AIG WOMEN'S OPEN

August 3, 2022

Jin Young Ko

Press Conference

STUART MOFFATT: Delighted to welcome Jin Young Ko, two-time Major Champion and the current world No. 1.

First of all, can you give us your impressions of Muirfield, you've been practising so far. What's your thoughts on the course so far?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah, I heard a lot of things about Muirfield, this course. I really wanted to play this golf course. I heard it's an amazing place and I can't wait to play this course, and I practised on Monday and Tuesday Pro-Am.

Yeah, it was really cool, and weather was such a big windy yesterday, but it was really nice.

STUART MOFFATT: You were runner-up at Turnberry, so you have good experience of playing links golf and Championships.

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah, I can't forget the memories of 2016 at Turnberry, and I love to play links course. It's a little tough but I love it, and well, yeah, last night, my caddie sent the 2013 video of the win and the highlight, and I checked the link.

STUART MOFFATT: You missed the last two championships. It must be nice to be back playing in the AIG Women's Open this year.

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah, last, I'd say, 2019, was my last time to play links golf course at Troon.

STUART MOFFATT: Walton Heath, I think.

JIN YOUNG KO: Woburn.

STUART MOFFATT: Woburn, sorry.

JIN YOUNG KO: I really missed to play links golf course and glad to be back here. I played last week at the Scottish, but it wasn't good. But this week is a new week.

Q. Last week you did a lot of work on your putting and that seemed to be the problem. Have you found something in your putting for this week?

JIN YOUNG KO: Hopefully, yeah, I found something. But still working, so we'll see.

Q. You mentioned people told you stuff about Muirfield. Who told you things about Muirfield and what did they tell you?

JIN YOUNG KO: First of all, my caddie told me this course is an amazing place, if I have very memorable at Turnberry, this course is going to be what my first memorable course will be.

Yeah, I played this golf course and it's really nice. It's a little tough on the back nine, everybody says.

Q. What makes the back nine so difficult?

JIN YOUNG KO: Well, I played yesterday, No. 12, 13, 14, 15 was big into the wind. I guess I got three clubs more than like 30 metres more than the other golf course, so it's really tough.

And 16, 17, 18 was downbreeze, so it was easier. But 12, 13, 14, 15 was hardest.

Q. The par 3s on this golf course are really good, the short holes. Is there one you really like?

JIN YOUNG KO: It's really hard to play par 3 golf course this week. I played yesterday, 18 holes. I can't remember, maybe No. 13 was really tough. Like it has two bunkers left and three bunkers right, and you've got 7- or 6-iron and narrow green. It's really hard.

Q. Someone has mentioned to me level par might be good enough to win this week.

JIN YOUNG KO: I think so.

Q. Do you understand why someone would say that? Do you think that could happen?

JIN YOUNG KO: I think so, yeah.

Q. Do you change anything for weeks like this, equipment-wise, or maybe how you play Scottish golf, links golf?

JIN YOUNG KO: Well, it's a different golf course as last week and this week. Last week was like little type of American golf course. Of course links but it's a little bit different type of truly links golf course.

This week is going to be more firm greens and fairway, as well. The bunkers are more deeper than last week, so it's more links golf course. But I didn't change nothing.

Q. Do Korean players generally play well in the wind? I remember Inbee Park telling us that she was coached on Jeju Island, I think it's called, you go for training camps there, which is very have windy, so Korean players tend to be quite good in the wind; is that right?

JIN YOUNG KO: Well, depends on what players like wind golf course or not. In Jeju Island, there is a lot of wind all the time. So some players grew up in Jeju Island, so some players play really well with this windy, but if born in Seoul, generally no windy, so it's tough.

Q. Have you got enough warm clothes this week?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah. Yeah, lots.

Q. Are you looking forward to playing out there this afternoon?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah, I will play nine holes in the afternoon. So I want to see the wind, how windy. I got the mail, and they said the greens is going to be more faster than yesterday, so I need to practise putting more than yesterday.

Q. Outside of golf, what are you loving about Scotland and being here in Scotland?

JIN YOUNG KO: I didn't do yet, nothing.

Q. You're playing with Minjee Lee and Nelly Korda in round one and two. How much are you looking forward to playing with them?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah, I got the mail and I check the pairing, and I said, oh, it's cool. Yeah, they are really good players on this tour, so I really -- if I'm playing with them, I've got a lot of things like learning from them, so I really like to play with them.

Nelly and Minjee, they are having good year right now. Yeah, it's really cool, really nice players, and I want to beat them.

Q. Going back to last week, the greens are very undulating at Dundonald. Do you feel they are easier here? The greens here are a little bit flatter.

JIN YOUNG KO: It's more flatter here but it's not easy because too windy here, so we need to think on the wind from the putting green, as well, so it's really hard to read a break and calculation for the wind, as well. So it's hard.

Q. Do you enjoy being world No. 1, and what does that mean to you? How do you cope with that?

JIN YOUNG KO: Well, when I was really younger and I really wanted to be World Ranking No. 1. So I make it, and I've been almost three years, over three years, I can't believe it. And I did a lot of wins last year, and I want to get more wins this year, or hopefully in my future.

So it's a little bit of -- I have a little bit of pressure, but it's fine, and because this is my dream when I was younger, so yeah.

Q. Last week, you mentioned you looked forward to eating sausage rolls over here. Have you been eating sausage rolls and are they as great as you remember them?

JIN YOUNG KO: I've got sausage rolls, two each day last week. I didn't eat yet this week. I can't see the sausage roll out on the course, so it's very sad. Where is the sausage roll? (Laughter)

STUART MOFFATT: I think on the note, sausage rolls, we'll finish there. Thank very much, Jin, and best of luck this week.