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SYBASE CLASSIC

May 20, 2006

Gloria Park

NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK

PAM WARNER: You've been pretty successful at this course. You won here in 2002 and finished runner up last year. Talk about your day so far.

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: Today we had really cold weather in the morning. I played early, like 7:48 today. It was so windy out there, but the greens are really, really nice. I tried to hit the fairways and greens, like everybody is trying to do, but fairways and greens and make a couple of putts. And that makes a big difference, and stay away from the rough and things you need to do. So that's what I did today.

Q. Do you know how close it was? Do you know how many people were coming through, as well?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: Well, whoever played really good the first day, they played in the morning on Thursday and then they are playing today in the afternoon. 3 under par was the first one out there right now, when I played.

Today I just tried to do tried to get like 3 or 4 under, so maybe somebody who was 3 under they might have a couple of birdies and get back to like 5 under or something so I can get closer tomorrow.

Q. You obviously like this golf course. What is it about it that makes you play better?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: I think just confidence, I think. I didn't have a good year so far. It was kind of slow this year. Since I got here, I have a good memory here and good feel about it. So maybe I have extra confidence in my game, more focus.

Q. What have you been struggling with this year? You said you got off to a slow start?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: Well, I had to pull out of my second tournament in Hawaii because of a family emergency, I had to go back to Korea, and didn't play the second tournament. I wasn't really settled mentally. I just wasn't ready maybe, emotionally.

Q. What was the family emergency?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: Everything is fine now, but my grandma was sick so I had to fly all the way to Korea.

Q. So you haven't been completely focused so far?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: I wasn't really, but since maybe a month ago I was getting better. I can feel the difference out there. I can think a little better when I play and then I was more clearly thinking about the games.

Q. It's a little uncertain as to whether we'll play 36 more or 18 more. What are your feelings about it now that you're done for the day and sitting there? How does that affect you not knowing how many more holes you're going to play?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: Well, the LPGA, once or twice a year we play 36 holes on Sunday. Luckily, if we play 36, I finished early today so I can rest a little bit this afternoon. It doesn't really matter. Just hopefully it's not raining.

Q. If you have a lead, just assuming you have a lead at the end of the day, I imagine it's easier to hold a lead for 18 holes as opposed to 36.

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: It can be miserable the first 18 and better on the second 18, so I don't really it's not really I can make decisions.

Q. Last year, with Paula, did you have a putt to tie her?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: We were 5 under up to 17 and then my putt was longer. I didn't make it and then she made the putt.

Q. On 17?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: 18. I tried to make it.

Q. Do you remember trying to make it?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: Yes, because she was kind of close, I think, I remember that. I think 10 feet or something like that. I was like maybe a little longer. I thought this is the hole, I need to make it, but I didn't.

Q. Where does that rank for you in terms of disappointments. Were you disappointed after losing or were you proud that you played well and finished second?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: Well, it's been a long time since I won last time. It wasn't really disappointing, actually, but I was hoping to win. Last year I finished second here and at the Toledo tournament in a playoff. I lost there. So that was more disappointing losing, after playing 3 holes in a playoff.

Q. So you were just happy to be in contention and have a chance?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: Yes.

PAM WARNER: Let's go over your scorecard. Let's start with the back nine first.

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: I hit a birdie on hole No. 12. I had 125. I hit an 8 iron.

PAM WARNER: To how close?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: To three feet.

And 13 was 12 feet.

PAM WARNER: Do you remember what you hit off the tee?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: Into the wind, and I think a 6 iron.

Q. Birdie on 16?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: 4 iron.

Q. Bogey on 18?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: Three putted.

PAM WARNER: From how far do you think the first putt was?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: 30.

PAM WARNER: And then birdie on 2?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: 2, 140 to the pin and I had 6 iron, less than three feet.

PAM WARNER: Birdie on 3.

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: From 81 yards I hit sand wedge to about 15.

PAM WARNER: Birdie on 8.

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: I hit driver, and then from 87 I hit my sand wedge again. And I think I hit the pin, I'm not sure, but it went all the way back down to the green, so 15.

PAM WARNER: Then bogey on 9.

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: I hit my driver on the first column on the left and my second shot was short, maybe 6 iron all the way to the bottom. The third shot was 50 yards. I didn't make it up and down.

Q. When you don't know how many holes are going to be played the next day, do you play today more aggressively to try to make ground today or do you play your normal game?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: Well, it was normal, but my putting was a little aggressive today, because I know on the Weather Channel there is rain or something coming tomorrow afternoon. So it's going to be another tough day, if we're playing 18 or 36. But on the green I putted a little bit aggressive.

Q. Your name, you changed it twice, correct? Can tell the story about that?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: That's my real Korean name. And when I changed it to Hee Jung Park, it's because people who are in Korea who love golf and they are thinking they are looking it up on the Internet, looking for Hee Jung Park not Gloria Park.

Then when I put Hee Jung Park here, they don't know. And I kind of screwed up. When they do the betting on Sundays, they kind of screwed up because they're thinking I'm the rookie, so my odds were 100 something. So what I heard is a couple of the caddies were betting on me in the last couple of tournaments because my name was Hee Jung Park, because the people were betting

Q. The odds were really high because you were a rookie and you had a lot of experience?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: They thought I'm not Gloria, it's a different person; I'm the rookie. And the people who defend here, because this is my 7th year, so they are kind of looking I thought she was Gloria Park, and she's not. And I tried to put everything in there so people can see, oh, it's Gloria Hee Jung Park.

Q. When did you change it originally to Gloria? When you first came to the United States?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: No, when I was 15.

Q. Just because you wanted to have sort of an English sounding name?

GLORIA HEE JUNG PARK: Easy to remember, yes.

End of FastScripts.

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