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KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 8, 2016

Inbee Park

Sammamish, Washington

KRAIG KANN: Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.

This has kind of become the annual Inbee Park press conference, as the defending champ times a couple. We welcome in the No. 2 Rolex ranked player in the world, Inbee Park. Great to see you, great to have you here.

You've been here just a few weeks ago for Media Day. And you played the course here this week. Let's first start with thoughts on the golf course, itself.

INBEE PARK: I think it's a great golf course. At first when I got here the trees -- there were so many tall trees and the fairways looked so narrow and everything just looked so challenging. But once I got used to the course and played it a few times I really got used to my eyes and I really love tree-lined golf courses. And this is definitely the golf course that really suits my game.

Yeah, I mean I look forward to playing this week, and obviously defending my title for three times. I'm looking forward to playing this week all year long, starting last year. So I'm really happy that I'm here this week and being able to play.

KRAIG KANN: I think the most amazing thing about the title defense is that it's happened on different golf courses each time. Can you give us any perspective on not just winning a major, but having to try to do it on different courses?

INBEE PARK: Yeah, I mean somehow it happened to be we play different golf courses all the time, but we play great golf courses. We play true Major Championship golf courses. I love Major Championship golf courses, period. And I just like the challenge in part of the Major Championships. And obviously golf courses like this you need to shape the balls around the trees and you have to think around and you have to be able to shape a lot of the shots. And obviously you have to be pretty I massage abdominal around the green, and obviously you have to be a good putter.

KRAIG KANN: You're a good putter, by the way. Obviously there's a lot of talk about the Hall of Fame. Let's address the state of your game coming in. You started the year off and actually when we got to the West Coast you were the runner up at Kia Classic, and tied for 6th at the ANA Inspiration. And things were going pretty well and then things started happening with the injury. Highway do you actually feel right now physically with the thumb and how is the state of your game? I know you played today.

INBEE PARK: Yeah, one thing I keep telling myself is that it definitely improved last week, definitely, this week and last week. Over the last week or last ten days I definitely felt some improvement on my thumb. I don't feel as much pain as before.

And obviously yesterday was the first 18-hole I've played since Michigan. So I haven't played that many holes. And I played yesterday and I was fine until probably like No. 9 and 10. The back nine got a little shakier.

But I think I'm in a much better shape than I was the last couple of weeks. And one good thing is that I see an improvement, that's really the important part. And I always believe in myself that I can overcome all these kind of injuries, all the tests. I've overcame so many other obstacles in golfing life. And I really believe that I can overcome this.

So I just keep trying to believe in myself that I'm going to be better every week. And that's what I have been trying. It wasn't as easy -- the injury wasn't as easy as other tests that I had to deal with before because I haven't dealt with -- the last ten years, this is actually the first year I actually had to deal with an injury. But I still have a trust in myself that I can do it and that's why I have been really trying and trying to see if I can get better.

Obviously there was a frustration and there was a disappointment, but in life you get to experience so many things and you're not going to be successful in everything. You're going to make mistakes and you're going to fail sometimes.

KRAIG KANN: Do you come here this week with a belief that you can win this championship?

INBEE PARK: Of course. That's definitely the thought process that I have been going through. It's hard because I've seen my scores and I've seen where my balls were going the last month or two. I know it's hard to believe in myself but one thing that I have been trying to do is just building the confidence. I know there is pain and I know it's not easy -- not easier than before, but you've just got to overcome that challenge. I'm not going to die because of the thumb pain. (Laughter.) That's the good news.

So I'm just going to try to play because this kind of experience I'm really never going to experience in my life. Maybe I will, but defending my title for three times in a row, I wasn't going to miss this opportunity, no matter -- if I didn't die, I don't think I would have missed this experience (laughter).

I'd love to have the experience and learn something from it, just like I did in 2013, St. Andrews, I played horrible, but I learned so much. That's why I'm here today in front of you guys. Hopefully I can take something on from this week.

KRAIG KANN: I want to address the big day tomorrow. Let's get that out there. After completion of Round 1 you're going to officially fulfill the 10-year membership requirement. Hall of Fame is coming your way. I know you've got family, friends, everybody is here. How much has that played in your mind? How excited are you about tomorrow?

INBEE PARK: I am really excited. I mean obviously I have been looking up to like Annika, Se Ri, Lorena and Karrie when I was growing up playing golf as a young kid. And obviously LPGA Tour became a dream. And obviously I'm getting inducted into Hall of Fame became an ultimate goal, just naturally. It just came that way.

And obviously being able to get inducted in the Hall of Fame after tomorrow, no matter how many times I imagine myself being there and finishing the round tomorrow and getting into the mall of tame, it just feels surreal. And I just couldn't believe that I've done what I've done in the past ten years on the Tour.

