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OMEGA DUBAI LADIES MASTERS

December 12, 2015

Emily Kristine Pedersen

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Q. You've had a great finish to a great year today.
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Yeah, that was really good. I shot 3-under today, and then finished my last hole with a birdie, so that was very nice.

Q. You've basically beaten Nanna now. That means the Rookie of the Year prize is yours. How does that make you feel?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: It feels very good. It's something I've wanted. It's something you only get once in your life, so it's a very big honor for me to be the Rookie of the Year and I'm very, very happy.

Q. What was the secret to beating her, was it the win in India?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Yeah, I think, so because I think I have two or three less tournaments than her. So obviously my win did a lot. I had two top finishes and a lot of Top-10s, as well. I think it was a decent game all year.

Q. You must take a lot of satisfaction that you started playing well when you needed?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Yeah, the win in India came at a great time with only two tournaments left. It's been an amazing year and I'm very happy.

Q. Solid foundation for the rest of your career. What do you want to go on and achieve?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: I want to be the world No. 1 one day hopefully. Hopefully I'll win the Order of Merit, and hopefully I'll win the CME Globe on the LPGA. Hopefully a lot more victories, both on The European Tour and LPGA.

Q. Sky is the limit going forward?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Yeah, I think so.

Q. How are you going to celebrate winning the Rookie of the Year?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: I might go to the after party tonight. I'm going home. I have three days here with my family, so just going to relax a lot and have some days off at home and then I start on the practice camp and prepare for the next season.

Q. All the way around you said you weren't thinking about it, were you thinking about it?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Not today.

Q. You were yesterday?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: I was after my plus-six round. I thought, okay, I pretty much like took myself out of the great spots. But I tried not to think about it. It's not like I go think about it every hole. It's just now and then, just like on 18 and stuff. But I tried not to think about it, but it's hard.

Q. How do you think you changed the round? As you said you didn't play well at the beginning.
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: My swing has been good. I've been hitting the ball well. I just had a really off-day on the second round. I let too many things out front disturb me and things I couldn't change. Yeah, they got to me and that's why I didn't play my best.

Q. What were those things, if you don't mind me asking?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Yeah, that's all right. That's fine. A lot of spectators cheering for Nanna and a lot of just thinking about the Rookie of the Year too much, thinking about making a good result too much, instead of just focusing on playing my golf. I just hit some bad shots and then got more insecure instead of taking control of the situation, I just like went with it. It's obviously a big mistake but I learned from it and I came back the last two rounds.

Q. Do you think your rivalry with Nanna helped you?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Well, it's always been there, like the last eight years. But obviously it's making me better and she's pushing me. She's a very good player and we've always been pushing each other. I think that's why we are both in a really good place and good players now.

Yeah, I didn't think because of her I had to play better the last two rounds. It was more me and I was disappointed with my own game and the way I acted.

Q. Did you rally in that second round?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Yeah, I was saying to myself, like Emily, do you really want to miss the cut in the last tournament and just walk around for two days and hoping that Nanna doesn't play good. I wanted to act and to do my best for myself and not depend on others.

Q. Who do you have here with you?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: My mom and dad and younger brother. Then I have two of my sponsors and their families here and some of the guys from the club is here.

Q. Knowing that Nanna had to finish second, were you quite comfortable coming into this? Because that was a lot to ask.
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Yeah, that was a lot to ask and it's a lot of pressure. Like she had to deliver the best result of the season. But I know she's a good player and I know she could do it, because I did it in India, like I was 50 behind and then -- no, 30 behind and then 20 in front. It's always a possibility with a good player like her.

I didn't think about it as much today because I knew she kind of had to shoot a 59 or something which is quite hard. The girls out there in the final group are some great players, so I knew it would be tough today, so I didn't really think about it that much.

Q. What about next year, you're will be back to work on the 26th of December. Where are you going for that training camp?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: I'm going to Florida for three weeks with my coach and the national team.

Q. And what are your goals then for next year? I know you've talked about in general -- with the Olympic Games?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: I really want to qualify for the Olympics. Also another win would be great, now that I know that I have the ability to do it.

Q. Danish golfers are playing well. These training camps are --
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Good.

Q. Do you think your rivalry with Nanna will decrease or will it always be there?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: No, I think it will always be there, because we are from the same club from the same place. I think it's always going to be there. I just think I don't think about it that much anymore. Like when we were kids, it was all about her and it's not that now because there's so many good players out here. I think it's just something there is, but not something I think about that much.

Q. Do you feel very comfortable on this tour, now that you've had a full year? Do you feel as if you belong?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: It's been a great year, and I've kind of shown that I can be here and I'm good enough to play out here, which is really nice. Yeah, hopefully I'll do good and be more experienced next year, or maybe I'll just be a little kid, they always call me, next year, as well.

Q. You're only 19. You're going to finish very high on the Money List, aren't you?
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: Yeah, sixth I think.

Q. Charley has shown that you can win the next year after winning the Rookie of the Year.
EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN: It would be great if I can do as Charley did but it's tough. There's so many great players out here and I have to play really good again. Hopefully I do, but it's hard to say that it's a goal. Of course it's a goal but it's more like a dream goal.

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