	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

RICOH WOMEN'S BRITISH OPEN

July 28, 2015

Lydia Ko

TRUMP TURNBERRY, SCOTLAND

COLIN CALLANDER: You've been in Scotland for a couple of weeks obviously, acclimatised to the bad weather. Was that part of the plan?
LYDIA KO: Yeah, this is really the hardest tournament to prepare for. I thought it would be a good idea to play the Scottish the week before and I had a lot of fun playing at Dundonald Links last week. Saturday and Sunday were a little rainy but much better than the forecast. We were pretty lucky with the weather so hopefully that can happen this week, also.

Q. Last week how much was the weather a factor? I know you didn't finish badly, but was the weather a factor in your performance?
LYDIA KO: Not really. I made a couple club selection mistakes which caused my ball to end up in the water hazard. Just had a couple bad tee shots that ended up in the long rough.
You know, when you come over on this side of the world and when you're playing British, Scottish Open, you've got to expect that there's going to be wind. It was like 1 and a 100 or less.
Like I said, two‑out‑of‑three days has been pretty chill weather, lucky, and I think my scores, me shooting over par the last two days, they weren't really affected by the weather.

Q. Spotlight is on you this week, big star, world No.2. After everything you've achieved, do you like that status?
LYDIA KO: I didn't realise the spotlight was on me this week.
I mean, it's obviously great to get attention and for more people to recognise you. At the same time, you're spending some time off the golf course where you're doing press conferences and things like that. It's great to come back to Scotland in front of a great crowd. I've just got to enjoy it. Obviously there's going to be positives and down sides, but it never always be the way I want it to.

Q. You've had a couple of practise‑‑ how many practise rounds have you had this week? Just the one?
LYDIA KO: I played nine holes yesterday and then just the Pro‑Am today.

Q. What's in your eyes the biggest challenge this week from what you've seen so far?
LYDIA KO: I think really the big thing on any links golf course is for you to not hit it in the pot bunkers, first of all. David said because I'm not that tall, every bunker is a pot bunker to me.
But no, I mean, stay out of the pot bunker and stay out of the long rough. The tee shots are really going to be crucial. Obviously the next shot is going to be tough, too, but to hit your second shots into the green when you're hitting off the fairway makes a huge difference than when you're outside of it. When you're in the pot bunker, it's pretty much like you're hitting in a hazard and you're giving yourself a shot away.

Q. According to the very reliable source that is Wikipedia, New Zealanders already won 43 Gold Medals in the Olympic Games, which is pretty awesome for a small country. What would it mean for you to go there next year and try to do that and achieve it?
LYDIA KO: I'm not sure if it's reliable‑‑ inaudible ‑‑ reliable. Somebody changed it actually, I'm 5'5 again.
Yeah, I mean, I didn't know exactly the numbers of the medals and all that. Olympics is really around the corner. When they first announced it, well, okay, when is this going to happen and when is it happening. It's just next year. Hopefully I would be able to make the team. It's really exciting. To represent your country at such an international stage, I think it's going to be a lot of fun and to do it for the first time next year, I think it will be a lot of attention.

Q. What is your success doing for golf in New Zealand? Can you see yourself hosting a tournament down there at some stage in your career?
LYDIA KO: I don't know. I'm only 18 (laughs). So I don't really know about what I could possibly do. But I don't know how big of an impact I'm making, but if I am making just a little bit, that's pretty cool for me. When I see more juniors taking up the game, being more interested, I think that's a big part, because New Zealand, we have such great facilities great golf courses and good junior development programs. I think if more people get more interested in it, I'm sure it will get more popular.

Q. This year there's a new wave of South Korean players that have showed up out of Q‑School, Kim Sei‑young earning her card and Ingee Chun steps up and wins and will probably be joining the Tour at some point. How much has this new wave of South Korean players, how much of an impact had they had on the Tour already?
LYDIA KO: I guess they are in some ways a new face. You call the players like Sei‑young Kim and Ingee Chun rookies, but they are really not rookies. They are super‑rookies. They have had multiple wins on the KLPGA and other tours. It's hard to call them under rookies.
I think it's great. Last win at the U.S. Open was a pretty nerve‑wracking, exciting finish with Amy. It's obviously great to see not only‑‑ it's not really one golfer in the country that's winning. I think it's great especially on the LPGA where we have so many golfers from other countries that it just shows what an international stage and tour we are.
I think it's great for the Tour that there are these young stars that are playing really well.

Q. I see you have a bandage on your left thumb, same as mow Martin had when she came in. Is that an injury or protective?
LYDIA KO: No. I've had this on for a long time, at least the start of the season. I took the whole of December off. When I came back on New Year's Day, I was very rusty. I think everywhere was hurting a little bit, so I kind of put this on just to give myself a little bit more cushioning. But it's not hurting right now. So it's not really an injury, just a precautionary.

Q. You're a New Zealand girl of Korean descent living in the States and playing here in Scotland. Where is your emotional home?
LYDIA KO: I think I'm really lucky that I have the Korean background in me and I grew up in a totally different country in New Zealand. Those two would be home, if I go to Korea or New Zealand, that's where I feel most welcomed. I love going there. Most of the time when I'm in Orlando having a week off, my mom cooks me Korean food. That's where my Korean background comes into it. I guess it's really hard to choose just one certain country but I'm really fortunate that I'm getting great support from both.
Last week when I was playing, there were a lot of people coming out to cheer us on. It's great to hear the crowds even when you have a morning tee time. Scotland really is where the Home of Golf is. It's definitely great to come to a place where there is so much history.

