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MCDONALD'S LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA

June 10, 2004

Grace Park

WILMINGTON, DELAWARE

Q. Talk about your round today. I know you didn't finish the way you would like, obviously, but still on the hunt there?

GRACE PARK: Obviously, like Neal said, this is not the finish I wanted to have. I'm certainly disappointed and frustrated all at the same time, but that's golf. That's major championships, you can't miss a shot and expect to save par every time. I did that coming in the last three holes and just could have saved pars, but then I played really solid today. I played really smart. I just hit a lot of safe shots. I didn't get too ahead of myself, and it's only the first round, so

Q. When you get to 3 under playing the 9th hole, are you trying to think major?

GRACE PARK: I was 4 getting to 9, and I bogeyed 9.

Q. Did you play the green with the wedge?

GRACE PARK: With the 9 iron. I have been working on my swing and my half shots seemed to be a little off today, and all the shots I missed were half shots. But to answer your question, no, I fell, you know as I said, I didn't get ahead of myself. I was perfectly comfortable with where I was on each hole, and I felt so good about my game over each shot that I didn't care what I was shooting or how I was shooting. I just wanted to hit good shots, and I knew I could.

Q. Grace, do you think you dodged a bullet on 16 and when they made the ruling, by saving par?

GRACE PARK: What does that mean?

Q. In other words, that you had gotten past somewhere where you could have lost a stroke?

GRACE PARK: Yeah, I guess I was fortunate to find my ball off the tee because I pushed it so far right. I cut it way too much. I didn't need to play it aggressive from where I was. I just punched out and, as you said, I knew I could get to the green in three, made par.

Q. What club did you hit there?

GRACE PARK: My third punch out with the 7 iron. There was some leaves hanging out. I wanted to hit it low. I had an 8 iron originally.

Q. Did you have a ruling?

GRACE PARK: My ball was in the drain.

Q. What did you hit on 17?

GRACE PARK: 17, punch 6 and just topped it, topped it right.

Q. When do you like to use the punch shots?

GRACE PARK: When I'm in between clubs. For example, I hit my 8 iron about 140. If I'm laying 135, I can't get there with a 9 iron, so I'll grip it down and try to hit little punch shots, and I'm usually better with control on a half shot than my full shots, but today was the other way.

Q. On some of the I mean the way the greens are, on some of these putts, the one on 17, 18, what have you, when you hit it, and you hit it on the right line, is there a guarantee that it's going to stay on that line or does it kind of fishtail?

GRACE PARK: It's frustrating because a lot of putts out there don't do what they're supposed to do, but everybody is playing the same greens, you know. We'll get some good luck and some bad, and I had a mix of those.

Q. Considering you didn't play the par 5s well, are you going to play them better tomorrow?

GRACE PARK: Yes. How many par 5s are there? Three, I bogeyed 9, which was disappointing, but I birdied 11, and 16, parred it, so I was even. I'm going to be 3 under tomorrow.

Q. Grace, Jennifer Rosales, when she was in here earlier, was talking about how you have competed against each other. Can you talk about that?

GRACE PARK: I met Jen when we were 12 years old. We played up to Miss Junior World together in 11/12 age group, and top five finishers got to go to Japan, compete in another world junior whatever, so I met her then. Ever since we played a lot of junior tournaments together. She went to USC, I went to ASU the same year. We're competitors. I've beaten her a lot, and she's beaten me a lot over the years.

Q. Didn't you finish second to her the year she won the NCAA championship?

GRACE PARK: Yeah, my Freshman year, she won NCAA.

Q. How do you look at these first two rounds, are you looking at your position or are you looking at the score?

GRACE PARK: A little bit of both. I always look at the score to see how everyone else is doing, but that doesn't put any impact on how I play. I like to get aggressive and try to shoot as low as I can, so then I'm in good position for the weekend. I always like to be leading, to be ahead of everyone. Unfortunately, I'm not, but I'm very close. We've got 54 holes left.

