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BLUE BAY LPGA

October 27, 2015

Hainan Island, China

THE MODERATOR: The floor is going to be open. Please feel free to ask questions.

Q. Inbee, first time to be in this area of Blue Bay. Are you ready, and what is your expectation out of this tournament?
INBEE PARK: Yeah, it feels great to be here in Blue Bay. Last year I missed out because this tournament was the same week as my sponsor tournament in Korea. So I really wanted to come, but I came this year. I heard last year the weather was bad, but this year it looks nice so far. Yeah, it's a beautiful place, and I'd love to play good this week. Yeah, there's not many tournaments left in the LPGA schedule, so definitely want to finish strong this season, so yeah, looking forward to this week.

Q. Michelle, you're always an icon in fashion, in addition to your career of golf. In what way do you think that you've been planning these two factors together, blending the fashion together into women's golf?
MICHELLE WIE: I think that over the years, fashion has really evolved into golf. I remember growing up and playing golf and having no women's golf clothes. The only clothes that were available to us were men's golf clothes. Over the years I think companies like Nike and other companies, they've done such a great job of incorporating fashion into golf.

I have a lot of fun because I get to sit down in design meetings with Nike Golf and we go shopping and we look at inspirations on the runway, what's popular now in fashion, and you can kind of see in fashion now that what's popular, what's fashionable on the runway, it's starting to show up on the golf course. It's so great to see the LPGA. There's so many fun outfits out there, so many fun personalities, and it's a great blend of beauty and golf this week, just with the views, the glamorous hotel, the glamorous golf course, is ocean is so beautiful. Everything about this place is glamour and beauty and prestige. I think it goes so well hand-in-hand with the LPGA this week, and I think that it's a beautiful setting for some awesome golf.

Q. Lee-Anne, as the defending champion here, obviously you notice that this year is getting stronger. Do you have any pressure? Also the way of your winning last year, the experience there, would you make any adjustment or would you share with some people who are good friends?
LEE-ANNE PACE: No, I'm not adjusting. I'm going to go at the golf course the same way that I did last year. Obviously I think if it's not raining it'll play a little bit shorter. But no, no pressure. I love being here. There's something special about this island for me. I always enjoy it here. I think it's in my heart. I feel very comfortable, and I've got my sister here this week, so it's really great to have family here.

And I just want to say, Michelle, I'm really jealous of those shoes you have. I saw Michelle two weeks ago, and she's got these stunning high tops, and I really wish we wore the same size shoe because I loved them.

Q. Lee-Anne, the second time through the year, when you saw the trophy before, what were you thinking about? What was going through your mind? And also, any changes as far as the first time being in this area and the second time, and what might be your anticipation out of this tournament?
LEE-ANNE PACE: Obviously I'd love to defend it. I'm playing well at the moment, striking the ball great. I think it's a nice golf course where you have to attack the small parts of the green, so if you're pretty accurate with your irons, you're going to score well this week.

You know, just to be back here brought back so many memories. It was my first LPGA win, and even through the rain, it was really, really special for me, and to just be back at this awesome resort and hotel is very special.

Q. Shanshan, the second time through this area, what are you looking forward to in this tournament?
SHANSHAN FENG: Actually very happy to be back here, especially after a year, and to be back in this town is fantastic. Many of us players actually were talking about this town and how beautiful it is, et cetera, and really good memories about this tournament and this town. And this should be one of the top three as far as environment is concerned, so certainly I look forward to coming back here. Of course last year the weather might not have been great. Hopefully the weather here will be ideal and desirable, and we will really enjoy this environment even more so. Last year I didn't do a good job at all. I finished sixth here, and of course being here, being actually on home soil, I might be undergoing some pressure given the fact that we have all fans here, and obviously I'll do my best, and the final result, I don't know what to look forward to, but I'd obviously like to enjoy myself. This is just a rare opportunity for me to be here, to be with my fans, and certainly I'd like to do the best I can.

Q. You've been to this island more than four times. You've been around on different occasions. Do you have any ideas or suggestions for local Chinese players and also foreign players as far as your experience?
SHANSHAN FENG: Maybe they should ask you the question because you're the one who always performs well on this island. I will go ahead and say hello but maybe give you the question, too, okay?

The island itself is just fantastic environment-wise and very suitable for the sport of golf and not too hot at all, all year-round, and especially right now in October it's not hot, and in that sense, physically if you participate in the event as it is right now, it's not that demanding, and the environment is so comfortable and so beautiful, it makes me and many of my peers feel like we are on vacation here on this island, but also we are here to compete. So in that sense the pressure might not be that great. Of course it's great for many younger Chinese players to get familiar. It's a chance for them to get familiar with the LPGA players by utilizing this opportunity. Many young players from China, they are very young, however, they are really rising very quickly, and some of them actually even showed up at the U.S. Open and also made the cut there, and it's a great chance for them to compete here with some top players, top golfers, and I hope that these players won't have too much pressure. They are young. They should really try to seize the opportunity to learn from top players.

LEE-ANNE PACE: I think Shanshan is such a great role model for the young --

SHANSHAN FENG: Please tell us the secrets. We want it.

LEE-ANNE PACE: No, I was about to say, you're a great role model for younger Chinese golf, up-and-coming, and the talent is just amazing. I think in the future China is going to be one of those countries that's going to be top on the LPGA, and it's because of events like this where they can compete against the professionals. But yeah, as I was saying to my sister, it's hard to come to work today. Not that it's a tough job, but you wake up, you see the beautiful ocean, and you just want to go lie on the beach and lie in the sun. I think all champions should actually get like a week-long vacation on this island, past champions included, so I can bring my family over here. But no, it's just a lovely place.

Q. In the last week in Korea, you lost the world No. 1 position. How do you feel about that? And on this occasion in blue bay you have a chance to have a showdown with Miss Ko. What is your anticipation and what do you think of the No. 1 spot in the world at this moment?
INBEE PARK: Yeah, it's a good motivation to have. It's a nice goal to have, especially I've been to the No. 2 spot before, I've been to the No. 1 spot before. Both doesn't feel that bad. I mean, everybody thinks, are you okay, are you okay, going back to No. 2, but I'm fine. We compete every week, and it can change every week. I mean, it's actually good that I have another goal to take, and obviously I love the challenge, the challenger position. I love this position, too, just trying to play some good golf and just, yeah, have a good finish so that I can maybe go back to No. 1. But the way Lydia has been playing the past couple months has been really unbeatable. She definitely deserves where she is and she has been playing some fantastic golf this year, so I definitely respect her. She's a very young, talented player, and yes, it's going to take a lot to beat her, definitely. Obviously everybody in this field is going to try hard to do that, and same as me, I'm trying to hold a trophy at the end of the week. That would be the ultimate goal.

Q. I have a question for Michelle. I know you're from the West Coast, and I saw in one of your interviews that you really like Hainan Mexican culture, and I'd like to ask, have you been any places in Hainan that you can recommend?
MICHELLE WIE: Mexican food?

Q. Yeah?
MICHELLE WIE: Is there a place here?

Q. I don't know.
MICHELLE WIE: I love guacamole. I love Mexican food. I love food in general. The food has been great this week. We've been staying at the Westin, and the buffet, I remember from last year, the seafood is so fresh and everything is so fresh and healthy. It's a good eating week for sure.

Q. Would you be happy to see guacamole here?
MICHELLE WIE: I would love to. I would love it if I saw some fajitas.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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BLUE BAY LPGA

October 27, 2015

Lee-Anne Pace

Inbee Park

Michelle Wie West

Shanshan Feng