THE LPGA DRIVE ON CHAMPIONSHIP

January 24, 2024

Robyn Choi

Bradenton Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, I'm here at the LPGA Drive On Championship with 2019 LPGA Tour rookie and medalist of the 2023 Q-Series, Robyn Choi. Welcome.

ROBYN CHOI: Thank you.

Q. Happy to have you here. Let's head back to Q-Series. What has life been like since finishing Q-Series?

ROBYN CHOI: Well, it's kind of been pretty busy for me. I don't think I've had like a full off-season yet. After Q-Series I went to Melbourne to play a tournament called the Sand Belt Invitational. Played four rounds there, went back home, and went to Indonesia to play the Simone Asia Pacific Cup.

By the time I was back home it was Christmas.

So I kind of think I took all of it in after that. Just I just got a lot have congratulations and family and friends were very happy for me. It was just nice to see that I had good people around me to congratulate me and be happy for what I've done.

Q. What was maybe one of the coolest people that reached out to you?

ROBYN CHOI: Well, a lot of the Aussies reached out. I mean, Karrie Webb reached out to me and said congratulations. She was really happy for me. I saw her in 2019 my rookie year and she guided me through how to get around LPGA.

But and then obviously I was on Epson for the last four years, so I think she kind of knew that it was kind of a hard time for me because I couldn't come out here as early as I wanted to.

But, no, she really was happy for me to be out here, especially being the medalist at Q-School.

Q. And back at Q-School, talk about that long stretch of rounds. You dominated Q-Series. I mean, just talk about how much endured, and mental and physical that takes?

ROBYN CHOI: Yeah, so -- well, the last few years it was eight rounds in the. It was broken into two weeks. But this year the format changed to where it was six days in a row.

At first I thought it was a good idea because we just get to play on the same site and don't to have travel to a different course and get used to it and adjusting and that kind of thing.

But it was tough. I thought six rounds, you know, we play four rounds and it's not too bad to play four rounds every week, so adding another two rounds shouldn't be too tough.

But with that one rain delay in between it became seven days, and I was mentally exhausted. I think towards the end of the round my last round, I kind of was a little bit out of it. Like I think I went to the point where I went to my mom and I was like, you know, Q-School is about getting your full status on the LPGA. Is it really important to win right now? I'm so exhausted and I don't know what to do. My body is not really listening to me.

But she's like, you don't have to win but just try your best. You don't want to go out regretting what you've done just because you didn't give it your all.

That was 16.

After that, I finished 16, 17 I birdied, and then par'd 18 to win by three. So I think that really helped me get through.

Q. And sounds like your mom has been a consistent voice. She was your caddie for most of the Q-Series, correct?

ROBYN CHOI: Yes.

Q. Speak to your relationship with her and how it felt to have her there when you secured your Tour card again.

ROBYN CHOI: I think having her there was a big support. She is there for me like whether she's on the golf course or off the golf course. She's always out there for me.

I think without her I don't think I would being in this position right now. She's helped me on the course mentally, and when I take lessons and stuff she's always there trying to like listen and watch out to see what she can help me out on the course.

Having her at Q-Series, I think it just resembled to what -- how I was playing out on the Epson Tour. You know, not having missed cuts this year I think has a lot to do with her being on the bag and then just having that same momentum going into Q-Series, yeah.

Q. Can you just speak to as well you had tremendous success on the Epson this past year, what that did for your confidence and how you're hoping to carry that into your 2024 season?

ROBYN CHOI: Yeah, as I said, I haven't missed a cut last season. I think Epson Tour has really helped me out last just trying to build my game and develop to be prepared to be out here.

Obviously I was here in 2019, but I had an idea that I wasn't quite ready to be on the LPGA after playing a few tournaments. Sometimes I even think it might have been better to start on the Epson Tour, you know, just to like build my game and build confidence.

After playing in 2019, missing a lot of cuts, my confidence level dropped quite a bit. I think that has really helped me kind of like being on the Epson Tour to build that confidence back up. And especially going to Q-Series knowing I have been playing quite consistently on Epson, I think I somewhat brainwashed myself. You've played so consistently out there. Like why can't do you that as Q-Series?

I think that really helped me confidence-wise to bring out the win, yeah.

Q. Being out here 2019, how are you hoping to use that as an advantage coming into the 2024 season? You've been here once.

ROBYN CHOI: Yes, I think -- well, I think the biggest thing is that there is a lot of familiar faces out here. I think if it was my rookie year this year I think I would've been a little bit intimidated. There are world class athletes. You see them on TV. They're famous. I feel like I would be in their way.

Because like I kind of have some relationship, I know their faces and they know mine, I think it's a little bit easier to I guess kind of make a relationship with them and kind of get into the LPGA a little bit more easier.

I think that will help with my performance as well, just being used to this environment a little bit. Having the chance to have a glimpse of it in 2019 it will help my performance as well not to be too intimidated.

Q. Looking at your 2019 class, Lilia Vu had a breakout season last year and Elizabeth Szokol got her first win out here last year. Seeing them have success inspire you or give you hope that when you come out here this time around it will be a little bit more comfortable?

ROBYN CHOI: Yeah, like you said, Lilia has been the same rookie year as me. With her and I, like we both struggled to maintain our status in 2019 and had to go back to the Epson. She did great on the Epson Tour and managed to finish in the top 10 first at the end of Epson to get her card back.

Looking at that, it was very inspiring. I was very happy for her because I know her and I both knew we really struggled on the LPGA. I'm just really happy for her and, you know, honestly if I could I would like to follow those steps and eventually have a win on Tour as well.

You know, just having someone kind of been through the similar pathway, I think it really helps me to just be a little more motivated to do what they did as well.

Q. Having learned everything you learned about yourself playing on the Epson Tour and rookie year, what are your goals this season out here competing against the world's best once again?

ROBYN CHOI: Yes, I think the biggest thing would be to play consistent golf. Consistency is key just in golf in general.

The long-term goal, ultimate goal, would be to be able to win majors. I think that's a goal for everyone out here, to win an LPGA tournament. It's our dream. As a young kid that's what we always wanted to do.

So I think that's kind of like how I want to go. Like just trying to play consistently throughout the year, especially the beginning of the year, and then hopefully that will lead to good results and eventually a win.

Q. A fun one to end it for me. Anybody you've seen out her this week that you have been excited to reconnect with and catch back up with?

ROBYN CHOI: Yeah, there is a lot of girls. A lot of familiar faces from college and Epson Tour and from 2019. I had the chance to play a practice round with Allisen Corpuz and In Gee Chun this week, which I was grateful. I had a little bit of a connection with Allisen before I got here. I was able to like just text her and be like, hey, is it okay if I join you for a practice round?

She was very chill with it. I joined her for that, and then In Gee joined on the back nine with me. I saw In Gee in 2019 just saying hi and stuff. She recognized me on the putting green and I was like, oh, my God she actually remembers me.

And I was like very happy about that because like I really love her swing and she's such a nice girl.

Yeah, it was great.