here as part of the Chinese Taipei. KELLY THESIER: For your guys' team, you guys are the 8th seed here, but yet you came out with two victories and especially a very impressive victory 4 & 3 for Candie. You and Teresa over Paula and Cristie. Take me through that match. You guys got off to a really hot start, and the U.S. never led in either of their matches. What was that like to get off to such a hot start in your match and to be able to pick up a victory like that? CANDIE KUNG: We were having fun. That's the key points for our team. We don't have a whole lot of high expectations. Of course we want to win, we want to take the cup home, but we're trying to keep everybody low key, keep it calm, have a lot of fun. Our goal today for me and Teresa was to make them make birdies. If they're going to beat us, they're going to have to make birdies. We ended up making a few more birdies than they did and that's how we won the match. KELLY THESIER: Questions? Q. Yani, what was your club and yardage into 18? YANI TSENG: Second shot I had 186 into the wind. I had a 5‑iron. So that was a little bit juiced up there to hit it that far. Q. The putt looked like eight, 10 feet. What did you think it was? YANI TSENG: I would say 13, 14 feet. I was aiming one and a half cups right, and it was very fast downhill. Q. What were you telling yourself over that putt? YANI TSENG: Phoebe made a great 2‑putt there, so that was great for Phoebe to already tie our match. So actually I don't feel much pressure, because, I mean, to beat the U.S., it's hard to imagine that. So to halve the point, we were really already very happy. So I feel I already had less pressure. I don't know, my mind was so calm, much calmer than on the first tee. So I feel good and I've been feeling good on my putting for the whole week. So I just told myself, Just look at the ball and then just putt it. Don't worry about anything. And I did it. I even was pumped up like before my ball goes in, so I know that I hit a really good putt there. Q. Yani, how important was it that you sort of carried Phoebe for the first few holes, and then she started making some big par putts? How important was that for you, not to feel like you had to be out there making all the birdies, making all the shots, to have sort of a team effort? YANI TSENG: Actually, I don't feel much pressure. Phoebe just started a little nervous. She don't play on the LPGA Tour. Actually I'm nervous too. But I'm proud of Phoebe, because you think she's our player that turns the match around, because on No. 11, yeah, No. 12 and No. 13, she made two birdies in a row, and then those two birdies were important for us. If we don't have those two birdies, we can easily be losing by three or by four. So I'm proud of her and she did very well today. For the first few holes, we started having lots of fun. We just talked because we don't see each other. I don't know her much when we're back to Taiwan, so we just talked a lot about everything. So it was just kind of fun to know each other on the course more. Q. For Candie, you touched on how loose you guys played. You didn't have a lot of pressure. Do you think that's the opposite for the U.S., because they are at home, they are the top seed? Do you feel that they sort of played not, I don't know, tight, but they played as if they had to win? CANDIE KUNG: For sure they have a lot more pressure than we have. But both of us, we have been friends for a long time and we know each other's game. We play a lot together. So we're very comfortable with each other on and off the course. Luckily we got to play with each other today. And she was able to back me up when I made a mistake and I was able to back her up when she made a mistake. So it was a good combination for us out there today. Q. There was one sort of semi awkward moment on the first tee this morning when you guys walk out carrying one flag and the guy from your embassy walks out carrying another. Who knows what anthem they played. Do you guys ever feel pulled by the politics of what we call your country or what flag you carry or anything like that? CANDIE KUNG: We're playing golf out here, so we don't really care what flag we have out there. When we know we're playing for Chinese Taipei, whatever is out there, it's out there and we look like we're from Chinese Taipei. We're from somewhere from Asia, all right? But we're out here on the golf course, we're trying to make birdies out there. Q. Yani, you talked about that smile that you had, that you smile when you get nervous. We saw a huge smile on your face when you teed off this morning. Like you couldn't stop smiling. Was that just nerves or was that just excitement for being able to represent your country for the first time? YANI TSENG: I think both. I was freaking out. I was nervous. I'm excited at the same time. I don't know. I just want to hit it on the fairway. I don't care because I feel good with my driving and I've been practicing and I just told myself to walk like a champ today. I want to have my chin up and smile all the way, and I actually did it. So I got my goal today and I'm proud of myself. Q. Teresa, your teammates said this earlier, regardless of what your country is called, how do you think people at home are responding to this when you're going into tomorrow in first place and all that? How do you think people are responding to that? TERESA LU: I think everyone is really excited about this tournament. And especially today, we have four points and then they will probably go party tonight. (Laughter.) Q. For Yani and Phoebe. Yani, you almost drove the first green. And so I'm asking both of you, when you did that, did you all think, Hey, this is our day, we have got it? YANI TSENG: Against the U.S., I would never say this is our day. They're a really strong team. It's only the first hole, we have 18 holes out there, we need to play them all. So we just keep our same strategy. I wasn't thinking anything. That's my strategy, to hit close to the pin and Phoebe's strategy is just keep it on the fairway and try to make birdie from there. So I tried to be aggressive and she played smart, so we were a good combination. We just stuck to our strategy. So I wasn't thinking that much. Q. For Yani, you talked about Birkdale and you talked about sort of recapturing the old Yani, is this something you feel like the momentum from this can carry over beyond this week and into your game once you get back into regular Tour events? YANI TSENG: I do. I actually feel like hopefully this is my turning point for the next rest of my life I'll say. But like I just I feel great today because I don't really worry about myself. All I want is I want to play good for my teammates and my country. So that's all I care about. I don't really care if I can hit the ball and I just trust myself and I want to do well. So I'm thinking very positive this week because I know if there's any thought that's negative, that's not good for my team. So I want to be very positive out there and bring the good energy for my team, too. Q. Yani, Stacy was saying when you're at your best, she feels like you hit a very high ball. Very similar to the way Lexi Thompson hits. But that you haven't been doing that as much. Do you feel like that's something in your game that you feel like your game off the tee is improving and getting back to, if you will, the old Yani? YANI TSENG: Yeah, for sure. I'm so happy to play with Stacy today. She's world No. 1 and I want to play with her and then try to push myself, too. I hit it great today and I'm very happy that I know my game is still there. It's just all about mental. So I got my mental thinking good today and I had a great attitude today. So even though I hit a couple bad shots, have a couple bad holes, but that's no problem, too. I was able to hang in there all the way. Then Phoebe played well today on the back nine, too. So I feel like I had less worry, less pressure, and I tried to make par, tried to make birdie and I got it. I mean, today, I almost hit it where I wanted to, so I feel great. KELLY THESIER: All right. Thank you very much, ladies. Best of luck tomorrow. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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