DIAMOND RESORTS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

January 24, 2021

Danielle Kang

Tranquilo Golf Course

Quick Quotes

Q. Danielle, what a week here at Four Seasons in Orlando. How do you feel now that you've got all four rounds under your belt?

DANIELLE KANG: I don't really -- I don't know. I'm a little bit -- I'm still stuck on my putt. I didn't know it was that slow.

I can't really think that far right now. Just brought me straight from there.

Q. Thank you. So up until that last putt, I mean, you had such a great four days. Are you really satisfied with your game the past four days?

DANIELLE KANG: Yes and know. Someone asked me the other day, By not practicing do you think you're playing better. I said yes and no, but when it comes down to pressure moments and when you have to execute it and bank on the fact that you've worked on it, I couldn't bank on that today.

That's what I'm a little bit disappointed in myself with. There were shots that I should have been able to execute, but under pressure, if you didn't put the time in it just isn't going to execute, so...

Q. What would you say is the high today and the low today?

DANIELLE KANG: I really didn't have a high today. I hit one good shot that I really liked was on 12. I mean, that was my first solid shot.

That last actually playoff hole shot was awesome. So like I said, last three days were, you know, more comfortable and it was easier, but today when it comes down to it when I had so execute, I just didn't have the time behind me in it.

Q. You moved and then you came quickly here. What are you most looking forward to doing the next four weeks? Maybe spending some time in your new home?

DANIELLE KANG: Next four weeks, just like I said, it's off-season for me, so going to work on my game before the season, the Florida season starts.

Q. You said today just felt different when it came time to executing. What was it that felt different, do you think?

DANIELLE KANG: Just not having the time behind it. You know, just knowing that you can do it, you've put the work in. That's how I execute my shots.

Yeah, if it's no pressure and everything is fine it's easy to execute. One of the things I'm really proud of the things that I work are when it's time to -- when it's crunch time I can rely on the things I've worked on.

Today I couldn't really do that. That was where I was disappointed. I tried my best. I made some good putts today. Yeah, she made a really good putt on the last hole, so...

Q. The two-putt you made on 17 and 18 to get into the playoff, what was the length of those? Looked like you hit good putts. Kind of walked them both in.

DANIELLE KANG: Yeah, putting is the only thing I really put time into, so I knew what I needed to do to make those putts, and I banked on that and I did it. I was pretty -- if the ball comes off the face the way I want it to I know it's in. If it doesn't go in it doesn't go in; result is result.

But that's kind of what I wanted to do. The length of it? I don't know, probably four, five feet, I would think. Four, five, six. I'm not sure. It just got slower throughout the day. Started getting slower and slower I and didn't -- I couldn't gauge putts as well.

Q. What did you hit off the tee on 18?

DANIELLE KANG: 5-iron.

Q. Looked like you took a call going into the playoff. Who did you talk to? You were on the phone it looked like after you finished regulation play. Any words of encouragement?

DANIELLE KANG: Yeah. I called my family. I called my mom, brother, and Butch, just three people I called letting them know I'm going to a playoff. They already knew.

But talked to Butch, and two seconds of talking to Butch hit the best shot of today, which is great. I needed that. I told him I wasn't feeling comfortable with the swing and he said, You know what you need to do, and gave me a swing thought.

That's all I did.

Q. Danielle, I know that this is a different kind of tournament obviously with the celebrity aspect. The ninth green being so adjacent to 16, how distracting was all that? It was obvious it was making things difficult for you there.

DANIELLE KANG: What was really frustrating was I just wanted to go, and I know that it's not -- I'm not going as quickly as normal.

When I want to go I kind of want to go, but everyone kept on doing the cart. It just kept accelerating, and it happened twice this week where I took my putter back and when they accelerated I flinched, and I don't want to do that right now.

I was getting a little frustrated in that sense. But it is what it is. We were waiting on the next hole so I just backed off and just waited.

Q. That's not something you would normally be dealing with at a regular event, I wouldn't think.

DANIELLE KANG: There is always distractions. The gas cart was -- on that hole it was really irritating. He kept accelerating right as I wanted to go, so I just stopped.

Q. You mentioned that you just didn't feel like it was something you could rely on today. Did you have that feel all day, or was it something that kind of set in as the day went along?

DANIELLE KANG: No, I had that feeling all day. Only thing I didn't was the playoff hole. I played that shot really well. She just made a great birdie. That's a tough pin and can't really ask for more than to hit it to however far I hit it to.

But it was -- we haven't played this late in the day. I just didn't realize how slow it was getting. I couldn't get myself to hit the putt harder than I did on that one with a downhill, downgrain. It is what it is.

Q. What's the takeaway for you from this week? Will it be the disappointment of not winning, or the fact you got a lot out when you weren't really able to prepare the way you normally would?

DANIELLE KANG: I'm not disappointed in that I didn't win. It's not about winning and losing for me. It's about being able to execute when I want to, and having a feeling when I feel like I can't do something is something I don't like.

But I already knew coming in that I wasn't really prepared, and so I played great. I had a lot of fun. I got quite a bit of friends playing in it and they came out and watched and I love that, so I take a lot of positives from this week as well.

But it's something to build on and work on and get back at it.