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ANA INSPIRATION

April 2, 2017

So Yeon Ryu

Rancho Mirage, California

CHRISTINA LANCE: We have with us our 2017 ANA Inspiration winner, So Yeon Ryu. She birdied the 18th hole to extend to a playoff and then again the 18th hole in the first hole of the playoff to take the victory, her second major victory, joining the 2011 U.S. Women's Open, and she is projected to move to No. 2 in the world.

It's been an interesting last hour, but how are you feeling? Has it sunk in yet that you have won the ANA Inspiration?

SO YEON RYU: Yes, still hard to believe this. I have been waiting for my LPGA win title for so long, and then I didn't expect this great one coming. Yeah, I'm very honored to hold this ANA Inspiration trophy, and especially this is such an historical event. After Inbee told me about the past champions dinner, I thought that's a pretty cool thing; that I'm really happy to be able to join next year.

I would love to say thank you to so many people. As I've been saying, I've been waiting to win the tournaments so long, and so many people have been encouraging me to not giving up and to think about winning.

I have to thank you all my family, my coach, my agent, and all my sponsors, especially this year I have a bunch of new sponsors, and they actually showed me such a high trust. So I really, really appreciate all the sponsors.

I'd like to thank also, Mission Hills. The golf course is in great shape, so I was able to feel like, okay, I can make this putt, as long as I pick the good line and I can make the putt, the golf course is in fantastic shape. So I'd like to thank Mission Hills.

And of course, I'd like to thank ANA airlines, too, to make this tournament a world-class event.

CHRISTINA LANCE: As you were standing over the putt in the playoff with that short little bit between you and the victory, what was going through your head as you look down at the ball?

SO YEON RYU: To be honest if I look back, I cannot remember what I would think about it. I was like really nervous. Even at the second shot, I hit the 5-wood that I was going to hit too, little push -- the ball starting to push but didn't really come back, so I was really nervous about it but luckily didn't go into the water hazard, and I was able to have like a pretty good angle to the chip shot. I was kind of expecting to make that one an eagle, because it's almost going in. Then finished about 5-foot longer than I expected.

You know, when you have a 5-foot like champion's putt, you cannot be really normal. So I shook my hand so much, and then my brain was just going crazy. But I just kept telling myself: Okay, So Yeon, you practice this putt more than a thousand times of the trust yourself and trust what you pick and trust your decision and trust what you've been working on, and then I roll it in and I think it falls. That was a pretty nervous moment. But it was a real special moment, as well.

CHRISTINA LANCE: Did you think back at all to your experience in 2011 with that playoff to capture your first major victory?

SO YEON RYU: The different thing was, it's weird to say but back then, I was happy to finish second. So I wasn't like that afraid to make that putt because I was already like so excited, like, oh my God, the U.S. Open, I'm in contention, I was so excited about that.

But now I've been waiting to win the tournament so long, that this time I was desperate to win the tournament. It was a different feeling but definitely more nervous than back then. But I feel like after I made that putt, I am stronger than before.

Q. During the course of the round, when were you informed what was going on behind you with Lexi's ruling, how did you handle that and did it change your strategy coming in?
SO YEON RYU: Actually I didn't look at the leaderboard at all during my play and Inbee told me, "Looks like Lexi is going really great." I thought I'm well behind Lexi.

When I was about the tee shot at 16, LPGA rules coming up and they explain about the situation to Lexi and then they told us we might have -- we are kind of like situation to get pretty close to beating each other to win the tournament.

So first of all, when I heard that, Lexi's situation, I was like, well, this is a very tricky situation. Try not to think about what happened back there. All I need to do is just play again. Now I'm in contention right now, but that's not going to change anything. So I was really think about, let's just think about each shot, each hole.

Q. Did knowing you were suddenly in contention mean you were going to play 18 differently, as opposed to, maybe you could finish second or third? Did it make you more aggressive on 18?
SO YEON RYU: No. We have a front tee today for the 18th, and I knew I have a chance to make home for two. So when I hit the tee shot, I just hit a bit more harder than what I normally hit. It ended up, I only have left like about 204 yards, 204 yards to the pin. And that, you know, that distance is pretty easy distance to get home for two.

So I think just Lexi's situation not make me to play any different way, because anyway, originally, I was able to make home.

Q. You said on TV afterwards that it was difficult, the situation was clearly a difficult one for you. What makes it difficult? Is it just that there was a controversy or it was Lexi or both?
SO YEON RYU: Well, first of all, you know, win the major tournament is a big thing. So that makes me difficult to play the playoff.

The other thing is, you know, everybody knows how -- everybody knows every player is so dedicated to play well. Then, you know, it's really hard to make the birdie out there and 18 holes, got four-stroke penalized, which is still like maybe four birdies or like 4-under par, just like disappear somewhere. So it's a really bad feeling.

