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LPGA KEB HANABANK CHAMPIONSHIP

October 16, 2015

Lydia Ko

Incheon, South Korea

MODERATOR: Good afternoon, we have Lydia Ko who is now at 10-under par after a round of seven under. Fantastic round. The lead was 10 yesterday, you're at 10 now. Talk about your day.

LYDIA KO: Yeah, I didn't exactly know what I shot today. I think apart from the 18th hole birdie, when I made a birdie, the next hole, I came up with another birdie. Sad there's no 19th hole, so I might have birdied there.

Overall, I thought I played really solidly and made a lot of good putts. When I was in trouble, I got a little fortunate, got a good lie in the rough.

But yeah, I think I put myself in a good position, but the leaders in the final groups, they have still got a couple of holes left. I feel like there are some birdies out there. So 10-under might not be the leader at the end of the day, but still really happy with the way I played.

MODERATOR: How important is it to get yourself in position now and not have to do so much work over the next two days? Obviously it's still going to be difficult, but you've gotten yourself into a great position.

LYDIA KO: Yeah, seven shots behind the leader yesterday, and coming off with a 3-under, I still thought I played pretty good. I looked to my left and the girl in front shot 10-under (laughs).

So when a player shoots 10-under, 7-under, 8-under, whatever, they had a great day and all you can do is play good golf yourself and just think about it, one shot at a time and see the closer you are to the leader -- or if you're leading, the earlier, the better. Because if you are leading, you've got time where you can expand the lead and give yourself a little bit of breathing room I think.

I think I put myself in good position. But the weekend is where they say people try to go up the leaderboard. I'm just going to focus on one shot at a time tomorrow and just focus on my game, because I know there's going to be a lot of great golf from a lot of great players.

MODERATOR: That was pretty impressive, you signing all the autographs, taking selfies with the fans here. We all know at the LPGA how big the crowds are when we come to Korea, how big this week is. How much fun is that for you? I know this is a business, and this is golf and you're trying to win the tournament, but how much fun is it for you here this week?

LYDIA KO: Yeah, you know, the last two days, the fans have been fantastic and especially playing alongside Inbee, I knew that we'd have some big numbers out there, even though we're not the leaders. It's great to play in front of big crowds. I think they are as excited as us, even a little bit more.

Obviously if we make a mistake and hear the "ohh". But in a way, I guess they care so much and they really want the best for us. So I guess in a way, they are a little disappointed. But not in a bad way where they are trying to put us off. But the crowds have been fantastic. Last year was the first time playing in Korea, and I've been noticing even more and more how much they love the LPGA and how much they love golf. I think the numbers are only going to go up, and I think it's going to be pretty crazy on the weekend.

Q. I know you get sick of hearing this, but this is how we make our living. If you win this week, you go back to No. 1 in the world and we have The Race to CME is out there and Player of the Year is still out there. How much do you allow yourself to think about those sorts of things, not only during a round of golf but during the week and during this Asian stretch?
LYDIA KO: Yeah, I mean, the closer we get or if there is a switch, the media is going to talk about it. But, you know, I'm sorry, but I'm going to try and ignore you guys. I think that's the best way.

Because when I'm out there, I'm just trying to hit a good shot and put myself in good position. If I thought about the rankings, the awards, it's just way too much. It's hard enough just trying to hit the ball straight out there.

I was playing alongside Inbee, and I had a lot of fun playing alongside her. I don't think about the rankings or if one birdie is going to put me a couple shots in front of her. I don't think she was doing -- I think she was doing the same, not thinking about all that.

I feel very fortunate that there is a great competitor like her where I can work harder and be as good as her or get to that ranking. But when we're out there, we are not thinking about it. I think for the crowds and for the media, it makes it really exciting when everything is close.

That happened for the Vare Trophy and for the Player of the Year during CME last year. Until the last ball dropped, they weren't able to finalize a winner. I think it's going to be that close. Hoping it is that close.

Yeah, it's just exciting times. And we've still got a lot of golf to play. The weekend here, it's still at least five, six events on the calendar. So I think you can't count anybody out.

Q. Can you just talk about how special it would be to win in Korea for you?
LYDIA KO: Yeah, it would be very special. I was born in Korea. I love the Korean culture. I love eating Korean food and I love the Korean dishes (ph) out here. I enjoy coming and playing in Korea. If I'm holding the trophy at the end of the week, that would be a very special moment. And you know, my family is coming down on the weekend, so it would be great to just be able to maybe share the moment with them.

But yeah, when someone looks at me, they see an Asian face, a Korean face. So definitely am not lost in the Korean background in me. If I am the winner at the end of the week, that would be a very special moment.

Q. Can you talk about your season, after winning?
LYDIA KO: After winning in San Francisco, I didn't have a good couple of weeks. Like for four -- like five, six events, I did not play good golf at all. I was out there because I was a golfer and then a golfer needs to be at the golf course. It was like I was out there just because I knew what my profession was.

So I kind of lost the fun of it, and I think that's why I started not playing as well. I had a really good score on the last day of Arkansas and I played alongside Jess, and I just started having so much fun. I'm sure a lot of the people here will know how fun Jess is. She just makes people smile and I think that was kind of my turning point. That's when I started playing a lot more consistent in a good way.

So, yeah, I've played really solidly the last couple events and I'm really happy with where my game is. And hopefully I'll be playing consistently well for the next couple of events. I have not played with Sung Hyun Park before, but I met her last year before this event. She was really nice, so if I get to play with her tomorrow, I think we'll have a lot of fun out there.

I heard that she hits the ball a long way, so in a way, it's a little intimidating, but I can't think about that. I've just got to focus on my game and play with what I have in the bag, because if I think about, man, what if I could hit it 20 yards longer, I think there would be no end. There is no perfect round or a perfect game.

So I've just got to play with what I have and just concentrate on my game, and I'm sure she's going to play some great golf tomorrow.

Q. What do you think your biggest strengths and weaknesses are?
LYDIA KO: My positive in my game, I would have to say my iron play. Even if my tee shot is a little bit wayward, I think I managed to find a way to hit the green and kind of go from there. Growing up, I know it's really weird to say growing up when I'm only 18 right now. But when I was younger, I think my dad, when we went to the range, we worked a lot on mid-iron shots, and I think that's what's been really helpful to my game.

I think that's where it's really important, because if you've got an iron in your hand and you're really confident with it, you're going to be aggressive and you're going to go for the pins.

I've always said the downside of my game would be my putting. But my putting has definitely helped me the past couple days, and maybe the last couple days in Malaysia, too. So it's been a plus for me in that way, as I think that's why I was able to shoot a score like 7-under.

Q. So Inbee in your biggest competitor. You were in the same group today, and I'm curious, what do you talk about on the field, and also, whether you speak in English or Korean, and also whether you speak in English or Korean with other Korean players when you're on the Tour.
LYDIA KO: With the other Korean players, I tend to initiate the conversation in Korean, and even with Inbee, I usually initiate the conversation in Korean. And we don't really focus on golf stuff when we're on the field. We talk about other stuff.

Like for instance, with Inbee, it was her anniversary, wedding anniversary this week, and she mentioned earlier in the press interview that she might go out for a romantic dinner with her husband, so I asked her about that. So we talked about food. We tend not to talk about things related to golf on the field.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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