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BMW LADIES CHAMPIONSHIP

October 27, 2019

Danielle Kang

Busan, South Korea

Q. 8-under, you were on fire, a lot of birdies and the big stretch in the middle, your short game was coming out again?
DANIELLE KANG: Yeah, it was a bogey-free 8-under on a Sunday. I can't complain. I saved -- I honestly didn't leave a shot out there. She made some great saves coming in, and I don't know. I don't know. Honestly, I'm proud that I gave it everything I've got. Sometimes you don't lose. You just get beat, and I got beat today.

Q. But you put yourself in contention, started the day two strokes back and immediately out with the birdie, and you went aggressive?
DANIELLE KANG: Yeah, I pin-seeked a lot today. I hit some amazing shots and I had some great up-and-downs. Honestly, we played so good today. I can't really -- people keep telling me all the way up here. They are like, don't be sad or anything. I'm really not. My game's good. I played well. Sometimes you just get out-played, and she shot 7-under today. So sometimes it's her day. I just got out-played. Even in the playoff, she made some good putts and that was a good birdie on the final.

Q. You were up by as much as three strokes out through the day. Were you aware of that and when she birdied to tie you on 17?
DANIELLE KANG: No, because there are not a lot of leaderboards. So on 18, I just saw that I was first place, and then as I was getting to, I was waiting for my putt, par putt, and it said T-1. I was guessing somebody, I had no idea who it was and I still didn't know it was Ha Na until they told me I was playing a playoff with hand in a. I didn't know who it was. I thought it was one of the three.

Q. The first playoff hole, you went left and then going over the back of the green.
DANIELLE KANG: That was a great shot over the green. The rough, it jumps a little bit, so it's kind of hard to judge how much it's going to jump and I probably hit that 5-iron 205 yards. I expected to hit it 165 and ride it up to 180 but it jumped out and ran over. That was an unbelievable up-and-down. It was a really, really tough shot. I knew that I had to spin it right before it trickles down and if it has speed, I know it was going to roll too far by.

I knew that she was that little bit of a tough spot, so if I gave myself a great up-and-down opportunity, I could have won the tournament. Then she made a putt. She made that putt.

Q. How far were you to the pin with your chip?
DANIELLE KANG: I want to say, I pace it up until -- it's probably like 30 paces, 25 to 30. I paced it about 17 up to the hill.

Q. And then your putt?
DANIELLE KANG: About four or five feet, four feet.

Q. And then you guys were clinical on the second playoff hole. Perfect setup for the both of you and so close?
DANIELLE KANG: I will not play that putt any different. That was such a good stroke. I thought it was in. I think a lot of people thought it was and it kind of lipped-out. I can't even say it had too much pace because that's the pace I always play it at.

It's a little bit tricky. It's downhill and started to get a little bumpy later in the day and sometimes got to rely on it dropping and it doesn't, and that time it just didn't drop.

Q. About how far was that one?
DANIELLE KANG: Ten feet.

Q. Then you make your way over to 10 and she put it in close. What were you thinking over your birdie putt?
DANIELLE KANG: I knew I had to make it. I read the line the way I wanted to read it and hit the speed I wanted to hit and I stroke it, and if it goes in, it goes in and if it doesn't, it doesn't. I'm not going to do anything different just to force a birdie. But no matter what, I have a birdie putt, I always want to make it. It just snapped and I didn't -- I didn't see that much of a break coming in but I think I was more cautious about the speed just in case. I kept focusing on the fall line.

But what is it, an 18-, 20-foot putt. That's a good putt. Scared the hole. I knew she was going to have a shorter club in. I'm not hitting my driver as far, so I don't see that as a disadvantage. But earlier today, I hit the pin and came out on that hole. So just things like that, what are you going to do. That was a good shot.

Q. Overall, you had an amazing two weeks over here. Being home this week, was there special pressure to win?
DANIELLE KANG: I really wanted to win it more than anything for a lot of reasons. But to be honest I'm very proud of what kind of game I showcased. Sometimes you just don't win and sometimes you do, but I love all the fans that came out and supported me and I love the fact that people came up and said how great my dad was. I'm sure that he's known a lot of people that I don't know.

Despite winning or losing, I'm just really proud that I was able to make -- that I got people to remember my dad by watching me, even becoming the honorary citizen of Busan and all of the fans making those banners and everything like that.

Honestly, I'm feeling so great. I can't really rely on the result. From day one to day four, I hoped that people remembered my dad. Everyone that knew my dad remembers him. I'm pretty sure that sometimes when people, you know, pass away, you kind of forget them, and I'm really, really proud of myself that I got people to remember him.

Q. And you remember him every day.
DANIELLE KANG: Every day. There was a lot of places that I didn't go this week on purpose, but I hope that this is another memory that people could have of my dad. A lot of people have told me that they are very sad, too, because they wish that my dad was here.

But honestly, I'm just proud that I was able to get people to remember him, whether it's for one more day or for ten minutes; whether it's on TV, it feels pretty cool.

Q. And another cool moment, I loved it -- before the playoff, you and Ha Na, huge hug and then the six or seven of you walking arm-in-arm up the fairway back. Those two moments say more about this game and this tour to me than anything I've seen in a long time.
DANIELLE KANG: Yeah, everyone supports each other, right, and Ha Na is a great friend of mine that is playing on the KLPGA now. I definitely miss her and I know that she's got game and she definitely -- she played great today.

But the fact that my friends are out there, they were walking hole-by-hole for me, I appreciate every single one of them walking up with me. They feel that -- you know, they are so proud. Obviously all of them are players and they all know would I be feeling. They are all players and they know how I must be feeling, and they were more proud of me than anything. Everyone there knows how I feel and what I go through.

To be loved that way and supported; there's so much camaraderie and they are proud of me and therefore me and regardless what happens, it doesn't change, to be honest. You can win and you can lose and they still love you. It doesn't really matter. I was so appreciative. They know how much it meant to me whether I lose -- whether I win or lose, they were there. I'm very, very appreciative.

Q. Are you still going to keep Facetiming Ha Na at 3:00 a.m.?
DANIELLE KANG: Probably. I should probably check times before calling, but honestly, everybody is in so many different time zones, I can't keep up, so if I think about you, I'm just going to call. Just put it on vibrate, or you could just not answer. But I do call multiple times. Hey, if I think about you, I'm going to shoot you a text and that's who I am. Sometimes you forget that you have friends all around the world and it's hard to see them. It is what it is.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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