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CANADIAN PACIFIC WOMEN'S OPEN

August 20, 2019

So Yeon Ryu

Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

THE MODERATOR: Welcome here to the CP Women's Open at lovely Magna Golf Club. We're here with 2014 CP Women's Open champion, So Yeon you. So Yeon, welcome back to Canada.

SO YEON RYU: Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: It must be a great feeling to come back to a tournament you've won and a tournament where you have good memories. What's it like when you come back to this event?

SO YEON RYU: Yeah, for sure. I won in 2014, and then even before I won this tournament I always loved to come to Canada. Like Canadian people is all so friendly, humble and I really enjoy to hang out with the fans. And they're such a huge support for the women's golf.

Especially after I won this tournament it feel even special than before. I really love the nature of Canada, and then every year we go to play different golf courses to play this tournament we always have really great golf courses.

I haven't played this golf course yet, but I just looking at some of the holes and they look amazing. Looking forward to play this tournament.

THE MODERATOR: What is the dynamic like? So many of our events are at the same place every year. What's it like playing at a tournament where you play someplace different every year?

SO YEON RYU: I think this is national title, and then to be in the national title champion I think you have to have a lot of different skills. I guess to changing a lot of the -- I mean, we always located different golf courses. That means requires a lot of different type of shot, and then you have to have a lot of different skills to get used to grass and everything.

So I think that's a right format to find the real national champion.

THE MODERATOR: You had some time off taking some rest back home. Just your 15th event of the year. How do you feel coming into this week at Magna?

SO YEON RYU: I think this year I learn quite a lot of thing. Before I start the season I knew I was a little bit of burnout. That's why I decided to play a little less tournament.

I think even though I played a little less tournament I felt like I was obsessed with the golf, which I never did. I think I was always really good at make good balance between golf and my personal life. I guess we were getting close to Olympic and I definitely want to play Olympic. That's one of my biggest goal. Since Olympic is coming up like closer and closer, I guess I started it obsess at it.

I think the reason, one of the reason could be because I couldn't play in 2016, and then that one made me more desire to play 2020. And then I feel like I sort of lost a track, and then I realized, you know, the reason why I wanted to cut out some tournament was I wanted to have my personal time. I totally didn't, so which is not really make sense.

So keep talking myself what I can do is just do my best one at a time, and then just do your best when you have a chance to practice. But when you have a time off, you just completely forget about the golf and then just being me. Whatever decision I need to make, I just going to make my decision on what I'm thinking of.

So this is the thing I've been learn quite a lot. To be honest, I didn't really play consistently this year, but I guess to learning all these stuff is one of the really important thing to do for the future.

So I'm just going to trust all -- everything what I've done for last few years was amazing. That means I have all the ability in me. So I'm just going to trust I have that ability inside of me and then just do my best all the time.

THE MODERATOR: How are you spending your time when you're not on the golf course? What are you liking to do?

SO YEON RYU: After British I went to Korea for a week. Spent a lot of time with family and friends. Then I just went to see my physio and trainer in Korea. Tried to do like basic stuff.

Then obviously when you talk to somebody not related to golf you have a lot of time to learn about like a lot of thing outside of the golf world. That one definitely refresh me. Then one my hobbies just going to bookstore, just looking a lot of book, and then I learn a lot of thing through book.

These days I'm trying little different thing. Normally when I read a book I'm reading one book. These days I pick like different type of book and I'm just reading one novel and one fiction and nonfiction, whatever. I sort of like bore to read a nonfiction as you try to read fiction.

I think book has been really helpful to make my mind clear.

THE MODERATOR: I'm always on the lookout for recommendations. Anything good we need to pick up?

SO YEON RYU: Actually, my coach, Cameron McCormick, bought me the book for my birthday present few month ago called The Obstacle is The Way. The book I actually read within like three days and then I learned quite a lot. It's about how to get through the tough thing, and then that's sort of give me the motivation to keep working hard.

If somebody ever need the motivation to keep doing what they're doing, I recommend this book to read.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. When you go home - you mentioned been at the Women's British Open - but you go home, and it's tough for Americans to take time off during the LPGA schedule. How hard is it for you to go all the way back to Korea, and how easy is it for you to say, You know what, I'll just keep playing through it?
SO YEON RYU: I know it's far away to go. After this tournament I'm going to go back to Korea again. At that time I was really homesick. No matter how long it's take to go home, 30 or 40 hours, didn't really matter. And then it wasn't really matter about like how many days I was able to stay in Korea. I stayed in Korea for like seven days, but seven days helped me out quite a lot to enjoy being on the road again.

