CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

December 19, 2020

Jin Young Ko

Tiburón Golf Club

Flash Interview

THE MODERATOR: Jin Young, a great third round here. One round left. What is your thinking ahead of tomorrow?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yes, just 18 holes left to go home. (Laughter.)

Q. What is your strongest part of your game right now?

JIN YOUNG KO: Well...

Q. A little bit of everything?

JIN YOUNG KO: I don't know. Just nothing I think, and I just try to make a birdies, and then I said yesterday my goal is like just bogey-free round on the weekend, so I made it today.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Q. How is it play with Sei Young? You guys are one point off each other. How was it playing with her?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah, always fun playing with her. We play together last year and we played -- we practiced together at the U.S. Open last week. So we knows each other.

So, well, but this is competition, so we are close but we have to separate on the course.

Q. Yeah. And speaking of the course, what's the course condition like right now?

JIN YOUNG KO: Course is -- fairway is firmer and greens are soft, so we can do aggressive play from the second shot or third shot to the pin.

So I will do for tomorrow.

Q. How long have you known Sei Young? Did you play against each other growing up in Korea?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yes. When I played in the KLPGA when I was a rookie in KLPGA, we played maybe two or -- two times of the week.

So I knows her father and then hers knows my father as well. We having fun. We had fun a lot of times, so we had good memory both. But, yeah.

Q. Will you talk very much tomorrow during the final round or is it all business?

JIN YOUNG KO: I don't know. I try to conversation to her, but she -- I think she was like too focused on the course.

So, well, I couldn't. (Laughter.)

Q. I saw that you talked to Steve Stricker a little bit.

JIN YOUNG KO: Oh, Yes, I did.

Q. What did you ask and how -- you knew who he was right away?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yes. I met him before the tee off today and then I said, Hi. I'm your fan, I said. He said, Okay, good luck. And thank you.

And then I asked him on the course maybe No. 12, I asked to him how long time do you practice for putting.

So he said, A lot. Wow. So how many times? A lot. And then I want to ask to you about the putting. Teach me. And then he said, Any time.

So he was really -- Oh, my God. He was really good. He was nice.

Q. What would it mean to you to win tomorrow having especially only played a few tournaments?

JIN YOUNG KO: Win, well, I never finish top 10 for this course, Tiburon, so if I win it's going to be big one to me.

So I will try for the win, but I don't too greedy, greed.

Q. What was going on with the squirrel on the tee?

JIN YOUNG KO: And then I was on the tee putting the tee like on the ground and then I saw the target, but small thing came to me. So Ahh, was like surprised.

Q. Do you deal with those in Korea at all or no?

JIN YOUNG KO: No.