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KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 28, 2017

Inbee Park

Olympia Fields, Illinois

CHRISTINA LANCE: We're happy to be joined now by world No. 7 Inbee Park. She's an 18-time LPGA champion with seven majors, including the 2013-2014 Wegmans LPGA Championship, which transitioned into what we know now, and Inbee won the inaugural KPMG Women's PGA in 2015, an amazing three consecutive years of taking that title. This year 11 events, 11 made cuts, and a win at the HSBC Women's Champions, so welcome to Olympia Fields. You said over the last three days you've got 36 holes now, your first time here at Olympia Fields. What are your thoughts on the North Course?

INBEE PARK: Yeah, the course looks like it's in amazing shape, and obviously it is. There are a lot of fairway bunkers here to avoid, so you need a strategy off the tee. The greens were very firm until yesterday, but we got a little bit of rain today, so it might soften a little bit, but I think it will be still pretty firm to try to stop the ball. Around the greens, roughs aren't as thick as where we thought it would be. So missing the green, around the greens, I think there's room to make par around the greens. It's just a matter of avoiding the fairway bunkers here and the slopey greens on the front nine. So you've got to put yourself in the right position. Mostly you have to put it a little bit short of the hole to have an uphill putt.

There are a few holes where you just got to make par and just leave because there are some long holes here where you've just got to avoid making bogeys and losing shots. Yeah, you know, except for those holes, there are definitely a couple of birdie holes out there, as well, so just got to take the chances and got to avoid some troubles.

CHRISTINA LANCE: The KPMG Women's PGA began at Westchester, moved on to Sahalee last year, now Olympia Fields, looking at Kemper Lakes and Hazeltine. All new courses to the LPGA, new to the players, but certainly not new in the game of golf. What does it mean to you and the rest of the players to be bringing this championship to these amazing venues.

INBEE PARK: Yeah, I played the PGA Championship since I was a junior, Junior PGA Championship, too, at this point. I know how they run the golf tournaments and how nice golf tournaments they run. We play some beautiful golf courses the last three, four years that we've played with the PGA. Yeah, you know, every year it's a different golf course, so it is a challenge, but we love the challenge and we love to go to different places to play the beautiful golf courses. It is a true championship golf course, and you need all parts of your game to be perfect to win out here.

That's what we like to see in a major championship, and I think this golf course definitely has that.

Yeah, we are looking very forward to playing this golf course starting tomorrow to Sunday, and yeah, I think it will be a very good championship.

CHRISTINA LANCE: We heard from So Yeon yesterday. I know she's one of your dear friends, that you two were out for dinner when she got the call that she had gone to world No. 1, joining you and gee yea as ladies from South Korea to hold that title. What does that mean to see your friend step into the same berth that you've held?

INBEE PARK: Yeah, it is such a special moment for So Yeon and I know she has been waiting for that moment for such a long time. She was a world-class player since she was out here, and she was just waiting and waiting for that moment. I know her putting game wasn't exactly where she wanted it to be until last year, but her putting game really improved this year, and that's definitely helping her out this year to become world No. 1. I truly believe that she deserves to be up top, and she's a true champion. I know how she behaved before and after, and yeah, it's just good to see her finally breaking through the no-win moments and finally win the majors and becoming world No. 1, especially tomorrow is her birthday, so yeah, becoming world No. 1 and playing as a world No. 1, first round on her birthday is very special. I'd really like to congratulate her.

Q. Back to So Yeon, during the ANA, you gave her a lot of advice and kind of a pep talk before the playoff, and I'm wondering what you have said to her since she has become No. 1 about how to handle it and about what your advice for her going forward.
INBEE PARK: Well, I mean, you know, we just have casual talks when we just have dinners and that. She definitely knows how to handle the pressure. I always tell her that she is one of the best players who plays the best under the pressure. So I mean, I know she has that in her, in her body, and she just needed that in a couple of tournaments where she gets the confidence. I just told her, your moment is going to come, you've just got to wait for your moment, and you know that you're ready, so yeah, just try to trust yourself. That's what I was just trying to give her that advice. Yeah, I mean, she doesn't really need any advice I don't think, and she's already a great player. So yeah.

