THE CHEVRON CHAMPIONSHIP

March 31, 2022

Annie Park

Mission Hills Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Here with Annie Park with a nice round, 3-under 69. Playing solo. Lots of birdies on the card; a couple bogeys. Overall tell me how you played today.

ANNIE PARK: It was great. It was kind of weird the first couple holes just playing by myself. It was really peaceful. I was taking my time out there and then saw the group behind me catch up to me and I'm like, I got to start picking up the pace by myself.

It was nice. I had a lot of fun out there. My long game was really good. Made some really good putts out there. So, yeah, overall really good.

Q. I know you were given the option of playing with a marker if you wanted to. Did you ever think about it?

ANNIE PARK: I did, but I didn't want to be warned and be on the clock. So, yeah, I did think about it.

This is my first time like on a Thursday, Friday, playing by myself, so I was like, why don't I just give it a shot, play by myself.

Yeah, it was weird.

Q. Weird but a good weird. Seemed to pay off.

ANNIE PARK: Yeah, I mean honestly, I had a lot of fun. I had a lot of talks with my caddie out there. What's your favorite food, favorites artist. We went through the whole genre of that.

Q. Good to get to know your caddie time.

ANNIE PARK: Yeah.

Q. Five birdies, two bogeys on the card. Tell me about your birdies. Any particular good ones?

ANNIE PARK: Yeah, I had a really good one on 7. I think that was my longest birdie putt.

Then 12 I hit a really good shot and then it was kind of a really fast, tricky putt downhill, straight into the gut, so that was really good.

I had a really good birdie on 16. I had a really good shot. Kicked into the left towards the hole. Yeah, that was a good birdie, too.

Q. I was reading a piece the other day that said you kind of stepped away from the game for a little bit last year?

ANNIE PARK: I did, yeah.

Q. Tell us about that and how that's helped you regain the love for the game.

ANNIE PARK: Yeah, so to be transparent, I was miserable on the golf course and I was like, you know what, I'm going to take a two-month break. I withdrew out of Evian, British, and two other tournaments.

Honestly, I really needed it. I've never done that in my past couple years. It was really nice. I was like, Let's take this two months off.

It was interesting the first couple weeks because our schedule gets really packed and felt weird being home during season.

Just kind of like figured out like what's -- what are my hobbies, let's start there. Had a lot of perspectives and introspectives, and I think without that I wouldn't be here today.

I don't know, maybe I might have quit golf and picked a different career path. Yeah, so that happened.

I decided it play the last four events for me, and that was really stressful. But barely kept my card and played my way in for this week last week, and last week was the first time I actually enjoyed playing golf.

I was happy to be out there, see my friends, see the spectators again after COVID.

So, yeah, I feel like I found this new passion again for golf that I've been grinding for so long and being able to take that break was huge.

So, yeah, just enjoying it out here.

Q. I think that says a lot about the guts it takes to do that and find your mental place.

ANNIE PARK: Yeah.

Q. That had to be a tough decision.

ANNIE PARK: Yeah, it definitely was. You know, there was one point where I doubted if it was the right decision, but I needed to start making decisions for myself and not others, if it was the right decision or not.

In the end I knew it was the right decision for me. People asked me, do you regret taking two-months break and taking out two majors? I said, no. I think I would've regretted if I went there and didn't take the break.

So, yeah, honestly, that was the first time I felt like I made a huge decision for myself, put golf secondary, and definitely in a better spot now.

Just, yeah, glad I took that two-month break.

Q. What does it say having to college experience and coming out here, we talk about the transition period. I think a lot of people don't understand that you're supposed to find yourself those four years of college. You come right out to the pro game. How do you find yourself while still having to put so much into your golf game?

ANNIE PARK: Honestly, when I think about college I feel like I've met my lifelong friends there. I learned a lot not only through golf, but outside of golf and through education.

That was the best decision that I think I've made as an amateur golfer. Coming out here, you know, it's a grind. Like rookie year is tough and you think that's the toughest year, but it's not. It may get harder; it may not.

So, yeah, I think transitioning from amateur golf to pro golf, it's always going to be a constant grind.

I think I kind of like lost that during COVID. I felt like I just wasn't making decisions for myself anymore and felt like I just needed to constantly grind and grind, and then eventually led me it taking a two-month break.

The biggest thing I learned from my two-month break and being my seventh year on tour, which is crazy, is just enjoying the little moments, being able to just be grateful for the little things, being able to be out here playing golf.

I think COVID was huge on that perspective. So, yeah.