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KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 27, 2018

Inbee Park

Kildeer, Illinois

THE MODERATOR: Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Very proud to be here with world No. 1 Hall of Famer Inbee Park. 19 LPGA victories with seven majors. You like it here; three consecutive KPMG Women's PGA titles, 2013, 2014 and 2015, competing in her tenth event of the LPGA season, hasn't missed a cut yet, five top 10s and a win at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup and also a runner up at the ANA Inspiration.

Your level of play is just astounding. You don't necessarily play a lot, but when you do, you're there. 35 rounds this year, 29 of them have been under par. Is that something you feel maybe comes from your experience now of knowing when you need to step up and when you can maybe step back?

INBEE PARK: Yeah, I mean, I definitely learned an expensive lesson the last couple years, just saying that I just can't play every week now. A couple of injuries that I had the last couple of years really got me a little bit more worried and a little bit more cautious of what I play and what I can play and just the scheduling-wise, I just want to be not pushing myself so hard so I'm just ready to play every week.

THE MODERATOR: How are you feeling now as we come into KPMG week?

INBEE PARK: Yeah, I really feel like I have scheduled this year very well because I have been feeling very healthy, and I haven't been feeling any type of injury, signs of injuries yet. Yeah, I'm really happy with that because I made kind of the same mistake last year, playing many events last year earlier in the year, which kind of got me on injury again. I just really told myself I don't want to do that again. I just want to relax. I know there has been a lot of things on the line that if I played many events I might be able to get maybe at the end of the year, but I am really, really not worried about that. I'm just happy that I'm playing healthy on the golf course and just competing the weeks I want to compete.

THE MODERATOR: You said you've got about 13 holes, all on the back nine. Tell us your thoughts about that nine and what you're looking forward to seeing later today when you get back out on the front?

INBEE PARK: Yeah, I really thought that this golf course was a great setup for me and for everyone out here because it's a true major championship golf course setting. Every shot needs to be a perfect shot, and especially Nos. 16, 17 and 18. Even par all week is going to be a very good score. Tough finishing holes is always great in a major championship. I really love this golf course, how it's set up. I really wished for no rain yesterday once I played on Monday, but that's going to make this golf course play a little bit longer and softer, which doesn't really play a good advantage to me. But the golf course setup and everything was -- Monday when I played it, I just thought that this golf course was a true, true major championship setting.

Q. How does it feel to play, and do you feel any pressure playing in a group with World Ranking No. 1 and No. 2 and defending champion? How do you feel about that?
INBEE PARK: I really feel like this year I really haven't played in a group where -- I don't think I really played with Ariya or Danielle yet this year, so I think I'm really happy to play with them. I know Ariya has been having a great season. Danielle is the defending champion of this championship last year, so yeah, they both have good momentum going into this week. Always a good momentum is a good thing to have in a group.

Q. Have you found that balance on and off the course that allowed you to be content and still be competitive? And how would you describe what you found?
INBEE PARK: You know, I really try not to take more than a month off because it gets harder once you take a month off, and coming back to the golf course and trying to compete again, it's a weird feeling when you're not out there for a long time. But I think two weeks of break is perfect after a couple of weeks of playing, so that's what I really try to do, except for a couple of the weeks where I have to travel to Korea to compete. Except for those weeks, I have been kind of sticking with that schedule.

I really just feel like I found a better balance of the life and the golf together this year definitely because I am enjoying myself more out on the golf course. A little bit less stressed and probably more enjoyable than any other years. Except, you know, my house was broken into last week, so I've been really stressing about that since the last four days, since talking to police, talking to insurance and trying to figure out -- it's so hard when you're not there trying to figure out what's lost. I mean, this is the life we get on the road, so yeah.

Q. Did they take any memorabilia?
INBEE PARK: Yeah, a lot of the things were in Korea, so we have to go and actually figure it out a little more.

Q. When you won this tournament five years ago, it was your second major in a row, then you won the U.S. Open, three majors in a row. What do you remember about that pressure, and is there anything that you would do differently if you were in that situation again?
INBEE PARK: Well, I think I would love to be in that situation again, definitely. I mean, that took -- I mean, I played under a lot of pressure in the previous years, but definitely 2013 was the most pressure I've felt, having to win three majors in a row. I really feel like I am a lot more experienced than I was back then, and if I am in the same situation, I can't say I'm going to do better but I can say that I will be a little bit more enjoyable. Results doesn't always come with it, but as long as I -- what matters to me now is just getting a little bit less stressful because playing professional golf is so stressful as it is. You're just trying to take the stress off a little bit so you're not too sick of it.

