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PURE SILK BAHAMAS LPGA CLASSICFebruary 3, 2015Na Yeon ChoiPARADISE ISLAND, THE BAHAMAS Q. When did you get here? Did you get here yesterday? NA YEON CHOI: Yesterday. Q. What was your first emotion on Saturday after clinching the victory? NA YEON CHOI: I thought I'm going to cry very hardly because the last two years when I didn't win any tournaments, sometimes I'm thinking, oh, I want to‑‑ I want this tournament or I want this tournament, like something I always dreaming, and then I thought I'm going to really crying on ceremony, inside the ceremony. But when I got the champagne shower from my friends, all my cry‑‑ that emotion is just gone, and I was so happy, with a cold. But I want to give a compliment to myself at the moment because I did a lot of hard work, and I think that moment was a like good experience for me, like for the future. Q. Now, since you had Sunday off, what did you do to celebrate? NA YEON CHOI: I didn't do anything, especially after all the interviews. It was like 8:00 p.m., I think, so dark, and no one had dinner, so we went to the condo on the golf course. We rented a house next to the 16th hole, so we went home and then we had just Korean style noodle, but I think I wasn't hungry much after winning. We drove to Orlando home, like got there like 10:00 p.m. I felt so exhausted, so tired, so I just went to bed, not even one beer or not even one champagne. I slept until like 7:00 in the morning, and then my friend asked me to drop her at the airport, so I did that, and I went to the shopping mall actually, and then I bought some surprise gift for my team, like for my mom, my caddie, my trainer, and my physio, so I got four kind of similar shoes, because I like to buy shoes. That's one of my hobbies, so I choose four shoes for them. Q. What kind of shoes, tennis shoes? NA YEON CHOI: Yeah. Q. Were you still up in Ocala then? NA YEON CHOI: In Orlando. Q. Who were all of the players who came out and soaked you in champagne? NA YEON CHOI: On 18 green? Q. Yeah. NA YEON CHOI: Eun‑Hee Ji, Ilhee Lee, Amy Yang, Mirim Lee, Jennifer Song. There is one more. SoYeon Ryu. Q. What did it mean to you that that many players stayed? NA YEON CHOI: A lot. I was a little surprised that many people were waiting for me, and also even after all the ceremony, I got so many text messages from even like friends in Turkey, friends in Dubai, friends in Japan, Korea, all over the world. They know like I won the tournament. I think it was a big news thing in Korea, and so many people, yeah, just texted me, and I felt like, oh, this is great. Q. What's that mean with the confidence after winning last week? How does that boost your confidence going into the rest of the season? NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, I think a lot, but I want just a little bit more calm down because I feel like I'm so high, especially with my caddie, when we were talking about last week, even today. We just like compliment each other, but you know, this is a new tournament, and especially last year I had a great result in this tournament, so just keep focused and stay calm. I think even he learned so many things from last week, even me too. We want to just keep just focused on our job. Q. I wanted to ask you, too, about there were so many momentum changes on the back nine. You were down by four and you catch her, you get ahead of her, then at the 15th you stick it really close and all of a sudden she makes this bomb and then your putt seems harder. Can you tell me about what that was like on the 15th green, because there had to be a lot of emotions you're dealing with there. NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, you mean after the 15th? Q. Yeah, because you obviously bounced back from it. NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, actually I said to my caddie, like oh, see, I can't win. I told him that like loudly, and then my caddie heard, like no, no, it's okay. Behind is better pressure. Just catch her down. There's still three holes left, so just keep focused on the next shot. So what I did, I tried to forget the three‑putt on 15, but I think still I got some, like, upset feeling on 16 tee shot. That's why I hit it so hard. That's why I pulled it left side. But the good things is the third round on 16 and 17 my tee shot went the same way, I mean, same area, and I made par even on third round. I think that was a good practice for final round. Q. I know you and Lydia play each other on your home course, right? NA YEON CHOI: Yeah. Q. How did it feel to kind of do a comeback battle and beat her this time? NA YEON CHOI: It was way better. We had a fun day when we played together, and after the round we had lunch together‑‑ I mean, I lost so I bought lunch. Maybe that's why when I played with Lydia I felt‑‑ I like to compete with her. I mean, she is like 10 years younger than me, but I always watch her play and try to like learning something because I know she's a great player. She must have some better things than me, so I always try to find something and try to learn, and then I like to share my knowledge of golf and even her knowledge. I like to play with her. When I won‑‑ actually I know I played well, too, but I didn't think she's going to play like double bogey or even 18th hole that third shot. But I think something helped me a lot, some luck. I don't know, like you know, she is a great player, but I don't think she's going to have a double bogey on 17. That's something really help me to try to win that tournament, I think. Q. What do you pick up then? You