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RICOH WOMEN'S BRITISH OPEN

July 31, 2015

So Yeon Ryu

TRUMP TURNBERRY, SCOTLAND

Q. How do you think it went today?
SO YEON RYU: You know, with this weather, even par is still a really great score. But today, I have kind of bad luck and good luck. So I think well deserved.
I think yesterday, I shot 5‑under par and then I knew weather is going to be really bad for today. So I think it really made me feel comfortable to play with this weather with pretty good under par yesterday.
I think I really tried to enjoy this wet weather, because I knew it's always going to be like this.

Q. You must be pretty happy to be in a good place and finished, especially with the weather now in the afternoon?
SO YEON RYU: You know, this is golf. We just played the US Women's Open and USGA said golf is an outdoor sport and you need to deal with everything. This is what I got and I got some really good luck, so I hope I can get this good luck until Sunday.

Q. Where does Turnberry rank in the world and the world's best golf courses?
SO YEON RYU: It's really hard to say what's the ranking, but I would say I've definitely fallen in love with this place. This place, sunny, windy, rainy, I really love this place. I don't want to judge anything about this golf course but I love it.

Q. Two back. About all you could ask for heading into today?
SO YEON RYU: Today was quite windy but I guess I was quite lucky to tee off very early in the morning because it's going to be a bit more bad. Today I got some really good luck and bad luck. I don't want to say, you know, I had a rough day. I think I really enjoyed a round. I really enjoyed playing Turnberry. I'm really happy with my even par round.
Another good thing was yesterday I shot really well. 5‑under was a good score heading into this weather. My mind‑set was quite comfortable, because, okay, I hit it really great yesterday. So today I'm just going to be‑‑ just enjoy playing with this wind and it's going to be par every hole.
So I think it was really helpful to get a really good score yesterday.

Q. A lot of Top‑10s recently. Feeling pretty good about your game heading into this week?
SO YEON RYU: Yeah, I think these days, my game is getting better and better. I talked with my psychologist and I just talked to her. It feels like my game has improved a lot, but I cannot understand why I still cannot win any tournament.
She just said, don't forget your motivation. My actual motivation is I'm happy. That's why I'm playing golf. So I just kind of switch my mind‑set; okay, I'm still happy. Even though I hit a really bad shot, how blessed to be playing golf at this beautiful place. I always remind me, I'm one of the luckier girls, let's enjoy the life. I think that kind of mind‑set helped me to more enjoy the golf; and that enjoy the golf makes me play well.

Q. When did you start working with her?
SO YEON RYU: Since 2009.

Q. Helped a lot?
SO YEON RYU: Oh, absolutely.

Q. What's her name?
SO YEON RYU: Sookyung Cho, Dr. Cho. Also she's Inbee's psychologist, as well. We are more like family, like auntie.

Q. Do you guys talk on the phone?
SO YEON RYU: Yeah, phone, Skype, chat, text message. I just pretty much tell everything to her.

Q. How did you guys meet?
SO YEON RYU: My agent found her. Inbee started working with her first and then I started.

Q. You know how bad Inbee wants to win this week and I know you two are best friends. Do you think she's going to be mad at you if you steal this from her?
SO YEON RYU: I think this is one of the really bad things, because Inbee is a really successful player, and maybe this is only one thing she hasn't got it. Then, you know, hasn't win this tournament makes her not enough good player. People think that's not enough. I think that kind of thing makes it tough for her to deal with. I just want to see her play this tournament as a regular tournament and some day she's going to win this tournament, and I hope she's going to make the Grand Slam, as well.

Q. But you still want to win this week.
SO YEON RYU: Absolutely. I don't know where she finish at today.

Q. Three back of you.
SO YEON RYU: No matter what, Inbee and I both want this tournament some day. If I win first, I can give good luck to her. If she wins first, she can give me good luck.

Q. Are you used to this weather in Korea? Does it ever get like this?
SO YEON RYU: My hometown, not really. But we do have beautiful island in our country called Jeju Island and the weather is like this. A lot warmer but this kind of windy. So I train a lot there when I was a national team member. Also the KLPGA tour has a lot of tournaments up there.
So I'm kind of quite comfortable playing with strong wind.