Q. If you were any more relaxed you'd fall asleep.
INBEE PARK: Well, yeah, I really looked relaxed out on the golf course and usually -- but I really am not. I mean, I really try -- I try to be relaxed, but inside I am always fighting and trying to play some good golf. It is just realistically not easy to enjoy out on this competitive tour every weekend out. I mean, you're not happy with it if you're like missing a cut every week. I mean, that's not enjoyable. No matter how much enjoyment you want, that is really not enjoyable. You're trying to be competitive and enjoy it at the same time, so that's really hard to balance.

Q. Yesterday Danielle actually commented about you and said, "She is so chill," and she really admires that and compared herself, her emotional level -- you do play with the best game face. It's probably great that you're in Vegas. How do you do that? What is the secret, and is that just your nature, or do you really go home and kick trash cans?
INBEE PARK: Well, I really treat golf as a job. I mean, that is just something that I really try to stick on. Not too much emotions involved, because it is your job. You have to just get things done. That is kind of the mindset that I have been going to. There is days where things are not working out as much as you want, and there are days some things are working out as good as you want. But if the emotions are involved in golf, it just gets really complicated. Like every bad shot you play, you just feel so bad. Yeah, I'm just treating golf truly as a job.

Q. Obviously your spot is all secure for the UL International Crown, but can you speak to how important it is for those players that are trying to get that last spot on the team, just how big a deal it is and maybe if you sense how much pressure there is on them to play in their home country?
INBEE PARK: Yeah, I mean, it is held in my home country this year, so it is obviously really big for a lot of the Korean girls, and especially there are so many good young Korean players that are just so close to getting in the team, but they might not get an opportunity because there are so many great players in front.

Yeah, I mean, it is a huge opportunity for us and for all the Korean young golfers that are close in the ranks. I'm sure they are playing under the pressure this week wherever they are playing, but unfortunately not everyone gets an opportunity. Yeah, hopefully there are more opportunities for the girls, but yeah, it is a tough one to get in.

THE MODERATOR: We're heard tales that the crowds are going to be huge that week in Korea. What can we expect that week?

INBEE PARK: Well, I played a couple weeks in Korea and it was played in the really same area that we are going to play the UL International Crown, and it was only a KLPGA event, but we got something like 60,000 people for the weekend. I mean, it's just going to be more than that, if anything. I mean, I was there, and I was like, wow, I just don't remember when was the last time I played in front of this much people, and that really got me nervous because I haven't played in that kind of crowd in Korea at all. But obviously being -- representing your national flag, yeah, it's a different format, and people are going to, yeah, get a lot of interest in it.

THE MODERATOR: Right across the road from us right now is the KPMG Women's Leadership Summit. We currently have a panel of three Olympians on there; you, of course, are the Olympic gold medalist. What has the Olympics done for golf and specifically women's golf in your mind?

INBEE PARK: Yeah, I think Olympics have done a lot of things in women's golf, I think, but the most important thing is just the motivation that they gave to the younger girls. Just different types of people who gets interested in golf is a little bit different because when I was just playing the LPGA Tour back in Korea, it was really mainly just people -- like men and maybe 40s, 50s, they were really recognizing us and they were really interested in golf and all things like that. But as soon as I got a gold medal and then I went back home, from since then and now, it's like a lot of -- one thing I was really surprised was in Korean Women's Open there was so many kids that came out to watch, which is really changing in Korea. It's really surprising in Korea because I see a lot of kids coming out to watch the LPGA events, but I really didn't see that many kids in the KLPGA events. To me it just means the level of interest is very widened compared to the before and after. I think it's just -- we are inspiring a lot of young kids, which is really good because I heard it was just going down and down. There's not many people picking up golf, not many young girls picking up golf as much as a long time before. So I was really happy to see that because we need a bright future for women's golf.

THE MODERATOR: The tag line for the summit is "inspire greatness," and you said you have seen the next generation inspired. What inspired your greatness?

INBEE PARK: Well, you just name it. There was so many great Korean women's golfers, and obviously great women's golfers like Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb, Seri Pak, Grace Park, that's the people that I have been looking up when I was young. Even when I wasn't having a club on my hand. Yeah, that kind of inspiration is huge for a young girl, and that's how we picked up golf, pretty much all the girls out on this Tour.

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