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VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA NORTH TEXAS SHOOTOUT PRESENTED BY JTBCApril 29, 2015Lydia KoIRVING, TEXAS THE MODERATOR: I would like to welcome Rolex Rankings No.1 Lydia Ko into the Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout media center. Thank you for coming in today. Lydia just celebrated quite a big birthday this last weekend in San Francisco, turning the big 18. Take us through your whirlwind of a weekend in San Fran just going from celebrating a birthday to clinching the title. LYDIA KO: Yeah, I thought last year was pretty crazy, but this year was pretty close to beating that. I had so many great memories that Friday where it was my birthday, I got to have a big birthday dinner with a couple of players and family and friends. I didn't know that the finish would be that way, but yeah, it was a pretty exciting week. THE MODERATOR: Now that you're officially an adult, was the celebration on Sunday a little bit different than the ones in the past? LYDIA KO: No, not really. You know, after the usual media and all that, we went and just had Italian food. Nothing different. Just a group of us went, a couple IMG people, again, family and friends. Yeah, nothing different, just I turned 18. THE MODERATOR: You're obviously continuing your success, keeping your World Ranking No.1, and No.1 in Race to the CME Globe, which you clinched that last year, as well. What's the secret here? LYDIA KO: There is no secret. Yeah, I think‑‑ I finished last year's season in a great way in the season finale. I didn't really play in a playoff as a pro before, so that was a really good experience for me going into last week's playoff, and yeah, you know, I mean, it's great when you know that you can be confident and you know that you're hitting the ball well and you can be a little bit more aggressive, too. THE MODERATOR: Now, last week's course and this week's course are quite a bit different. Talk about your strategy on this course this week and how you can really take advantage of it by using your strength. LYDIA KO: Yeah, for starters, this type of grass it's different. You go into the rough last week and it was sticky, very grabby, and here it's kind of the same but also it can get fluffy, too. That's one of the big differences, too, because short game one of the most crucial parts.  Yeah, there's quite a bit of undulation on this course, and it runs off a lot of the sides here for the greens. I heard that most of the courses in Dallas are pretty flat, so this is unusual for it to have some slope. Yeah, you know, I just kind of have to get back into this course, get back into my rhythm and just got to hit good shots. At the end of the day it doesn't matter what course you're at; when you're hitting good shots you're going to put yourself in good positions. THE MODERATOR: This is your second year on Tour and you're actually approaching the $3 million mark coming up in the next two weeks. A little birdie told me that you were actually planning on doing something a little bit different with your money, your winnings this week. Can you tell me a little bit about that? LYDIA KO: Yeah, obviously it was very unfortunate when I got to hear that there was an earthquake in Nepal. We had a big one in New Zealand, too, a couple years ago, and it affected a lot of people. There it was in Christchurch where we call it the Garden City, but now it still has the name, but there are still evidence of what has happened there. Natural disasters you can't do much about. Sometimes it's hard to be prepared for it, so I thought, those people there, nice people and very innocent, so I wanted to give this tournament's earnings and donate it to them. THE MODERATOR: Any questions for Lydia? Q. First I wanted to ask you what you think of Dallas and if you've been in this urban area much at all before. LYDIA KO: This is actually the first time me being in Texas, the whole state. I've been through Houston airport a couple times, but not here where I get to look around. Yeah, you know, actually before we decided to move to Orlando, Dallas was another city where we were maybe thinking of moving to. But yeah, you know, it definitely feels different to Orlando, and it feels quite modern, but then I heard that you go to Fort Worth, which is only 30 minutes away, and then it's a little bit more western, you get the cowboys and all that. Yeah, hopefully I get a chance to look around and see what it's like, and yeah, you know, I've been liking it so far, apart from the rain the last couple days. Q. With your success and media relations, stuff like that, all the extra things that you deal with such success, has it been difficult at all to balance your free time and work and golf and all that? LYDIA KO: Yeah, sometimes it's hard, and you have to kind of slip a few things in and then take some time out. But we've been trying to balance it out and not overdoing anything so that I don't feel fatigue. And that's one of the most important things. But yeah, press conferences, I kind of have it on my schedule, try and do it every week. Yeah, I don't feel tired doing all this. Q. Coming off of some of the great successes you've had, when you come to a tournament like this and this is the first time for you, what's your normal routine? What do you go through as you get ready for the start of this? LYDIA KO: Yeah, you know, on Monday was really a travel day. I knew I wouldn't get much practice in any way, so I had a sleep in, and then came here around like 6:00. Really no time to do anything, check out the course. But I played 18 holes yesterday, so I tried to get the overall feel of the course, try and kind of imagine where the pin positions will be. Yeah, you know, especially because I haven't been here in this area before, I kind of wanted to get the overall feel of the course. Q. What is your take on the course itself and how it suits your game? Did you get much of a feel for that yesterday? LYDIA KO: You know, I've heard in the past years this course has