THE ANNIKA DRIVEN BY GAINBRIDGE AT PELICAN

November 9, 2023

Jin Young Ko

Pelican Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Joined now by Jin Young Ko. Take us through your first round here at the Pelican Golf Club.

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah, I play really well. It's been a while to play really good for this year, and I mean, especially like end the year, like November. So I'm really happy with it.

Yeah, I had some good putts and I had some good shots, so I want to keep, like be in contention. So, yeah, three more days, so I want to get more putts.

Q. Speaking of, take us through the stretch from hole 7 through 11. Six birdies in seven holes. What was working so well?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah, I didn't know I've got to like a lot of the birdies through like No. 7 to 11, but I, yeah, really happy to playing with Nelly and Linn. So they are like hitting it like 30 or 40 meters farther than me, so I felt I am like elementary school like kid and they were like university like adult.

So I feel little sad, but it's going to be like good motivate to me for next season before like the off-season. So during the off-season.

So, yeah, when I'm playing with them, yeah, I thought I need to more like practice more and working out harder than them. Yeah, it's good motivate to play with them.

Q. I don't think you're an elementary school kid in any way. What is it about this time of year that brings out the best golf in you? You tend to play really well in November.

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah, I think on the LPGA Tour it's been like a while to shoot like under like 5 or 7-under, like since like Singapore or like Founders.

So I'm really happy with it.

Q. How have you stayed patient not having gone that low since maybe May?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah, it was really tough. I realized I need to think more of my age right now. And I don't want to think of my age, but I need to think of my age for practice because I practice hard every time during the season or not.

But, yeah, after the Founders I practice a lot after the week, so two weeks, I had two weeks off. But I had practice every day in two weeks, over eight hours, so I think that momentum was like my energy goes down so I play wasn't good, so I realize, okay, I need to like prepare for practice, just three hours maximum or like four hours. More like I want to -- I need to more like --

Q. Structure?

JIN YOUNG KO: -- on and off on the course.

Q. Report on this golf course is it's a second-shot golf course.

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah.

Q. The fact that you went out today, was 30 meters behind your playing partners, yet are tied for the lead, is that a perfect example of this being a second-shot course?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah, this golf course greens are really narrow so we need more focus from the second shot.

And of course they are like -- I think they've got like pitching wedge; I've got 7-iron. It feels not good. But I thought, okay, I can be more better than them, so I really wanted to focus myself and I just want to don't look how they play, hit far like this.

So, yeah, it's really hard to but it's really happy.

Q. Is that typical of a lot of your rounds, that you are the first to hit into a green and you have a chance to maybe put extra pressure on them?

JIN YOUNG KO: I wasn't, but after 2021, yeah, I hit first like rather than other players, so it's little sad.