Q. On 11, did you consider at all going for that or could you not get there?

GRACE PARK: I thought about it for about three seconds. I hit a huge drive, probably the best drive I've hit all day. I had 245 to the front. If the pin was right front, I would have gone for it, but it was tucked left to the corner, so I didn't want to have a tough chip shot.

Q. What's the max on your 3 wood?

GRACE PARK: 3 wood, if I kill it, it will be 225.

Q. I was going to ask you a question that had nothing to do with your round, and that was: Can you talk about any contributions you've made as a nonvoting member of the board?

GRACE PARK: I haven't made very many contributions, but I attend the meetings. This is my first year as a board member, and I'm just learning a lot about the tour and how it operates, and just everything about our tour and, you know, what goes on behind the actual playing part, and I'm just learning it, and I like to sit at meetings and listen to what everyone says, and just learning. Hopefully in the near future I can make that contribution.

Q. If I'm not mistaken, you were asked to be sort of a bridge between two cultures. Can you talk about any input you have had in that regard?

GRACE PARK: We haven't had any problems this year with Koreans or Asians, and they didn't appoint me to act as that bridge between two cultures. They just you know, it was about everything. I'm young, I'm a top player. I'm also Korean and it just happened that way.

Q. Grace, there has been a lot of talk in the last week or two about the exemption that Michelle got to the Women's Open. What's it like now that you're here in the second major of the year and the headline in the paper says Michelle Wie, why isn't she here?

GRACE PARK: Who doesn't like talking about her? Obviously, how she got to this point, she played her way up to this point. I wished the headline was about us, but in reality, people like to read about what is appealing to them, or you guys like to write about it. I say she deserves all the attention, because she's such a phenomenal player.

Q. I'm curious, in reality, the attention the LPGA gets, especially compared to the PGA, you guys are craving attention rightfully so, I wonder if that will create any problems or envy or whatever you want to call it when it seems that now there is a lot of attention, and a lot of it goes to someone not already out here yet?

GRACE PARK: She is a woman golfer. Eventually she will be out here. You write about it and people read about it because she has that potential. I'm sure there are a lot of players out here on our tour that are envious or jealous or whatever. But play better if you want to be that person.

Q. You don't seem you make a lot of excuses in life.

GRACE PARK: I do at times over my bad shots, but never my fault.

Q. Do you feel that 18th hole owes you a little bit?

GRACE PARK: The last two times I've played it, I've bogeyed, so I'm going to kill that hole tomorrow. I'm going to go get it. It can't get any worse. I mean, I guess it can, but it can't, so I've got nothing to lose. If I par it, I'll be happy. Who knows? Maybe I'll even birdie it.

Q. What do you make of Annika talking about slowing down? Do you and a few others sort of lick your chops at the notion of her slowing down or do you wish she would stay out here and play as long as she can, as hard as she can?

GRACE PARK: It's her choice. She's obviously accomplished everything she could as an LPGA player. I wish she would stay so I can try to test myself, try to test her and challenge her, but not that she's not challenging now. You know, she's 34 or 35 years old, she's talked about wanting a family. As a woman, you've got to make that step. Obviously she's got to get to that next step.

Q. Grace, you have been talking a lot to members of the Korean community who are in the gallery today. I wonder if you can tell me if that's a boost to see the Korean fans that follow you?

GRACE PARK: I always like having Korean spectators out there because I know that when I see being a Korean, I can tell whether they're Korean, Japanese or Chinese, like you can tell Irish, British. I know they're out cheering for me and they come all the way over to see me play, or us, and it's always nice to get that support. They always cheer you on and they're very supportive and they get loud at times, but it's all good.

Q. Do you want to go over your scorecard?

I had a nongolf question. Who do you think has a better sense of style between you and Jen with her headband look.

GRACE PARK: Me. I'm classy; not that she's not. Look at my outfit. It's my Nike scripted outfit for the McDonald's Championship. I'm going to be wearing black and white all week. She's going to be wearing black and white, too, but I look better.

Q. So you really are friends, huh?

(Scorecard read.)

Q. Any else for Grace? Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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