U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN

July 3, 2023

Ruoning Yin

Pebble Beach Golf Links

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Please join me in welcoming Ruoning Yin. Obviously it's been two weeks since your win. What has the last two weeks been like for you?

RUONING YIN: So busy. I had a lot of interviews, and yeah, it's pretty busy.

Q. You were here once at Pebble Beach, I believe, eight years ago. What do you remember about that, or not much?

RUONING YIN: Not much. The only thing I remember is the par-3, No. 7. I remember that it was pretty windy, and I got my 3-wood, and it was too short. That's the only thing I remember.

Q. What has it been like, the response from family, friends, back in your home country since your win?

RUONING YIN: After the final round when I got my phone it's already 8:00 p.m., and I just checked my phone, and it's just blow up. So many messages.

Q. What were you doing here eight years ago, just playing?

RUONING YIN: Yeah, just playing. It's like a camp, golf camp.

Q. Let's talk about that 3-wood on No. 7.

RUONING YIN: I couldn't remember very clearly, but just probably like 130 shot, and the pin was back left, the classic one. Yeah, into the wind, 3-wood. It was too short.

Q. How much do you know about Pebble besides when you played it? Have you watched much on TV or Opens or other tournaments?

RUONING YIN: Not really, but I do watch Tiger's highlights in 2000.

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about when you got here and when you first played the golf course, what your practice has been like so far?

RUONING YIN: I got here yesterday, and I just do some putting drills and hit some balls on the range. I couldn't really see my ball because it's pretty foggy.

Q. Have you played today?

RUONING YIN: My tee time is 1:40. Going to play in the afternoon.

Q. Do you feel like you got some rest in between last week and this week? Or do you feel exhausted? How do you feel physically and emotionally?

RUONING YIN: I feel pretty good. I still do my workout, do my training like normal. Yeah, pretty good.

Q. Have you played all 18 yet?

RUONING YIN: No, not yet.

Q. What's it been like now over the last week just acknowledging to yourself that you're a major champion and top 10 player in the world?

RUONING YIN: For me to being as a major champion is pretty exciting, but that's the past. I'm looking forward for the next one.

Q. What were the celebrations like back in China for your win?

RUONING YIN: I don't know because I think a lot of people just posted the moment on WeChat, like, oh, Ruoning win!

Q. During the week at KPMG, how much did you spend in the clubhouse, in the locker room or the clubhouse? Did you take note of all the history that was there at Baltusrol?

RUONING YIN: Yes. When I first walked into the clubhouse, I just saw a lot of pictures of Jack and a lot of Hall of Famer players' photos there. It was amazing.

Q. Does that mean something extra when you win on a course that has that much history to it, Nicklaus winning and what you have here, Tiger won that year you watched?

RUONING YIN: It feels amazing to be able to be a part of it. I think that's kind of motivation for me, like being legendary.

Q. Now that you're a major champion, have you recalibrated your goals for the year and what you'd like to do? You just said you're looking ahead.

RUONING YIN: Definitely want to win some more. I think for me, I feel like I'm in a pretty good spot right now, and my game is quite on spot and my mental is pretty strong. Yeah, I'm looking forward to winning more.

Q. You didn't miss a green on the weekend, which was astonishing. Did you spend some time with your coach when you got back, and if so, what did you work on?

RUONING YIN: Last week I met my coach once, but we just kind of like checked everything is on spot, just make sure what we're doing is correct and keep doing it.

Q. Out of curiosity, did you have any travel issues getting home? Did you fly out of Newark or did you get delayed?

RUONING YIN: Yes. When I got my phone, I just checked my flight status and I saw my flight was canceled. I was just looking at a flight on Monday, but there's no flight on Monday.

That's pretty tough, and I just keep looking at -- tried to look like maybe I can get a flight on Tuesday or Wednesday. Finally I got one like from Newark to Key West and Key West to Orlando on Tuesday. So I just got on that flight.

Q. What did you do on Monday?

RUONING YIN: Just laid on the bed and chat with my friend. That's it. (Laughter.)

Q. You couldn't get a flight from Newark to Orlando but you could get one from Orlando to Key West?

RUONING YIN: Yeah. Newark to Key West and Key West to Orlando. It's very strange.

Q. I guess you didn't spend any time in Key West.

RUONING YIN: No.

Q. What time did you get home then?

RUONING YIN: 7:30 p.m.

Q. What time did you leave New York?

RUONING YIN: 10:30.

Q. You mentioned seeing your career possibly becoming legendary. How many wins do you think you have to have to have your career become a legendary one?

RUONING YIN: Good question. I guess at least five. Five majors.

Q. Any number of wins overall, too?

RUONING YIN: I didn't thought about this. I don't know. Let's see.

Q. Did you make an offer yet on Janet's house?

RUONING YIN: Oh, not yet. We haven't talked about it yet.

Q. How did you react when Steph Curry put a video out congratulating you?

RUONING YIN: Speechless. I was on the plane flying to Key West, and I just got a message from Byeon, the Callaway staff, and he said, okay, we just post this and we hope you like it.

I just click the link and I saw Stephen's face, and it was shocking. Like I can't put on words. I can watch that video over and over again. It's just amazing.

Q. Have you mapped out what you would teach him in the lesson he asked for?

RUONING YIN: No, not yet. But I wish I could, and he can maybe give some lessons for basketball for me.