So I know it's so tough to go all the way back to Korea because of different time zone and kind of far way to go, but spending time with family and friends just can do a lot of different things. So I don't mind to sacrifice like 40 hours on the plane.

Q. You haven't played the golf course yet?
SO YEON RYU: I haven't.

Q. Have you had a chance to take a look at it?
SO YEON RYU: Just when we coming to here we could see some of the holes, and then the golf course look amazing. Then I heard a lot of great thing about it. And then I play with an Alena Sharp few month ago and she told me she used to play here. Even though she said she cannot remember a lot of thing, she told me it's really nice golf course. Looking forward to tee it up.

Q. Usually in Canada there is obviously a pro-Brooke sentiment. Do you expect that to be more so with her being defending champ this year?
SO YEON RYU: Oh, yeah for sure. I remember I couldn't player last year because of my sponsor event in Korea. Last time when I played was 2016 -- no, 17. I played two rounds of golf with Brooke on Thursday and Friday, and that was amazing. Like it's really hard to bring out lot of spectators during the weekday, and so many people came out cheering for Brooke and like all of us.

It was really special to have someone like Brooke to represent the Canada. Brooke is not only great golfer, she's such a sweetheart. I'm enjoying to spend the time with her.

I really feel thankful to have Brooke as our ambassador of the LPGA.

Q. With playing a limited schedule and being able to go back home, how are you feeling now? Are you more refreshed or more burnt out?
SO YEON RYU: I think I definitely feel more refresh. I didn't know -- like I explained, I didn't know I was bit obsessed with the golf. And then after I spent some time in Korea I realize, this is what I used to do and then I never done it this year. I think that's why I was more obsessed with it.

And then also another thing I realize is I never really had two weeks off this year. I had three weeks off before U.S. Women's Open, but because I went to play Korea two weeks before the U.S. Women's Open I never really had two weeks off.

I think only one week is not enough to have a rest, and then one week is not enough time to working on some of the new thing with my coaches. Like when we're on the road sometimes I swing a little off or our mental could be off, short game, and so because of that, I really feel like I have to have two weeks off more often to make sure everything is good enough level to competing.

So that's another thing I learned this year. I think when I schedule about the tournament next year, even though I'm going to play more event, I probably going to have more two weeks off instead of having one week off.

Q. Was that part of the challenge you had at Women's British? You played a couple weeks in a row.
SO YEON RYU: No, I actually felt it at Evian. Like I think I shot 4-under or something on Saturday, which is -- you know, when you shot 68 you cannot be that stressful, but I was so stressful. I didn't really enjoy it. I never felt that when I play tournament. No matter like I shot 5-over par or like 8-over par, at least I was always grinding hard and I did my best.

At that time I felt like I didn't enjoy the golf. That's the worst feeling. That's the least feeling I want to have on the golf course. That's why I decided not to play Scottish, even though I always enjoy to play Scottish Ladies. So that's why I made a decision not to play Scottish.

Having that kind of mental is not helpful to playing my A Game out at the major tournaments, so that's one of the reason why I think I couldn't really playing well at the British.

But I think -- you know, I been play really consistent, but the thing is I always thought the consistency was like absolutely just right thing. I never really appreciate it. Right now I sort of lost the consistency, but at the same time I learn a lot through a lot of the -- I don't want to describe that as a fail, but a lot of fail situation. And then when you improve, sometime you need to fail to improve.

I don't know. Like compared to someone like 20 years old on the tour maybe I'm old, but I'm still young enough to playing many of the tournament for the future. I'm just taking this time as my like learning time. And then that means I'm not going to perform well. I'm just having this kind of attitude to keep learning about the golf and then keep enjoying the golf and then keep improving myself.

Q. What is your schedule like for the rest of the year?
SO YEON RYU: After this week I'm going to go back to Korea; have a month off. I hope that's going to be the plenty of time to refreshing myself. I'm working on little new thing with my coach, so I hope I can being ready to play after that.

Going to come back to Indy, and then I'm defending champion of Japan Women's Open, so I'm going back to Japan to play in the tournament. I know it's bit crazy schedule, but when you're defending champion it's really hard not to go.

So I'm going to go there. I'm probably going to start with the BMW Championship in Korea for the Asian swing, and then playing Taiwan, Japan, and most importantly CME tournament.

THE MODERATOR: Just think of all the frequent flier miles. That's all I do.

Anything else for So Yeon? Thank you.

SO YEON RYU: Thank you.

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