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CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 19, 2017

Lydia Ko

Naples, Florida

Q. Could you sum up your week for us?
LYDIA KO: Yeah. It was pretty solid. I felt like I didn't play as well as I played -- like my score wasn't as good as how I played, but I actually rolled my putts really well. It's probably the best area in my game this week.

Yeah, even if it didn't good in, I had so many that just looked. All I can do is put good rolls in. Yeah, I'm happy with the birdie at 72nd hole to finish up my season. Wasn't playing easy. I had like 187 or something into the pin, so a long way in.

It's nice to finish the season on a high note for sure.

Q. What did you hit in and how close?
LYDIA KO: Hybrid 19, so my 3-hybrid, and then I hit it to maybe just under 15 feet, like 12 feet-ish. Yeah.

Q. Are you taking some time off? Anything else coming up?
LYDIA KO: Yeah, I'm going to take a good month off. I've got Sandra's charity day tomorrow, so I'm going to do that. So drive to Bradenton today. Other than that, I'm planning to have a whole good month off.

Q. Will you spend it in...
LYDIA KO: Korea. I'm going to spend it in Korea. Go watch some concerts. I've got a trip planned to go overseas with my friends, so I'm really looking forward to that.

Q. So you don't play at all during the month off?
LYDIA KO: Yeah, I've done that for the last three off-seasons where I haven't really touched my clubs unless it's a sponsor's day or something during that whole month of December.

I'll spend another few weeks, month, to prepare for the next season.

Q. What do you think you gain from taking four straight weeks not touching a club?
LYDIA KO: I think it's more of the mental aspect than the physical for me. It's a pretty long season. I know some girls play more tournaments than me, but, no, especially at this time of the year. You go, Okay, I've got one more event. You're kind of counting down.

Yeah, I think it's good obviously physically just to not be in that repetitive motion. I think it's more the mental side where you just get away from it and have some fun like outside of golf.

Q. Do you have grandparents?
LYDIA KO: Yeah, grandparents are in Jeju Island, so we'll go visit them during that time I'm in Korea. We'll be based in Seoul. Yeah.

Q. Is that on your mom or dad's side?
LYDIA KO: It'll be my mom's side.

Q. With so many players sort of ping-ponging around at the top right now, what was your secret for staying there for so long?
LYDIA KO: I don't know. I think consistency is the most key. I think probably every player would say that.

If you're consistently putting yourself in good positions, you know, top 10s and top 3s and even top 20s, I think the confidence builds up.

I think it's great for the tour that there are so many talented players right few at the top. Every Sunday you never know who is going to have the Globe this week or who's going to be No. 1 or who's going to win. I think that makes it exciting.

It's players from all different nationalities, which is really great. That's another great thing about the LPGA, is it's a very global tour.

Yeah, no, I think it engages people from all over the world and makes it very exciting. Obviously this excitement kind of ends after this event, but I'm pretty sure the top players will keep coming in hot next year, too.

Q. What was the most difficult part of being No. 1?
LYDIA KO: I think the aspect that -- to me, I didn't feel that much pressure thinking that other people were chasing me. I think it was more the expectation that people expected you to keep playing great week in, week out.

Just because you're No. 1 ranked player in the world doesn't mean you're going to win every week. Maybe for Shanshan's sake. It's more about consistency and how many times you can put yourself in good position and be in contention. That's what the girls are doing right now, especially the top 3 players.

So, yeah, I think it was more the expectation factor. But, no, it's a pretty cool position to be. Fortunately I was able to play my national open and play in Korea where I was born as the No. 1 ranked player.

It's a really cool feeling to go back to those countries that you're from and play in front of the fans there.

Q. How do you evaluate this year?
LYDIA KO: I feel like I finished the season off pretty strong. Obviously not a top 10 this week, but I played really solid. Every since Indy I played really good and put myself in good positions.

I felt like the confidence factor was definitely higher than during the middle of the year. I had some opportunities to look for wins, too.

So all I can do is keep doing that. But, no, I'm excited for this off-season, too. Yeah, I feel like it was better than what everybody else thinks. Like Lydia is in a slump.

But I feel like I played solid. I've had bunch of top 10s to kind of prove that theory. No, it's a season that obviously I learned a lot from. And I think wasn't more the game aspect that I learned, but the mental aspect of saying, Hey, get over the bads and kind of move on. Confidence and patience were probably the two big keys for me this end stretch of the season.

Q. First winless season. Does that matter to you?
LYDIA KO: I don't feel like I played like that, oh, winless. Oh, man she hasn't played good kind of thing. I think even to use Stacy's as an example, everyone is like, Oh, she hasn't won in how many years. She was still playing awesome. She had so many seconds and top 10 finishes.

I think sometimes -- obviously winning a championship is a huge deal, but sometimes it's overrated when you haven't won. Like you're still playing well but just haven't won.

I kind of feel like it's been that kind of year. Yeah, no, I think everybody has little ups and downs.

To me, I think it was important to finish on the higher note, which I feel like that's what happened.

Q. How fine is the line between being 1 and, say, 6?
LYDIA KO: Like rankings-wise?

Q. Yeah, in terms of how you're playing.
LYDIA KO: When I think about tournaments, you know, I feel like the girls that have won this year, if it's like a four-round event, they've had three great rounds and one okay, good round.

Whereas before sometimes you could have three good rounds and one average round and you could have still won.

But I feel like the talent is getting so much higher. It's pretty cool. Even for me in Indy I had two great rounds and one okay round, but still was like a few strokes behind Lexi.

So I feel like every year it's getting better and better for all the players. Just makes it a lot harder to win, but also motivates you to keep playing strong and be patient and giving yourself good opportunities.

Q. Lexi is 2-up with five or six holes left. If she pulls this off, what would that mean, do you think, to her and the tour?
LYDIA KO: I think it would mean a lot. Obviously she's a girl from Florida. A lot of fans pulling for her. She's the top-ranked American I think. Yeah, so I think everybody I'm pretty sure is rooting for her right now.

It's been a pretty cool year. She's played pretty amazing. Yeah, still a lot of holes. You never know what's going to happen. All the girls I think are playing great. With these stretch of holes, you just never know what's going to happen.

If she does become the champion, I'm pretty sure it will be a pretty cool feeling being here in Florida in front of her family, too.

Q. Your final thoughts on all the changes you made at the beginning of the year and the feeling that maybe having to change your equipment and then changing your swing a little bit, but the combination that required to you think more than play naturally. Your thoughts on that.
LYDIA KO: To me, I didn't feel like I was thinking too much technique or, Hey, is this club going to make me hit it straight or not. Because every aspect that I change within the team, they were super supportive.

And especially PXG said during the middle of the season this year, Hey, even though you haven't won and played your best this season, if I got the opportunity to sign you today I still would.

So they have been super supportive. I think it's pretty cool that you get to represent a company like that and, week in, week out, they do everything to make sure I'm comfortable out there and comfortable out there and playing with the best clubs that are suited for me.

So, yeah, they've really been great.

I mean, I think to me I wasn't playing good because I feel like I lost confidence in myself more than everything that I had changed.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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