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UL INTERNATIONAL CROWN

July 19, 2016

Chicago, Illinois

KRAIG KANN: Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome into the press center here at Merit Club for the 2016 UL International Crown. We welcome in the overall No. 5 seed who will be competing in Pool A. It is team Chinese Taipei, and our team members right here is Ssu-Chia Cheng, Candie Kung, Yani Tseng and Teresa Lu. Thank you for coming in. I want to get your thoughts, Yani and Candie, because you have played in this event last time around, what you think about Merit Club and your trip here to Chicago this week?

YANI TSENG: I think I like this club. I like this golf course because I think it's good for long hitters, and today we played 16 holes, and then me and Teresa, we're going to go out first on Thursday, and I think it's going to be very exciting for us to play this year because we kind of know a little bit the strategy from last time we played, and we're always looking forward on Thursday.

CANDIE KUNG: I think it's a great course all the way around, and the way they reroute the golf course sets up great for the galleries. Hopefully we can finish the match on 15, not get to 16. But overall the golf course is in great condition. Fairways are running very smooth. So are the greens. We're going to have some fun out there for sure.

KRAIG KANN: Teresa, you also competed in 2014 at caves valley. What did you learn from that experience? What was that like to be a part of this event for your country?

TERESA LU: Well, that was my first time as a team play, so I think we learned a lot of experience from that. So this year we will do better and better results, so I think we are ready.

KRAIG KANN: Ssu-Chia, you didn't compete in 2014, so this is your first time. What does it mean to be a part of this team for you?

SSU-CHIA CHENG: Well, when I first know I can play in the tournament, I was really happy to be on the team and be representing my country to play in the tournament. You know, I have such good teammates out there, so I think we'll have fun and it will be an exciting week this week.

KRAIG KANN: Each and every one of you has won tournaments before. Yani, this is your second time playing the UL International Crown. How have you seen it grow maybe in what the media thinks about the event or what the players think about being able to be a part of the event?

YANI TSENG: I think it means a lot for me to represent my country, and it's not about myself, it's about my country, about my teammates. I remember last time on the first tee, I feel like this is for our team. Like it's nothing for me, and I stayed positive the whole way in the tournament. Very happy with what we did on the first day to beat the U.S. but this time we are not against the U.S. in Pool A. But I think we have a good strategy and I'm just very happy that we're coming back as a higher ranking last time. Last time I think we were a seven, and this time we are four. That means everybody is improving, and hopefully we have fun this year.

KRAIG KANN: Candie, what are your thoughts about the event and what you've seen and what you've kind of heard over two years about people trying to make not only your team but other teams that are competing this week or maybe didn't get to come back?

CANDIE KUNG: Yeah, it's a lot of work that we put in the last two years to be able to come here as a foursome, to represent our country. We love coming back to this event because we get to represent our country and get to enjoy our time with four of our -- four best friends out here, and I'm sure it's the same for all the other countries, too. Everybody has put in a lot of work trying to be here because the top eight countries get to compete in this event, and whoever gets the crown at the end of Sunday, they're on top of the eight countries.

KRAIG KANN: What would it mean, Candie, for your country if you all won the trophy?

CANDIE KUNG: It would mean a lot because we come in here ranked fourth, and we put in a lot of work, like we said. If one of us didn't do what we were supposed to do in one of the tournaments, during the last two years we probably wouldn't be in this spot right now.

I mean, we're going to go out there and enjoy the next four days, and we'll see what we get. It's going to mean a lot for us just because there's Korea, USA, everybody is a lot stronger than us. All of their four players, they rank a lot higher than us. But we've got a great team, and we're just going to see what happens out there.

KRAIG KANN: Yani and Teresa, do you enjoy being a bit of an underdog, not the favorite like Korea or the United States, at an event like this?

TERESA LU: Well, I think it's better this way. We have less pressure and we can go and have fun out there without any stress, so that way we can perform better.

YANI TSENG: I agree with what she said. Yeah, I think it's always good to come from behind because it's not easy to be on top, and it's -- and I think we have a very strong team. We play as a team, not as an individual, and it's a four-ball, and we try to make as much birdies out there.

Q. I've asked this of the other teams, as well. International Team competitions usually take a long time to develop tradition and history. If you look at the early Solheim Cups, they look like a club championship, and the Ryder Cup, it took decades for that to really take off and become what it is. This happened almost immediately. Why is that? Why did it become so popular and build so much tradition so quickly?
CANDIE KUNG: I think what all the sponsors have put in, their time, everybody has worked, they make this event one of the top events on our Tour, and that helps a lot. It's kind of like the Solheim Cup.

And then we got eight teams, 32 top players out here. That makes it a great strong field, too, for the event of the year. I think that does a lot.

YANI TSENG: Yeah, I think the sponsor, the LPGA, and then I think all the players, too, they're putting in a lot of effort the last two years to promote this event, especially for Asian golfers because we didn't compete in the Solheim Cup. We love to have international things like this, so this is something similar like Olympics, like -- it's like a Ryder Cup for us, and then really one thing is the LPGA and then the sponsor to make this event so big that it means so much for our Asian countries, and to find that you can represent your country, that you're not always alone on the golf course. This is time we have our flags on our shirt and everywhere, and just very exciting to see that, and I hope this event will continue forever. Even when I'm retired I hope this event will still be here, and we're going to give 100 percent to support this event.

Q. In the UL International Crown event, you will be playing not only for individual pride and for country, but there's $100,000 first place. If team Chinese Taipei were to win first place, what kind of shopping trip would you go on?
YANI TSENG: I don't know. I didn't make much money this year. I need that money. (Laughter.) Maybe no shopping for me.

TERESA LU: Yeah, to cover my expense.

Q. This is a little different format in that there isn't a captain or a team leader. Have you talked about how you're going to make decisions as a team or has anyone emerged as a team leader?
CANDIE KUNG: Everybody. Everybody is a team leader on this team. We're open to everybody's opinions. We're open to everybody's thoughts. We were out there playing today trying to feel each other out because we haven't played with each other for a long time. She plays in Japan, and I haven't played with Scarlet for a long time, or Yani. So we feel it out, and we just kind of make the decision from there.

KRAIG KANN: You all open on Thursday against Australia in your pool, so Minjee Lee and Karrie Webb and Rebecca Artis. How important is it, Yani, based on what you remember from the last time to get off to a really good start, because I remember what happened for you all the last time the first day.

YANI TSENG: Yeah, last time we won the full points on the first day, and I think it's the same thing for us. It's very important to start strong because that way you probably have less pressure on Friday and Saturday. But I think we have a great team. Like I said, me and Teresa, we're going first as Scarlet and Candie, they're going second. Against Australia I think -- I'm very happy to see this, that we're playing with Australia first instead of Korea, so I think it's going to be good for us.

KRAIG KANN: Team Chinese Taipei, thank you for coming in. Best of luck. Congratulations on qualifying again this year for the UL International Crown. Thank you.

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