played pretty dry. It's been very firm, so this year it's definitely playing different. My shoes and rain pants are definitely showing that. Yeah, there are some severe undulations on some holes, but because it's softer, it actually gives us a chance on actually hitting the fairway, so that's a good thing. But at the same time, you know, some holes are playing pretty long, too. So I guess everything just bounces out. The greens are really nice here, very pure, so I think it will just come‑‑ I guess because they've got big greens, the people with really good distance control with their putting and holing some crucial putts will definitely be the winner at the end of the week. Q. Now, being your first time in the state of Texas, do you plan on going for any barbecue or doing any Texas native things this week? LYDIA KO: Yeah, I love a good barbecue, so maybe do that. I've still got five days. I think I'm leaving on a Monday, so I've got Sunday night to do something, too. Yeah, Kim Kaufman said I should go and get some Tex‑Mex is it? Yeah, so I might try that, too. Q. So you are from New Zealand but you also have a huge Korean following. Does that put any pressure on you? You're only 18, but knowing that you've got a whole nation watching every move and knowing who you are, how do you handle that, and does that add any stress or does it actually encourage you? LYDIA KO: I feel so fortunate that I have two amazing countries that support me. New Zealand and Korea, they have totally different cultures, but at the same time when somebody looks at me, they don't think of me as a Kiwi because I look Korean, I look Asian. It's great that whenever I go to New Zealand I've got the New Zealand support and also the Korean people that live in New Zealand. Yeah, you know, I think‑‑ it doesn't put any pressure that there's two whole nations that are cheering for me. I think it's just great, and I'm so lucky that‑‑ I just feel so lucky that there are two great countries, that there are so many people supporting me. It's really sometimes so hard to just side to one, and it's so great when I go to these tournaments, where you see the New Zealand flag or the Korean flag for everybody that supports me. I feel so fortunate with it. Q. We're in kind of home country of Jordan Spieth. I just wonder, you're a fan of men's golf, and I wonder if there's anybody that seems as poised at such an early age as Jordan, it would be you. I'm curious about your thoughts about his situation, and is it like yours? LYDIA KO: Yeah, he's a Masters champion. What else do you need to say? How he played that course, how he played Augusta, how he handled himself, you know, every round, and with the media, I think it was amazing. Just wire to wire, it's hard to do. Sometimes you shoot a 67 and then the next day you just can't get anything rolling. But for him to keep that kind of streak going and then the week after he didn't have a great first day, but then how he came back on the second day. So his form is pretty good, obviously, so he's definitely, I guess, one of the favorites, playing this week. What he's doing is pretty unbelievable, and again, for his age is so cool to see, yeah. Q. Paula Creamer mentioned something about having a women's Masters. What are your thoughts on that? LYDIA KO: Yeah, I reckon it would be pretty cool to get a chance to play Augusta. I think they've had a couple members there now, woman members, so it's definitely going the right direction. You don't know if it might happen during our time or it might happen in the future, but to know that there's maybe a chance that it might happen, even for the future generations or the juniors that are coming up, I think it's a cool idea. I guess our‑‑ the similar event to the Masters for us would be the ANA where we jump in the pond, we get the winner get their robe. Yeah, I think we have five great majors, also, but to have a women's Masters would definitely be a dream come true, and for a player like Paula to say, it's definitely opening up opportunities for the players that are coming up. Q. With your success and Jordan's, young players have shown that it can be done, obviously without going to college. How much of an impact do you think your success and his success has on people coming up? LYDIA KO: Yeah, I've just started college, and definitely‑‑ I didn't know exactly what to expect, but it's really hard writing assignments, and sometimes the information is only like a page, but you kind of have to extend it out. It's really hard, but you know, sometimes when I go to tournaments and I see juniors there, sometimes they're not that much younger than me and they come and say, hey, you're my role model, and it's cool to see. I think it's one of the things that drives me to work harder, play harder, and yeah, you know, it's so cool to see some of the juniors and girls and boys who are soon to be future stars. Q. Just to feed off of that a little bit, you're 18. Most girls your age are out dating and having fun. How do you have time to go out and meet guys? You've got to be pretty popular with the guys. LYDIA KO: Really? I don't know. I would love a boyfriend. I don't know what my mom has got to say about that one. Yeah, it's so hard. I always say the guys I meet are either like 10 or they're 40. I need someone in that middle range. But no, you know, I guess we spend so much time on the course, you kind of say it's a five‑hour round, but then we warm up for an hour or so before, and then we do maybe a little bit of practice after. It's a pretty full day, and sometimes I see the girls with like boyfriends, and I'm like, man, where did you guys meet each other. But I don't know. I'm going to try and focus on my game, but when I see a good‑looking guy, I go, oh, man, he's good‑looking. Yeah, I've still got that girl feeling in there. THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much, Lydia, for coming in here and good luck this week here in Dallas. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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