Q. What do you think about playing in the wind?
SO YEON RYU: Just use the wind. That's my goal. That's my theory when I'm playing really strong wind.

Q. What do you think if the wind keeps blowing like this the winning score might be? Obviously everyone lit it up the first day. But it's a totally different golf course today.
SO YEON RYU: I would say 5‑under would be a really good score to wind the tournament if the wind is stronger than this.

Q. Could you run us through your birdies and bogeys today?
SO YEON RYU: Today I made a bogey the first hole. Tee shot; second shot in the bunker. Then my ball was very against the lip (ph), so I made a bogey there.
The par36, I made a 5‑iron and then like two, three feet birdie putt. Tap‑in birdie.
7, hit a driver, 6‑iron on the green, 2‑putt, birdie.
The next hole, I hit a driver, 8‑iron‑‑ no, 9‑iron. It was on the green but I had a 3‑putt.
10, I missed the fairway. So I just kind of laid up. Then I couldn't get up‑and‑down, so made a bogey.
15, I hit a 22‑utility and almost like four‑feet birdie putt.
16 was hit the driver and then it was like, I would say, maybe 25 feet, birdie putt and I made it.
Then 18 was hit driver, hit the utility, missed way left. Chip it and then like six feet par putt but I miss it.

Q. I know you said that your caddie is a big golf nut and he loves the golf over here specifically. Did he have a lot of knowledge coming here?
SO YEON RYU: Oh, yeah, absolutely. I think he had been caddying here when the guys were playing a tournament. I mean, it's not just about know the golf course. He just understands what I'm going to hit and he understands what I want to hit, and then he understands links golf course, and he understands what's the weather like. So he is really helpful to this tournament.

Q. And his name is Tom Watson and Tom Watson has 3‑putted here and has won here before, too.
SO YEON RYU: So everybody is joking around (laughter).

Q. Do you know who he caddied for when he caddied here for the guys?
SO YEON RYU: I would say Brendan Jones, one of the Aussie guys. Right now he's in Japan I guess.

Q. Is it a little bit like déjà vu for you watching InGee Chun win the U.S. Open as a Monday‑member of the LPGA and go out and win her first U.S. Open?
SO YEON RYU: Also, when I won the tournament, when I won the U.S. Open, Dean Herden caddied for me. And then when InGee won the tournament, Dean was caddying for her. So we should call him like golden hand or U.S. Women's Open expert.
Actually it reminds me of that tournament but InGee, she won the tournament in Japan, Korea, America. She won all major tournaments in three different countries. So I look forward to seeing her going to play LPGA next year.

Q. How well do you know her? She's won six times in the last three months. That's pretty crazy.
SO YEON RYU: I'm pretty jealous. To be honest I really don't know about her but we've been playing together in Korea in different tournaments last year. I remember I played with her when she was an amateur, and when I played the KLPGA tour. Then she almost won that tournament. I always remember she's a really great player.
I think her strength could be mental. It looks like she's very calm; that she's not really get angry, get mad. So she's really great at control of her temper.

Q. And last question, how do the nerves differ on the weekend trying to win a major championship, as opposed to a regular Tour event? Obviously Open, first win was the US Women's Open and you've won events after. But how do those two events differ?
SO YEON RYU: Actually to me, regular tournament and major tournament always feels the same because tournament always makes us nervous. Another thing is I've already won a major championship, so when I close to win the tournament, I just keep talking myself, I won a major tournament, so I can do this; this is easier one. It's not easier but I just tell myself. I just want to make myself thinking easier.
I always say, it's nothing different. But for me, it's really great to have a major win as another regular tournament.

Q. Stacy has talked about when the golf course is tougher, she likes when the conditions are bad because it separates the field out and it makes it top heavy where the best players have an advantage. Do you like that?
SO YEON RYU: Yeah, absolutely. I totally agree with her. You know, the major has to be like difficult but has to make sense, not like crazy difficult. But as Stacy said, if golf course is a bit tough, I think we can see all the players ability. It's like, you know, like short game, long game, and you have to hit‑‑ especially at links golf, here, we have to hit it like low, high, fade, draw, whatever we need. We have to hit every shot.
I think tough conditions make people can see more clear who is talented one.

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