Also like a player, it's heartbreaking to hear something like that. But it was what it is. So I had to -- I couldn't do anything for that situation. All I had to do was just think about my situation.

Q. Could you describe on 18 after you made the putt, when you covered your face, what was going through your mind and what that felt like?
SO YEON RYU: I think it's -- maybe it's my first time, first time cry on the green, especially in the U.S. Maybe the second time in my whole life maybe. Because one thing that really hurt me was like a lot of people said, oh, maybe So Yeon is a good player but maybe she's not a great player because she cannot win the tournament. I always wanted to improve myself: I am a capable player to win the tournament.

A r after I made that putt, I feel like, okay, I prove it. I prove it to, I'm able to win the tournament and here I win a really, really good one and that made me real really, really great.

The other thing is I think about Tommy, my caddie, like sometimes you really want to give up. Even though you know you're on the right track and you cannot see the result is what you expected, it's really hard to keep trusting it. But during the round and every time when I'm having a really tough situation, Tommy always tells me how great I am, that he never let me head down and he always give me positive words to make me feel great.

So I was so happy I was able to celebrate this moment with Tommy.

Q. How do you prepare for a tournament like this mentally knowing it's the first major, and physically knowing the weather out here in the Coachella Valley to throw you a curveball like it did with the wind?
SO YEON RYU: Like physically, this is my third one since Arizona event, and I played Arizona and Carlsbad and I played pretty great those first two events. I was still pretty confident to play this major tournament.

Then really good thing was my coach was here until Wednesday, so I was able to prepare for the tournament. And I'm always my weakest thing at this golf course with chipping. I never really felt comfortable chipping at this golf course. So I work a lot of things with my coach when he was here and I think my chipping was pretty great this week. So like skill-wise, I practiced a lot chipping shot around the green.

About the weather delay, I know sometimes it's really tough, like physically and mentally, but I know everybody have the same situation and everybody is just having like same conditions. So I knew everything same, so I didn't really care about that much.

Q. In the playoff, did you hit driver off the tee? It looked like something less than driver.
SO YEON RYU: It was driver. But yeah, temperature was drop down. So I was about like 15 yards toward my regular 18th hole.

Q. What was the distance for the 5-wood?
SO YEON RYU: My last -- playoff second shot was 218 to pin I believe and my 5-wood goes 200.

Q. Your 5-wood flies 200?
SO YEON RYU: Yeah, I'm able to hit my 5-wood.

Q. And what went through your mind? Did you see that thing tracking for the flag?
SO YEON RYU: It's kind of funny to say that but the second shot my target was right side of the plane. You're able to see all the ANA plane on the wall. My regular 18th hole, Tommy said, okay, your target is very right side of the plane. Then I hit it to the plane but I pulled it a little bit.

My playoff, I just told myself, okay, I'm going to hit it a little righter than that plane but it ended up just a little bit more goes right. So I was like, I hope it's not going to go to water hazard but ended up in really great position.

Q. Because of this whole controversy, I don't know if this will cloud some of your victory or take some of it away, but do you sense that at all right now; that because of the controversy, maybe this won't be as celebrated? How do you feel about that?
SO YEON RYU: Well, it definitely feels a bit weird. It was kind of like weird atmosphere even after I won the tournament. But I think the most important thing is, anyway, no matter what was happened during the round anyway, we ended up going to playoff. Then I was able to handle the tough situation well.

So yeah, I mean, I don't have much words to talk about that situation. So I just really want to think about what I did for win this tournament.

Q. You broke 70 all four rounds here, some of them not on the same day because of the wind. You nearly won here a couple of years ago when Inbee won. Did you always feel comfortable on this golf course? You said the chipping, but was it a course you thought you could win on?
SO YEON RYU: There's one thing I really like about this golf course is you really have to have many skills. You have to have like draw shots, fade shots, low shots, high shot and especially you have to have a really great skill around the green. So I always love to play the challenging golf course. That make me feel more excited to play this golf course.

Q. What did the water feel like?
SO YEON RYU: I never take a cold shower, even after I play like 36 holes or 40 holes, whatever it was. I cannot do it. But I can do that a hundred times (laughs).

CHRISTINA LANCE: What are you going to do with the Trophy? Where is it going to go.

SO YEON RYU: I think it's going to go sitting at my parent's house in Korea. Yeah, family's always be your big supporters and even though a lot of people said, you know, maybe So Yeon is not great player. She's a good player but might not be great.

Even though people say that, my family always have so much high trust on me. My parents always said, So Yeon, we don't really care about what she won -- what you win or how you are like on the golf course. But we all know, you love golf so much, and we all know you're so dedicated. So we will always be here for you. So all the words was so meaningful to me and that was a really, really big help to win this tournament. So it's going to go to my parents house.

CHRISTINA LANCE: I don't know who is saying that but we can certainly say, ladies and gentlemen, two-time Major Champion, our 2017 ANA Inspiration winner, So Yeon Ryu. Congratulations.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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