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CANADIAN PACIFIC WOMEN'S OPEN

August 24, 2016

Lydia Ko

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

THE MODERATOR: Happy to be joined in the media center by defending champion, Olympic silver medalist, 14-time LPGA winner Lydia Ko. Let's start with the CP Women's Open. You've won this three of the last four years. What about Canada and golf in Canada fits your game so well?

LYDIA KO: Well, I almost moved here from Korea. My sister when she was a little younger, she came here to study, and we were almost Canadians, so maybe that's the thing.

But I think my first year I played the Canadian Open was in 2012, and ever since then the crowds have been phenomenal. On that last day, that last hole, I thought it was just an army of people, and that was something I'd never experienced before. Everybody has been so sweet and welcoming. Even last year was great to go back to a course that I'd won before, and especially because it was the first time -- it was my first LPGA win.

THE MODERATOR: Let's go to Rio: Silver medal. You've been putting it out there everywhere. You've been wearing it around almost since you landed here in Canada. Looking back on it, what was that experience like for you being an Olympian?

LYDIA KO: You know, it was incredible. It was a dream and goal of mine since '09 to be there in Rio, and even up until that first hole where I was walking up to the tee, I really didn't know what emotions I was feeling. When I was about to hit my tee shot, it was something that I'd never felt before, butterflies, sudden nervousness, and I just didn't know what was going on.

But to finally know that I was an Olympian I think was such a cool feeling, and to have my name alongside all the other amazing New Zealand athletes and world athletes in general, it was so cool. It was even greater and just better than I could have ever imagined it to be.

THE MODERATOR: They're making a decision on golf staying in the Olympics beyond 2020 next year. What would be your message to the IOC on why golf is such a great Olympic sport.

LYDIA KO: I truly believe that, including the men's and the women's, that we did make a difference. I believe that people outside of the golfing industries, juniors in particular, would have looked and turned on the TV and said, wow, I want to be there for my country in something-something Olympics. I think that's the difference we made.

The coverage we got and the interest we got, you can even see by the reaction of Inbee and Shanshan when they returned home, how much attention they got. It's amazing how exciting it was.

Some people tell me, oh, golf is not fun; how can you be out there for five hours. I say, hey, I find it's fun. But I think we really proved that. Six different country medalists, how exciting it was until the very last stretch, and even like in Inbee's case, how there was a gold medal on the line and how solid you can continue playing even when there's so much on the line at the end. I feel like it's been an incredible two weeks for golf, and I truly believe that this has been a great step forward for the game.

If you talk to every single Olympian there that week, they would say the same thing, how much they enjoyed being there and how great that experience was.

Q. Lydia, I know you've shared that before, how close maybe you were to being Canadian all those years ago before you moved to New Zealand. What kind of reaction do you usually get when you tell people that?
LYDIA KO: You know, somebody even out there earlier today said, oh, if you win this one more time, you probably can't reject saying that you're Canadian. I said, well, they didn't even ask me in the first case.

But no, I feel when I come to Canada, it feels a lot like New Zealand, feels a lot like home. Just even how they say "eh" at the end of sentences. A lot of people back at home say "eh," too, so there's just a lot of referencing points. Everyone has just been super welcoming, and I think that's the thing about it. No matter how great the place is, at the end of the day it's about the people there and the connection you get.

You know, it's just been great, and I feel like it's -- I have a lot of homes now, now that I'm living in Orlando, too. But I feel like this is another place I come and I feel very relaxed to be here.

Q. There was obviously a lot of talk about history when you won in 2012 and set the record, but now if you fast forward four years, the top three players in the world are 18, 19 and 20, I think. Is there a key that's allowed the three of you especially at such a young age to be doing what you're doing out here?
LYDIA KO: Yeah, I mean, Ariya and I are old compared to Brooke now. But no, to me it's really cool to see girls -- because I played some amateur events where Brooke and Ariya were all in the same field, including girls like Minjee and Su Oh. To see them out there, especially playing against each other during those big amateur championships, and to see all of us doing really good out here I think is great. It's just good to see familiar faces, and especially the first year on Tour I was always the young one, and there weren't that many girls that were my age.

But now to see Brooke, Minjee and all these other girls that are in similar age, it's really cool, and I enjoy it.

The thing is at the end of the day, golf is -- age is just a number, and I think we're fortunate with the game that we love and we love to play, we can play until no matter what the age is. You can play as long as you don't have injuries and all that. That's why experience is definitely another thing, but the age is just -- there's no real age barrier out here.

Q. Is it sort of a sense of unreality that like four or five days ago you were in Rio and suddenly you're back here into the real world? Does it feel like that a little bit?
LYDIA KO: I mean, it's different. By the end of Saturday when I was flying over and leaving Rio and SaÃµ Paulo, I said, wow, I can't believe that week went by so fast. I can remember back to a week ago where I was flying into Rio and I was excited to prepare and everything, and it was like that, and it was over. I said, wow, for me to be able to experience this again, it's another four years.

It's definitely a quick turnaround, but you know, this is one of our best tournaments on our Tour schedule. Even the girls that were in Rio, I think we're all excited to be here in Calgary. I know a little different, course is a bit different. There last week it was a little bit like sand belt with a little bit of British flair. This is a bit more traditional, firm and fast, including yesterday we had some pretty windy weather. Like last week we were wearing shorts, this week we're wearing sweaters. It's different, but I think we're all getting used to it, and that's what it's about, being on Tour. I think we're fortunate enough that we can play these amazing events week in, week out.

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