Q. A lot of players who get to No. 1, once they're there, there's a little bit of a letdown, and it either wasn't what they hoped it would be or they feel like they've climbed that mountain and they don't need to anymore. Do you feel like you can get to No. 1 again? Is that a goal? And if so, what do you have to do to get there?
INBEE PARK: Well, I need to putt better to get there because I really feel -- I truly believe that my long game is at where I want to be. It's pretty close to being where I want to be. But my short game just hasn't been exactly consistent this year. Some tournaments it was good like when I won HSBC women's. It was a great putting week. But after that I didn't really have a hot putting week, which I need to win. I just need to improve that short game area, and obviously becoming No. 1 is definitely the ultimate goal, but I've been there before. I know how it feels. It's one of my goals, but I wouldn't say that I am just playing for that every week. I'm just trying to have some fun out here and just trying to enjoy the game. I'm just really happy that I am playing injury-free this year. I am not missing many tournaments this year. I'm just trying to get my game going to where it comes to where I want to be.

Q. Inbee, as the person who won the women's golf gold medal at Rio, what's your reaction to the news that golf will get at least two more chances now to be in the Olympics? How good a thing do you think that is?
INBEE PARK: Yeah, it was great news. When we were in Rio in 2016, people were saying that we're not sure if golf is going to be in the Olympics for the next two, they are going to have the decision maybe next year. I had a little bit of pressure thinking that we've got to do well here to get this golf going in the Olympics, which all the golfers want. Yeah, it was great to hear that, and it's great to hear that we get another chance at it. Yeah, I think being -- golf being in the Olympics was a big help for the women's golf and men's golf, I think, so it's brought a lot more interest into the game, especially back in Korea and back in Asia. So many different ages of groups of people recognizing me, recognizing golf, and just a lot of people getting introduced to golf, so I'm really thankful for that.

CHRISTINA LANCE: Where do you keep the gold medal?

INBEE PARK: My dad is keeping all my trophies and the medal and whatever souvenirs that I get from the tournaments. He always says that I don't need your prize money, I just need your trophies. That's what he says. So I think that's a pretty good deal.

CHRISTINA LANCE: Do you get to go try it on?

INBEE PARK: Yeah, I do. I get to touch that and I get to see it as many times as I want.

Q. I think you tried out a new putter last week briefly. Will that putter make it back in the bag this week?
INBEE PARK: It is tomorrow. Yeah, just don't know after tomorrow, but I am trying it out tomorrow. I really like the feel of the new putter, and I just tried the one day last week, and I just wasn't used to the insert of the putter with the distance control. You know, I thought I'll go back to the old putter. I putted with the old putter for three days, but I like wasn't quite happy with it. I'm trying to make it better. I know I'm not putting horribly, but I like to get it better.

Q. What is the new putter?
INBEE PARK: The Red Spider.

Q. And what is it that you like about it?
INBEE PARK: I just like how it sits and how it goes where I aim. Some putters like tend to get like -- even if I put a good stroke, it doesn't have like that great a straight roll. So I think because of that, I changed.

Q. When you're putting well, you make it look so easy. When it's not so good for you, what goes wrong? Is it alignment? Is it just your mindset? What specifically goes a little off?
INBEE PARK: I think it's just a little bit of everything. It's a little bit of misreading the putts, a little bit of inconsistent putting strokes. When I'm putting good, I feel like my concentration level is very good. When I'm not, my concentration level is not. Not great, just thinking something else or not fully concentrating on the stroke. You know, just a little bit of everything, yeah.

Q. What is the greatest challenge about first becoming No. 1, and what would you tell So Yeon about that maybe to help her handle it or prepare for it?
INBEE PARK: Well, for me it was when I became a No. 1, I kind of felt like I kind of have to play like No. 1 every week, which I can't. I just didn't realize it back then where I thought, if I'm No. 1 in the world I should be playing like No. 1 in the world every week. I have to perform at people's -- whatever they think I should be performing at. But that is actually not the truth. It is really a hard thing to follow up with. Like you can't win every tournament. You can't finish top 5 every tournament. You've just got to lower your standards a little bit and just try to play your own game and just not try to be -- I don't know, I think you just have to be yourself instead of trying to listen to a lot of people and trying to do a lot of -- I think it's hard to schedule things out when you become No. 1 because there are so many other things to worry about than just your golf. So you have to balance that really well.

I know there is a lot of things, too, that you need to do, but sometimes you've just got to be able to say no to some things and got to know what is the priority.

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