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THE PRESIDENTS CUP

October 6, 2015

Sangmoon Bae

Songdo IBD, Incheon City, Korea

Q. So how do you feel about playing here in The Presidents Cup in Korea, and as a two-time winner, how does it feel this time?
SANGMOON BAE: It's really good to be back here. I have a good energy level and I think the field has been well-conditioned for all the players to play a great game.

Q. What will be the major difference of the course condition, the field condition when you played before and right now?
SANGMOON BAE: I won games in 2013 and 2014 on this course. Well, before the renovation, the greens had a lot of undulations. There's been a lot of improvements. And while they were renovating it in 2014, so I guess I'm very familiar with the conditions right now.

Q. The International Team?
Q. Do you have any pressure about playing this time around?
SANGMOON BAE: Well, not at all, because through our place, through the games we played before, I think we got a lot of lessons learned. So I think we are better prepared, and I expect all our team members to play a good game. And personally, since I'm very familiar with the course and I have very high confidence.

Q. Who would you like to get the first winning point against?
SANGMOON BAE: Whoever I play, whether I make the points on Thursday or Saturday, as long as I get to contribute to my team, I will very happy.

Q. Between the fourball or foursome, which play do you prefer?
SANGMOON BAE: I don't really have a particular preference, because you can overpower in foursome, or you can go 8-under or 9-under in fourball. It's all about how we actually form a good team play. At the same time, I think the overall flow will determine the outcome of the game.

Q. Who would you like to be paired up with in this game?
SANGMOON BAE: For fourball, I would personally like to play with Danny Lee.

With foursome, the dynamic of the game is slightly different that it's better to have someone who has a different capacity and capability. So I think that when I played today with Adam Scott, I think that he went about 30, 40 yards ahead. So I think that if I could play with someone that could hit the long shot, that would be a good advantage for me.

Q. You mentioned that you like to play with Danny Lee. How did you build with friendship with him?
SANGMOON BAE: I met Danny in 2007, the first time, I believe it was at The European Tour Johnnie Walker event. There I met him for the first time. Ever since then, we played a lot together. We had lots of dialogue and we shared a lot of things in common. We live nearby and also play together a lot often because of that factor.

More than anything, I think we were able to build rapport as a friend and as a team; that we often talk about how we could pair up in this game this time around. I think that we build each other's confidence and determination.

Q. Now that you're back, have you learned any more about when you might start your service or where you might be stationed?
SANGMOON BAE: I don't want to get questions about the military stuff, because I had a media conference last week. I'm just here for The Presidents Cup, so I just want to talk about this event.

Q. The course setting obviously has changed when you last played here. So how did you feel when you actually took a tour and walked around and played and practiced a bit?
SANGMOON BAE: Well, the green and tee ground are the same. But for example, the 11th hole, the fairway has been stretched to the left side a little further, and the roughs are different. But I think overall, it's very dynamic, dynamic field, and I think it's a good field to play a fair game.

Q. How do you think you'll feel when they call out your name on the first tee Thursday morning? How do you think the feeling will be for you?
SANGMOON BAE: Well, I'll be very happy and I'll be genuinely honored, especially because personally I'm going through a lot of things these days. It will mean a lot to me, so I'm determined to do my very best.

Q. Most of the year you play golf as an individual sport on your own. But this week is a team event. How has the experience been so far coming here, mixing around with 11 other top-class players in the International Team? How has it been?
SANGMOON BAE: It's an honor just to be part of the team for this tournament, especially if I could -- since we are as an International Team, we are playing against a U.S. Team, if we could actually pull together and win, it would be even a bigger honor. It has layers of different meaningfulness to me because the game of golf obviously is a very individual game. Whereas this time, we have to build really good team work and being able to play in this type of tournament setting, it's a good opportunity to learn a lot and grow.

Q. We heard that finally as a team you guys got together last night? How was it?
SANGMOON BAE: It was very comfortable and we talked a lot. It was a very light-hearted meeting. A lot of people had a lot of dialogue and interaction. We joked around a bit.

But mostly we talked about how we could have a good playing partner, and the leadership also put a lot of thought into making the best pairings.

Q. It's been four years since they announced The Presidents Cup is coming to South Korea. Can you just talk about the build up and being here now and what this means to the country?
SANGMOON BAE: This really means a lot, because we represent the International Team, it's really an honor. It's an honor for me. And it's the first time playing The Presidents Cup, and I have a lot of distraction, but I've got to focus on my game the whole week. And you know, just make a lot of birdies and I really want to help my team win.

Q. Since you have played here a lot, if you can give some tips or some know-how to play well here?
SANGMOON BAE: Well, I don't think I'm in a position to give some deep advice. The tee shot is not that hard. The fairway is very forgiving. But I think this field is more about the game and determined by putting and iron shots. But I'm willing to actually share my experience and actually learn a lot of lessons, especially pin positions. So while I'm revisiting my previous play, I will give a few pointers.

Q. I think this is the first time that there are players from four different Asian countries on the International Team. What does that tell you about Asian golf in general?
SANGMOON BAE: Four different Asian countries here? I guess this is a good sign that a lot of Asian players are getting highlighted, and it's great to see players from Korean, Thailand, Japan and India are playing here in this tournament. For me as a Korean, I also have this vision that a lot more Korean players will be debuting and will be showcased in some of the tournaments. I wish that not only the Korean female players, but also Korean male players will also get a lot of spotlights. I hope this becomes a good transition, turning point for all of us.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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