Q. Having been here for a week, do you feel more relaxed coming in than years past?
LYDIA KO: I don't know if I'm more relaxed or not because the course was a little different. Last week's course, it wasn't really a traditional links, because when it's a traditional links, you kind of expect it to be pretty flat 20 yards short of the green and you can run it up there and know that you are going to get the roll.
Dundonald Links, they actually had quite a bit of undulation and on some greens you have to carry it on the green for you to be on the putting surface. Kind of different. But I guess the big thing was really the wind and the type of grass we play on.
In the States, we use a lot of bounce when we are chipping around the greens. Here, that's the last thing you need. I think the short game and just trying to get a good feel with links‑style was really the big thing and it helped a lot last week.

Q. Your national rugby team gave themselves ready for competition with a hacker. Have you ever thought of trying this or what is your approach before you start a tournament?
LYDIA KO: You know how when the old people get like afraid and they are scared of them, but I think if I did it, people would laugh. Yeah, so I don't think I would make the same impression as the All Blacks. People have told me to do it but I'm not even sure if the ladies can actually do the traditional.

Q. So what's your approach before you go out? How do you get into a competitive mental state?
LYDIA KO: I just try, like before I tee off, I always say, hey, let's just have fun, just enjoy myself out there, because that's really all I can do. It's hard enough out there would you tell me trying to complicate things. I'm just trying to keep myself calm and put myself in a confident position where I'm going out there knowing that I can try my best.

Q. You mentioned the New Zealand junior programmes and also we know about the Korean girls. Is there anything that you can suggest to help junior golf, particularly for girls in the U.K., because we really are very poor at supporting girls in the U.K.
LYDIA KO: Yeah, I don't really know the exact programme kids or juniors go under in Korea because I wasn't really under that development programme. I know that in my experience, I had a really good support team around me. I had a coach since day one. My parents didn't play any golf, so I needed a coach to teach me all the basics.
I think that's really important. Sometimes like my old habits, they still come when it's 13, 12 years later. So have that good foundation and that good team is really the most important thing. That doesn't mean you need the most expensive coach in the whole entire world. Even having your parents is a really good thing.
And like I said, there are such great programmes and memberships in New Zealand. At my home club, it was a hundred dollars for the whole year and you could use the swimming pool and use the gym and practise whenever. When you have that, it becomes much easier for you and are having fun out there rather than saying this is a job and I have to do this in a couple years and do this. So I think we are really lucky.

Q. Do you just focus on the golf on a tour like this or do you manage to get out to a disco or whatever?
LYDIA KO: A disco? (Laughs). There's clubs around here? No, I mean, when it's tournament week, most of the time I just kind of go from the hotel to the golf course. Maybe go to a restaurant nearby. I don't do too much outside of the three places. Like even if I had time, I don't really like going out because I'm outside most of the time. Obviously golf isn't the most active sport but we are out here for a long time, so it's quite energy consuming. I'd rather just chill out on my bed, watch a couple of TV shows.

Q. Last time I saw you at the Women's Open, you talked about‑‑ U.S. Women's Open, you talked about being maybe a little distracted for a while. You were missing your friends and maybe a little bit homesick. Is that something you've been able to address? How do you feel along those lines?
LYDIA KO: Yeah, I've been trying to talk more with my friends. I talk to them through all the social media and all that. I've been like really busy ever since the U.S. Open. I've been on the road a lot. I've been just trying to have time in my downtime and not even think about golf like a normal 18‑year‑old and just enjoy it.
I was thinking even last week, hey, you've got to have fun, you've got to have fun and that's been a really good base for me. And then I can work my way and spend some time talking to my friends and all that stuff and having much more fun, enjoying it. I think that's what I'm going to try and do for the next 12 years.

Q. You say you're a normal 18‑year‑old. So what's your explanation for your abnormal golf at such a young age?
LYDIA KO: I don't feel like a normal 18‑year‑old, but when I come off the golf course, I lie around in bed, get told off by my mom for not taking any shower early enough or whatever.
Obviously being an LPGA Tour member and being on the road a lot, it takes you away from being that normal teenager. But, you know, that's why I said there's always positives and negatives, but I love being here alongside these girls on Tour. I get to go to these different countries like here in Scotland. I think I'm very fortunate. More when I was an amateur, I missed going out to movies on a Friday night and all that, but that's going to be part of it. I can't just have everything I want.

Q. Do you have an explanation for why you are so good, so young?
LYDIA KO: I don't have an explanation. Yeah, I wish there was a secret recipe and then I can do that every time I play. No, I don't think there is a real big secret on me playing‑‑ if I knew, I would continue that every single day.

Q. You said this is what you want to do for the next 12 years. Can we take that as a retirement announcement?
LYDIA KO: Yeah, I think everybody knows my retirement was 30 on the dot, yeah.

Q. Is that a serious plan?
LYDIA KO: Yeah, I'm being completely serious. Yes.

Q. You'll be out of here at the age of 30?
LYDIA KO: Yeah. When I'm 30, it might be my last British Open.

Q. How many would you like to have in the bag by then?
LYDIA KO: I don't know. (Laughing). I have no idea. Even one would be amazing. But it's a lot of fun playing the British Open because it's not like any other event. We play these different types of golf courses that we don't play during our normal events. So I think it's great. Unfortunately it's only once a year but that's what makes it really special.
I said my retirement is at 30 but when I'm 29, I'll officially let you know if I'm going to retire.
COLIN CALLANDER: Lydia, thank you very much for your time. Good luck this week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297