But I really truly feel honored that I get to put my name amongst the greatest players in the world. I really can't tell you right now because I have to leave something for tomorrow. But I'm going to have to see how I feel tomorrow. But it's just going to feel surreal.

KRAIG KANN: I'm going to give you the media packet so you know all about it. And all the statistical data.

Q. What is the medical diagnosis for the thumb? What is the treatment for it? How is that going to affect you beyond this week?
INBEE PARK: It's inflammation in the tendon and the ligament. There is like -- obviously I can get an injection and make it better for obviously for maybe a couple of weeks or so.

But obviously the good thing is just to really rest and really get rid of the inflammation. It's just hard because I use it every week. And even if I don't play golf I use my hand.

So it's just hard because it's not a big pain, like a back pain or like knee pain or something that's like you can't walk or you can't stand up. It's just a little part of your body, but it's just bothering enough to affect the swing. It's not -- like I said, it's not a dying pain, but it's just bothering enough.

Q. Have you adjusted your schedule because of it?
INBEE PARK: I really -- I really don't have any idea when I can play at my full condition. But I always hope I can play at my full condition tomorrow. Because I get my good days and bad days. Some days I feel fine for the full day. And some days I feel kind of actually worse. I just kind of have to deal with it every week. And week in and week out. I played this week and see how I feel and then I can make another decision. But I really -- it's really hard to think -- it's really hard time of the year to kind of think about having a big break or just taking a long time off. But I've really got to think about it after this week.

Q. You've been so kind to tell us about what you're dealing with personally. I'm curious if you could take the bigger world view of where the LPGA is. You've seen it grow quite a bit I'm sure over the last ten years. What do you think it's achieved and where does it need to go?
INBEE PARK: Well, you know, one thing for sure is that the last five years that I have been playing well and being able to see the Tour more inside, inside and outside, I've seen a lot of improvement. We got a lot more tournaments. We got a lot more TV ratings. We got a lot more sponsors. We got a lot more variety of players. We have new generations of players that are playing well. And we have the current ones playing well, as well.

I see the LPGA Tour is going really in a nice way. And obviously there is a lot more room to improve. And we've improved so much, but there is so much more we can do.

As a player, what we can do is really interact with the fans and with the sponsors and the fans and really just enjoy -- try to enjoy what we are doing. That's what we can do. And the rest Kraig will take care of it.

KRAIG KANN: Thank you, appreciate that, Inbee.

Q. To follow up, do you think the LPGA gets the attention it deserves from the national media?
INBEE PARK: Well, I'd like more and more, obviously. The more the better, obviously. But we are starting to get a lot more, network televisions on Major Championships. It's just going to increase every year it goes.

So like this week KPMG, we get network TV, which is very, very good thing for us. People might not have seen us on network TV often, that's why they really don't know about us. But once we get some exposure on TV we're going to -- obviously a lot of people are going to get more interest in the LPGA Tour.

And obviously the Olympics this year is going to help a lot to have a lot of people know about our Tour and the women's golf.

Q. When you did reach the Hall of Fame you talked about how it came so much quicker than you thought and it made you sort of reassess what's next. You've talked about wanting to have a family. And it's made a lot of your fellow players out there really wonder how much longer will she really play. Can you address that?
INBEE PARK: Yeah. I mean if I'd know right now how long I'm going to play I'd tell you right now. But unfortunately there is no surprise announcement right now, where I'm going to quit after this week or I'm going to retire after this year. I really don't have the answer for you right now.

But, yeah, I mean obviously I'd like to have a family, probably within three years or so. And after that I'm not sure if I'm going to play professionally or whether I'm going to just retire. That, I don't know.

But I can't really make a decision right now, because I don't even know what I'm doing. I've just got to have to see -- as long as I'm happy playing golf that's when it's due. As long as I have excitement and am happy being out on the course, which I am right now, it is. So that's just the answer for you. I am happy right now that I'm here, so I am playing. But it can be tomorrow. It can be three years. It can be five years in time. It can change over night.

Q. If your thumb is the same in August as it is right now, is the Olympics still a possibility or do you think you'd not be able to do it given your condition right now?
INBEE PARK: Well, I say if it was like two weeks ago I say probably, I probably can't play. But right now I think I definitely have a chance to play if I am having like this condition until the August. But it's just hard because it's still two months away and I just don't know what my thumb is going to do until then. It's hard because it's for the country. It's not for individual. Same as UL International Crown that we're going to have next month. I'm playing for the country, not for myself. If I'm not at my full condition I kind of feel like I need to give a chance to somebody else who can perform so much better than me at the moment.

I am definitely concerned about that part but just haven't made a decision yet.

