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BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 16, 2004

K.J. Choi

ROYAL TROON, SCOTLAND

STEWART McDOUGALL: Ladies and gentlemen, K.J. Choi, 69 today for 5-under par and joint leader in the clubhouse.

K.J., when you came to Troon did you think at this stage you'd be leading the championship after two rounds?

K.J. CHOI: No. Second round, still playing pretty good, everything going smooth. I feel like the Troon golf course fits me very well because in many ways it's similar to where I grew up in that it's by the ocean and it makes me very comfortable. So I think that's why I'm feeling at home right now.

Q. Didn't he seem like he felt at home at some other tournament this year?

K.J. CHOI: Muirfield, The Masters.

Q. You had such a good run at the Masters, and obviously playing well here. What is it about your game that kind of the switch is turned on at the majors? Why are you playing the majors better this year??

K.J. CHOI: I don't really specifically say okay, I'm going to start playing well at a major tournament, but obviously a major tournament is a very big event. It has a high value not only to the players, but also to the people there watching it. It's a fact that I practice towards the majors and a major is a very big stage and I try my best to showcase my talent at major tournaments. It's a way of showing the fans all the hard work that I've done and all the players have a special interest in the majors and so do I. And I think that's why I have a special affection for the major tournaments.

Q. Were you distracted on the 18th green? We heard that you might have been?

K.J. CHOI: Yes, today actually there were about three occasions where I was distracted by some sort of a noise, whether it was a train going by, or it was a siren or it was like a buzzing sound at the very last green. But I don't want to make any excuses. If those putts weren't meant to go in, they weren't meant to go in. Obviously they do distract you, once I address to putt, when I hear those noises, I pull away and it bothers me. It didn't really make me angry. I don't have any grudges or anything like that.

Q. An Asian player has never won a major. What affect do you think it would have in Asia if you or another Asian player were to win this week at Troon?

K.J. CHOI: It's true that no Asian player has ever won a major, but I think that if an Asian player was to win this week it would motivate all the other rest of the Asian players that they can also do it, they can also win a major tournament. And I think it will just have a very big influence, and it will have encouragement to all the other Asian players that are striving to play in the majors.

Q. Right now K.J., you are by far the best male player from Korea. For the women there are a lot of them. You've been asked this stuff before. I'm just curious, because of that balance, what makes bigger news in Korea, when you win like Tampa or New Orleans or a regular PGA TOUR event or when Se Ri Pak or Grace Park wins a LPGA major?

K.J. CHOI: I think that the reason why the media pays so much attention to the LPGA players is that before I came over to play in the U.S. they were -- they came over first and they started -- Se Ri started winning tournaments, all the Korean players started playing well. I think it's natural that the public attention is more towards the Korean LPGA players. Still it's evident that there still is a lot of attention there. But I think that is slowly changing. I think the interest on the PGA TOUR has gotten a lot bigger and when I won the PGA tournament, that just opened up people's eyes towards the PGA TOUR and I think it affected a lot of the young Korean male players to strive for a bigger goal, which is to play on the U.S. PGA TOUR.

Q. Does being held up as a standard bearer for Korean players, Asian players, do you find that to be a burden? Does that add more pressure to you, is that a motivating force, or how do you handle all that?

K.J. CHOI: No, it's not actually a burden to me. I think it's very important that they set higher goals. I'm very happy to be a role model for the junior Asian players. I think it motivates them to, as I said, to strive for bigger goals, that is to play on the US PGA or the European Tours, and a lot of them are aiming for that. And I think the fact that I've been able to succeed on the world level has changed the mentality of a lot of the young Asian players.

Q. Do you miss Korean food when you're over here? Can you get Kim-chee in Scotland?

K.J. CHOI: I wish that was the case, but we've had plenty of Kim-chee brought over. We've been cooking at home.

Q. Had any Haggis?

K.J. CHOI: No, I haven't had any yet.

Q. How old is your oldest?

K.J. CHOI: Seven years old.

Q. You've been in Houston for how long?

K.J. CHOI: Three years and Jacksonville two years, total of five years.

Q. I'm just curious, is he in school in Houston?

K.J. CHOI: Yes.

Q. Is he obviously speaking English in school?

K.J. CHOI: Speaks English much better than Korean.

Q. Better than you?

K.J. CHOI: He's like an American kid. He's forgetting his Korean. I'm worried about it. English is perfect. Korean 40, 50 percent. Sometimes he doesn't understand me.

Q. What do you speak at home?

K.J. CHOI: Korean.

Q. Do you ever try to speak English with him?

K.J. CHOI: Yes, he's teaching me. David tries to teach me a few phrases, and I try to catch them.

End of FastScripts.

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