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CAMBIA PORTLAND CLASSIC

August 12, 2015

Lydia Ko

PORTLAND, OREGON

THE MODERATOR: Happy to be joined in the media center by Rolex Rankings No. 2, Lydia Ko. Lydia, first week in Portland, first time in Oregon. What has been your impression so far?
LYDIA KO: Yeah, first of all, it's beautiful around here, and the weather has been pretty awesome the last couple of days. And I heard so many great things about this tournament and great things about the city itself, so obviously pretty excited.
I've scouted out some Korean restaurants, and yeah, it's definitely great to come to a place where you feel very welcomed.

Q. How do you think 2015 has gone for you?
LYDIA KO: I had a really solid start to the year. I had a lot of top 10s, and then I didn't play so well after my win at the Swinging Skirts, but I've been playing much better the last couple weeks. I think my playing well in the last round at Wal‑Mart really helped with my confidence. Yeah, it's been a lot of fun.
We had a long stretch the last couple weeks when I was in Scotland for two weeks and then having majors at the start and then at the end of a week's stretch, it's going to be a tough one. Yeah, I had a lots of fun. I had a great experience playing at Turnberry, and I think it's been going good.

Q. So, Lydia, you've played the course. You said you played it on Sunday. What are your impressions of Columbia Edgewater?
LYDIA KO: Yeah, the course conditions are great. The greens are running fast. They're firm. Most of the time when we're hitting wedges into the green they sometimes spin back, but here I don't think we're going to see as much of that. But yeah, overall the course is in really good condition. It's a very traditional golf course. It's tree‑lined, and I think it's a good start because like here next week also in Vancouver it's traditional.
So I think we're going to have two great weeks where it's, I think, quite a lot to do with driving accuracy and the person who makes a lot of putts out here.

Q. When you first came to this course, did you like the set‑up? Do you feel like it's one that fits your eye and that you'll play well here?
LYDIA KO: Yeah, I really like it. I think you can get really creative on this golf course. You can hit 3‑woods off the tee and then hit a little bit of a longer iron, and then you can be a little bit more aggressive where the fairways are a little tighter. So I think the tee shots are really one of the crucial parts here. The course, I really like it, and being in good condition that just makes it even better. Even if the course sometimes doesn't suit your eye or if the course is in really good condition you kind of have a tendency to liking the course because it's in top condition for you.
But I think this is a great golf course. We can hit some wood shots in there and then some longer irons that will roll with the firmness. But, yeah, it's a golf course where we can use different types of clubs in the bag, not just one certain area.

Q. How long are you going to be in Portland and do you have any Portland bucket list items before you leave?
LYDIA KO: Yeah, we've got‑‑ I'm playing the Canadian Open next week, so we'll probably be driving to Canada on Sunday. This week is really all I have. But I'm teeing off in the morning on Friday, so maybe I'll be able to look around the city. I heard that downtown was really cool, so I might go down there and go for dinner and just check it out.

Q. This is kind of an insider question, but how do you know when you want to hit a putt left‑hand low and regular, because you kind of go back and forth on it?
LYDIA KO: Yeah, I used to say it was like 15, 12 feet and then I'd use my left‑hand low, and then the longer putts I'd use the conventional grip. But nowadays it's more feel. If it's like a really speedy putt going downhill, I might use the left‑hand low because I know that it's going to be a little softer pace unless I hit it really hard.
So I think it's a lot to do with feel. Sometimes the conventional feels more comfortable and then I kind of tend towards that side, but it's a different day to day. I wouldn't exactly know what exact point I switch it over.

Q. Can you share any memories you have about Louise Suggs?
LYDIA KO: Unfortunately, I was never able to meet Louise, but I've seen a lot of things about it on paper, about her on YouTube clips and what she's done for not only the LPGA but for the women's game is huge. I think we're so fortunate that we had those founders to make the LPGA what it is. Without people like her and pioneers and then the next generations, I think the LPGA wouldn't be as big.
The women's game is getting more and more popular, so we're all going in the right direction. It's very sad that we lost another founder, but what she's done for us, she'll always be in our memories, and God has another angel up there.

Q. You were able to win Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year honors last year. So what does it mean to have an award that has her name on it?
LYDIA KO: Yeah, it's pretty amazing. Just being the Rookie of the Year was an accomplishment, to get an award named after somebody like Louise Suggs was a huge honor. There are so many greats under that name.
Sometimes I think was I really that deserving to have an award under her name and a name like hers, but it's a huge award, and I think it's all rookies dream to try to get that award. Like I keep saying, she's not only a founder, she's much more than that. So it was definitely a huge honor at that time.
We're, I think, very thankful, and I think that award will go for a long time. So, yeah, I think every time somebody gets it, it's celebrating not only the rookie but also Louise.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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