Q. I want to ask you about the 17th hole. What are your thoughts about that hole so far? How do you think it has the potential to play as a swing hole, especially with 18 being a long par-4?
INBEE PARK: Well, No. 17 I played in the afternoon every time when I played. And the greens were quite firm. And today was windy. Especially with my ball flight, my ball flight is not so high, so it doesn't get so much spin on it. Once I carried the hazard it almost goes to the back of the green. So I almost have to do a long putt on that green. It's really hard to stop the ball on these greens. A couple of holes are very, very firm. And obviously on No. 17 if they stick the pins on the side it's going to be a very challenging hole. But I think you'll definitely take a par on that hole for four days.

Q. I think there's a lot of speculation that once you complete this round you're going to withdraw and not be around for Friday because of your condition. Can you address that and what it's going to take you to stick around on Friday?
INBEE PARK: You know, I'm going to do my best to play as many holes as I can, of course. And that's what I try to do every time I play. I feel like this week is such a better week than the weeks I had before. So I'm very positive that I can play some better golf than I have in the last couple of weeks.

So I'm quite confident. And I'm going to try hard for that. I hope everybody knows that I am trying very, very hard. Sometimes I get a disappointment and I fail sometimes but that's one thing for sure is that I want to perform the best as a professional golfer and I try so hard, probably harder than everybody else thinks.

Q. Just to follow up on my Olympic question. When do you think you'd have to make that decision? Would it be on July 11th when they determine the team or could you wait longer than that?
INBEE PARK: Well, first thing is that I'm not even sure if I'm going to be on the team yet because the cut line is July 11th, obviously. So I'm thinking probably by next month in July kind of have to make a decision for them so other players can prepare for it if they get in instead. I'm definitely going to give them advance notice.

KRAIG KANN: Can I remind you you're the No. 2 ranked player in the world? Just to clarify that.

INBEE PARK: I know, we still have two majors and so many tournaments to go.

KRAIG KANN: 17 wins, 7 majors, Hall of Fame. No. 2 in the world. Okay. You might be there.

Q. I think when Se Ri Pak first came on Tour in '98 she was the only South Korean on Tour. And she's a big influence, and there's been an explosion, 10 of the top-25 players in the world are South Korean. Can you give your perspective on how it got to be where it is today and what people have to look forward to after this?
INBEE PARK: Yeah, I mean Se Ri was one of the first ones to come on the PGA Tour and kind of show us the way that we can actually do good out here, that we can win Major Championships as a Korean woman's golfer. I think it increases every year. And we get quite good field of players every week. Even the competition is very, very strong. Somehow the Korean women find the way to get stronger and stronger. I feel like it has improved every year.

And obviously we have our own KPGA Tour back in Korea. It's like -- they generate so many great players, and they kind of send players to the LPGA Tour. We have two stages where we can build some competition golf. And good players from there comes to the LPGA Tour, and then we play here. I think we really have a good system. And so we're going to have -- keep having, I think, good players.

Q. You've done a great job of not grinding on the range just to grind, having a good balance in your life. Can you talk about the importance of that for you and maybe an example you've set for other players in that way?
INBEE PARK: Sorry, can you repeat the question?

Q. You don't just go hit balls just to hit balls. You get your work done, and move on. Can you talk about the balance that you've had in your life on Tour and the example that you've maybe set for other players?
INBEE PARK: Yeah, I mean the one thing that -- I was fortunate about is that I didn't spend so much time on the range or putting green or like on the golf course. I just do my thing and that's it. I am not the person that like really likes to chat with a lot of players and likes to socialize with a lot of players. I go out there and just do my job and then I just -- that's what I really do. And that's why I don't think I really -- that's why I was really injury free to this point. Because I just really concentrate on a short time period. But I do what I have to do. And just instead of hitting a hundred balls or 200 balls I hit maybe 50 balls. But I really concentrate on every ball I hit, I know what I can do. And it's just the thinking instead of just hitting the ball, thinking nothing, it's just going to do nothing for you. Even if you hit a thousand balls like that, you're not going to improve any.

But even if you hit ten balls, if you think what you're going to do and what I need to improve and you exactly know what you're doing, then you're going to improve, even if you're only spending five minutes on the range. That's kind of the mindset and the thought I have been going for the last ten years. And it has been working pretty well.

Obviously it's hard -- like these days, especially with the injury, like I don't get to practice much at all. I probably cut down probably half of my practice, which was probably half of other players before, anyway. So I just try to really minimize the energy that I have to spend before I go out on the course.

Q. In terms of the length of the holes and the length of the overall course and the narrow views off the tee, does Sahalee remind you of any other course that you've played? And how much do you see driver being sort of a risk reward club this week, especially on some of the long par-4s?
INBEE PARK: You know, whenever we play Northwest part of the country I think we kind of see the big trees and the tree-lined golf courses. And some courses in Canada we kind of see narrow fairways and big trees like this.