Q. What would you learn from him?

RUONING YIN: Shooting. Shooting skill.

Q. How old were you when you turned pro?

RUONING YIN: 17.

Q. What was your route to the LPGA Tour?

RUONING YIN: I think I went through Q-school in 2021, and I finished top 4 and got my card.

Q. Did you compete in China?

RUONING YIN: Yes. I played on the CLPGA Tour for one and a half years.

Q. As a young girl, who was your golf inspiration, idol, favorite player?

RUONING YIN: Inspiration? I would say Shanshan.

Q. How come?

RUONING YIN: Like she's the first Chinese player to win on the Tour and the first player to win a major. She got 10 Tour wins. Yeah, I think that's the goal I'm chasing.

Q. You talked a little bit on Sunday about how you've gotten better at course management since you've been on the LPGA. But I want to go back to the beginning with your ball-striking. Who set the foundation for you to be such a strong ball striker? Who taught you?

RUONING YIN: Nobody.

Q. You taught yourself?

RUONING YIN: Yeah, like before, I think since when I was young, I always was a good ball striker. I think that's my talent.

Q. Just natural?

RUONING YIN: Yeah, just natural.

Q. Why is Steph Curry your favorite?

RUONING YIN: Because I think he's also a very calm person. Like Kobe used one word to describe him is calmness. Yeah, I think that's why I like him.

Q. Is that what you strive for in big moments?

RUONING YIN: Yeah.

Q. Back to the ball-striking thing, what do you remember about the first time that you went to the driving range or the first time you started hitting balls?

RUONING YIN: Oh, that wasn't very fun because the first time I go to the driving range was with my dad when I was four.

I think he was teaching my mom how to swing. He was standing behind me, and he told me, don't swing, because I was grabbing a club, and he goes, don't swing.

I did one swing anyway, and I just hit his head and he got I think four stitches. It wasn't very fun.

After that, I didn't touch a club at all until I was 10 and a half.

Q. So that kind of scarred you and him it sounds like.

RUONING YIN: Yeah. Ever since then I just told him, don't stand behind me. Like every time it's a little scary.

Q. What got you to go the second time years later?

RUONING YIN: Yeah, there's a summer camp in China, and my mom just said, maybe you should go try it. If you go, I'll take you to a movie. I was like, okay, let's go. Yeah, that's why I really started.

Q. What was the movie?

RUONING YIN: I couldn't remember.

Q. From going to the movies for your first time, what has motivated you to chase this dream now?

RUONING YIN: Because I love the feeling of competing in a tournament because the first tournament I played is when I was -- I just started to play golf for three months, and my dad just took me to a tournament. I finished third place.

But I didn't know that until one of the tournament staff told me, and my dad was like, okay, let's pack it up and go home. I was like, wait a second, I finished third place, I have a trophy. He goes, okay.

I think that trophy motivated me like to chasing my dream.

Q. Do you remember what you shot?

RUONING YIN: Yes. 103 first round and 46 second, because I was young and we only have to play like 18 holes and nine holes, two rounds.

Q. How old were you?

RUONING YIN: 10 years old and nine months.

Q. You talked about trying to be calm on the course. Were there any moments in time where you thought about the thought of how Kobe described Steph while you were closing out at KPMG, and did you see moments of that in yourself as you were closing?

RUONING YIN: Like only the last tee shot at KPMG, I know I have a one-shot lead. But after the tee shot, I just hear people scream on the 18 green, and I saw Yuka make birdie, and I know, okay, maybe I've got a chance to make a birdie and close the game.

Yeah, it happened.

Q. After beating your dad over the head at age 4 and starting again at 10, what did you do between then? What kind of sport or things did you do?

RUONING YIN: I did a lot, like running and swimming, basketball. But mostly basketball.

Q. Were you good?

RUONING YIN: Yeah.

Q. What were you good at?

RUONING YIN: Shooting.

Q. When you started golf, did you leave basketball behind?

RUONING YIN: Not really, because I was still in school back then. I think I spent more time on basketball than golf. I can probably play basketball for two hours and go to practice my golf game for an hour.

Q. Do you still play basketball?

RUONING YIN: Not right now.

Q. When is the last time you played basketball, just to shoot or have fun?

RUONING YIN: I think early this year or maybe last year December. I played with Janet, actually, and my mom.

Q. Is Janet a good shooter?

RUONING YIN: No comment on that.

Q. What is it about golf that made you stick with it?

RUONING YIN: The first thing is because I'm too short to become a basketball player, and the second thing is I love the way -- I love the feeling that I play in a tournament and compete and be the champion.

Q. How many times did you come to the U.S. when you were young and learning to play golf?

RUONING YIN: The first time I came to the States was in 2015, and I would come to the States in winter ever since then.

Q. For how long?

RUONING YIN: One or two months.

Q. Is that where you learned to speak English so well?

RUONING YIN: Maybe. I still don't think I can speak very --

Q. You do.

RUONING YIN: Okay, thank you.

Q. Who gave you the nickname Ronni?

RUONING YIN: Ronni is pretty close to my Chinese name. My Chinese name is Ruoning, and just --

Q. Did you pick it?

RUONING YIN: Yeah, I picked it, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you for your time, and good luck this week.