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CANADIAN PACIFIC WOMEN'S OPEN

August 25, 2016

So Yeon Ryu

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Q. What was today like with the big delay in the middle of what turned out to be a pretty good round for you?
SO YEON RYU: Actually this morning was quite windy, and we had three weeks off, then I was going to try to practice, but I couldn't practice because I was sick, so I didn't really touch my golf clubs, so I got really low expectations, but I started with birdie-birdie, so it was a pretty good start. Then I got a really good group, so we've been talking, we're talking about what we did for the three weeks, so I think it made me relax a lot. So I think that was definitely helpful to make a lot of birdies on the front nine.

Then we got really big rain and really big wind during like sixth and seventh holes, and that was really tough to wait.

No. 12, I just got like a 10-foot birdie putt, then they just blow the horn, so we had to wait like three hours, then I got back, then I missed that putt, then I started to miss quite a lot of short birdie putts, so that's the only disappointment.

But first day back, but it was quite rough. I had to wait a lot, but I think it's a pretty good comeback after three weeks off.

Q. How many days of practice did you have to miss because you were sick?
SO YEON RYU: I only practiced like on Sunday just before I came here, then I saw my coach just once.

I played golf three times in Korea with my colleagues, with my friends. That was more fun golf. They're like 30 handicap players, so for me it wasn't really golf. I just had to move everywhere to get away from their ball position. But it was a lot of fun. It was so much fun meeting friends and actually like five years ago they hate to play golf. My major is physical education, so we had a chance to have a golf class when I was in school that everybody said, oh, golf is so boring, and right now they're really getting into golf. They love to play golf. I really love to see that. I just gave them some lessons. It was more fun golf when I was in Korea.

Q. You're pretty close with Inbee?
SO YEON RYU: Oh, yeah.

Q. Can you describe what not just Saturday, but maybe the whole week was like to see what she accomplished?
SO YEON RYU: Well, it was just incredible to be honest. Before she's heading to Brazil, her expectation level and her confidence level was so low. Before she played Brazil, she played one of the Korean events and she missed the cut. A lot of people started to say, oh, maybe Inbee had to give up her spot and she should let other girls play the Olympics, someone that can really play well. Inbee hadn't really been playing because of her thumb injuries. A lot of people said a lot of bad things to Inbee, so she was really disappointed about that. She was like really depressed about that. But she played really well, so it was like, you lied to me. You said you were quite depressed but you played really great. She said, So Yeon, it just happened. She's just incredible. It was really amazing, so I'm really proud of her, especially after all this situation, when everybody said you cannot do it, it's really hard to do it, but she did it. I think she just proved to everyone, I'm still alive, I'm still competitive. So I'm really proud of her.

Q. How much does that motivate you? How much does watching that make you want to grab a golf club right away --
SO YEON RYU: Well, the thing is I FaceTimed her just after she got the gold medal, then we talked, and she said, So Yeon, are you sick? I said, Yeah, I'm sick; I didn't really practice, I'm coming here to play horribly, I cannot really practice, so I'm kind of anxious. Then she said, I had like a two-month break, then I got a gold medal. Two weeks off is nothing; you can do it. Those kind of things make me kind of practice hard and just make more relaxed and just more enjoy the golf.

Q. Must have been a pretty cool conversation right after to be on FaceTime that quickly?
SO YEON RYU: Yeah, absolutely. I think she's not really doing like big ceremony after she won a tournament, but after Olympics I think that was the biggest ceremony I've ever seen after she won the tournament. That was pretty cool. I think she was pretty -- like very excited. It could be the happiest moment in her life as I see, and after she coming back to Korea, her husband prepared a party for her gold medal win. I think those kind of things was a pretty cool conversation.

Q. We're a long ways from London, Ontario, but to be back in a country you've had some success, does it bring back some good vibes for you?
SO YEON RYU: Yeah, absolutely. Actually Canadian Women's Open is my last LPGA win, so hopefully I get back to have another win in Canada. Even last year I finished really great here, I finished third. For sure I think Canada is like -- I have a really good confidence vibe in here, so hopefully I can play really well the next three days, and I'm going to work hard to get the trophy.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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