said you like to learn some things from her? NA YEON CHOI: Actually when I changed the grip, I learned from Inbee and Lydia, because always when I do short putt I'm using my wrist, using a little bit this way. Q. Putting? NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, putting. And then when I watch her putting stroke, very stable, especially left side. I keep watching her putting and then she make a pretty straight arm on the left side and then try to keep low follow‑through. That's why I want to try, so even last year when I have off week or even for the practice green, I just try to copy Lydia's putt. Q. Do you do left‑hand low yourself? NA YEON CHOI: No, I changed it last year at Mizuno Classic on Sunday. Q. What did you change to last year? NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, I was just normal grip, standard grip, and then I changed to this grip on Sunday at Mizuno Classic last year. Q. And have you stuck with it since then? NA YEON CHOI: Yeah. Q. But you're still learning how to‑‑ NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, I'm still learning because I never really tried this grip, so when I watch on TV, whoever is using this grip, even guys or ladies, I keep watching, because some people are using like straight left arm and some people are doing like this, some people more angle for the upper body. Like everyone has different. So I want to try to find what's good for me, and I always talk with my coach because even he's a student‑‑ he's player, no one uses this grip, so we're still studying this grip. Q. Did you change your putter, too, or just your grip? NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, actually at Mizuno Classic I changed putters to this putter right now, and it still didn't work first and second round, and then I changed to the even grip on Sunday. Q. You already have one win under your belt, first of the season. What are some of your other goals for 2015? NA YEON CHOI: When I finished the 2014 season last year, I set my goal to dream. You can go big, right, so I set myself like I want three tournaments. I want to win three tournaments, and I thought that's like a huge goal for me at the moment, and I did already one, and now I think I can get closer to reach my goal for this year. But that's like a results goal, so I want to‑‑ I mean, that's I think a little different. So I want to do some small goal every day, every week, because last week I went to the gym every day. That was the first time during the tournament. Even Saturday and Friday, my tee‑off is like 12:00, so I went to the gym in the morning, I did a little workout, and Stacy Lewis always there, so I just decide myself, I think physically stronger makes my swings better and my balance get better, so I want to do like really every week. Even I did it yesterday and even today and tomorrow. I was 3:00 tee time so I'll do tonight and then tomorrow morning and even when I play afternoon, yeah, I want to go. Q. Is that in the trailer where you guys go? NA YEON CHOI: No, no, actually last year next to the clubhouse it has a big gym there, so I did a little bit like treadmill or jump or some workout, too, core. Q. In the past did you only work out like when you weren't playing then? NA YEON CHOI: I did only like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and some weeks just I didn't‑‑ just when I feel tired, I just stayed home. Q. So last year you took off the days of the tournament? NA YEON CHOI: Yeah. Q. But this year you're going to try to do every day? NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, I really try to do six or seven, because winter training in January in Orlando, I did six days a week, and almost more than like hour. I'm like right now used to doing that. But whenever I stop, it's hard to go back to like six days in a week, so I want to keep going at least five, six days per week. Yeah. Q. Now, you tied here for third place last year. What are you going to take from the course into this year, and have you reviewed your play on the course last year with your caddie and everyone? NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, my caddie says he's ready for‑‑ he's down for a course checkup, and we played nine holes today. The course is pretty similar to last year, just the wind is a little strong. I'm not really close with the water, so I've never been to the beach or swimming pool. But my mom is here and my trainer is here, so maybe this afternoon we can just have a little relax time on the beach. Q. What is your caddie's name? NA YEON CHOI: David Jones. And the funny thing is he‑‑ like after the tournament, he drove to Orlando house, like his friend's house, and he's a caddie on the PGA TOUR, and he won the Phoenix Open, the caddie. Q. Oh, really? NA YEON CHOI: Yeah. Q. They're staying together or‑‑ NA YEON CHOI: No, the caddie who won. Q. He just visited him? NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, but no one there because he's caddying for Phoenix, because we finished Saturday and they finished Sunday, but they were like same college friends in Toledo, and they're both golfers, but they're both Northern Ireland, and even that week, Rory McIlroy, he won Dubai. What happened from Northern Ireland last week? There's three trophies there. Q. So Brooks Koepka's caddie? NA YEON CHOI: Yes, Ricky. Q. Is David running around here still? NA YEON CHOI: I don't know, maybe he's on the range because waiting for other caddies. Maybe they're sharing cars. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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