I think it's definitely a good, accurate driver golf course. Once you're in the fairway -- once you hit the fairway, the fairways are firm enough that this does -- it's just going to go.

But I think once it starts to rain and gets cold it's going to be playing quite long, which I played like last -- three weeks ago when I was here it was rainy and it was cold. It was playing long. I hit so many long irons and hybrids and woods into the greens. But I came this week it's dry and it's running. It's quit-- it's actually not that long as I thought it would play. So it plays quite fair with dry conditions but once it gets some rain and some cold weather it can be very, very long golf course and narrow golf course.

Q. Seven of your 17 career wins have been majors, which is a pretty extraordinary percentage. What is it about the big stage that allows you to play so well?
INBEE PARK: You know, one thing is that I played USGA tournaments starting as a junior. As a 12 year old I started playing in USGA tournaments, and I got used to seeing the tough golf courses at such a young age. And when I came to the U.S. Women's Open as a professional golfer in 2007, this golf course just felt so familiar, because they set up the golf course really similar. And they kind of train little kids, juniors, USGA, to train kids to actually get used to the Major Championship golf courses. I think that's one thing that I really have done welcoming to the United States early and being -- experiencing a lot of junior tournaments where they are almost like professional Major Championships.

And second thing is that once I start winning in a couple of majors I got a confidence from there that I can play well in challenging golf courses. And I really try to enjoy the challenge. I think that's just it. It just happened to be I really liked playing under the pressure. I really liked playing in the tournament conditions and the golf course instead of having -- to me it's much easier to make four birdies than eight birdies. But whether there is a tough golf or easy golf course. I always find it hard to win with 25-under par. So it's a lot easier to shoot 8-under par for me than 25.

Q. You had said in Michigan that you were going to have a lot of family and friends here for this week, because of the Hall of Fame. Who all is here and what kind of celebration do you have planned?
INBEE PARK: I mean I don't have the whole crew here. But I have five family members and I have a couple more from the sponsors and from the management company.

We're going to have dinner on Friday, maybe about a few players and the girls that I'm close to. So about 20 to 30 people. We're kind of going to get together and just have a dinner and celebrate.

KRAIG KANN: There was one thing I just thought about because you brought it up to me yesterday when we were talking you were here for Media Day. You threw out the first pitch. You looked like you had so much fun at the Mariners game. And you met one of the players from the Mariners from Korea. And he reached out to you again this week, can you tell that story.

INBEE PARK: Yeah, the first time I got to do the -- what do you call it?

KRAIG KANN: The first pitch.

INBEE PARK: At the Mariners game. And I knew there was a Korean guy playing for the team. And he's doing really well these days. Since I got to know him I've really been watching baseball and seeing how he was doing. I got here this week and he actually called my husband and he said, you guys are this week and playing. I'm sorry, he had a game so he couldn't come this week. His friends really want to come and watch. So I got the tickets for them. Even if he doesn't come here, I was really thankful that he called and really cared about this tournament.

KRAIG KANN: Very cool. Last thing before we go, it says "Inspire Greatness" here behind you, because that gets talked about this week with the Leadership Conference. I know you're going to tee off tomorrow at 1:30 with Paula and Ariya Jutanugarn. You could become the first to win a major four straight times. The Hall of Fame is going to happen right after tomorrow's round. Do you think of yourself as greatness in this game? Are you going to be nervous about tomorrow? Will you be able to enjoy what you've really accomplished as a player on this Tour and in this game?

INBEE PARK: I will try so hard to enjoy it, but I think there is definitely going to be some nerves that's going to come. And obviously it's really the wrapping up what I've done for the last ten years, you know? So it's a very important day, and it's going to be a very memorable day for me.

It's going to be hard, actually, like -- I really can't imagine myself walking up to 18 and just actually waiting for the last putt. It's just going to be feeling so much better than maybe a championship putt. Because whether I play good or bad -- playing good golf is Inbee Park. And playing bad golf is also me. So I really -- because of all those things like the bad and the good -- good and the bad in my career, came together and built where I am right now.

So I'm thankful for every moment that I had the last ten years, whether it's a struggle, whether it's successful moments. And that's why that I'm here. And maybe this is happening for a reason. I really do believe that everything happen for a reason. And really learn so much from this experience again. And just, yeah. If I was just successful all the way through, start of my career, and if I didn't have any obstacles or hard tests, I probably wouldn't appreciate where I am right now. But this definitely made me appreciate a lot more than what I have done for when I was -- maybe when I was 13, 14, 15. I think it really happened for a reason.

KRAIG KANN: Fans around the world will be watching. There will be a lot of fans out here following you. You're a credit to this game. Thank you so much for being here and you've got a lot of friends here in this room. Inbee Park.

INBEE PARK: Thank you.

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