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FIELDS OPEN IN HAWAII

February 22, 2007

Angela Park

KAPOLEI, HAWAII

PAM WARNER: Angela, thanks for coming in. Talk about your round today.
ANGELA PARK: Today was a great round. Everything that I looked at went in, I was so confident, very comfortable on the greens. Like last week I had a hard time on the greens and judging the speed. This week, especially the front nine today, I mean, everything went well to be honest, yeah.
PAM WARNER: Could we go over your score card?
ANGELA PARK: Birdie on 1 to a foot.
PAM WARNER: What did you hit up to the green?
ANGELA PARK: 9-iron. Birdie on 3, 15 feet, 4-iron.
Birdie on 5. I hit sand wedge -- lob wedge three feet.
Birdie on 6 and 7, probably like 20 feet, both of them.
And I bogeyed 10. I was in the rough and I caught a flyer and it went way over the green, and there was like no way I could get up-and-down. So I just 2-putted for bogey there.
14, birdie. I had a 7-foot putt and I hit 54-degree on that hole.
17 I hit a rescue, probably 25 feet.
PAM WARNER: Questions, please.
ANGELA PARK: I feel like Tiger Woods. He does this all the time, right? (Laughter.)
Q. Did the wind not bother you today?
ANGELA PARK: Actually it was a little calmer on the front nine, and I think that's why I played so well on the front nine. But I think it bothered everyone, so I think it's basically fair.

Q. This is your fourth LPGA start, I think third or fourth, and I mean, are you enjoying your time?
ANGELA PARK: I'm enjoying it so much. I never knew it was going to be this exciting. It wasn't really hard to fit in or get adjusted to the new situation or new tournaments or new people. I just felt really right in place. I felt really comfortable coming out here even though I didn't know half the field. It was nice to see people I've seen on TV and to be able to play against them.

Q. I know you never really thought about going to college seriously, but can you talk about that decision and what went into that?
ANGELA PARK: It was a long time ago actually. It was probably late in my sophomore year or junior year, I'm not exactly sure.
But it was a time where I was playing not extremely well but well enough to consider Q-School. I talked to my dad over it, I talked to my mom over it, talked to my brothers; I have three older brothers. And they all thought it would be a great idea to not go to college and to just try. Because I knew this is what I wanted to do as a young age and this is what I've always wanted to do. This is my dream. So I'm living my dream. So basically, it was a really easy decision.

Q. You didn't go on any visits or anything?
ANGELA PARK: Not at all.

Q. How old were you when you moved to the U.S.?
ANGELA PARK: About eight.

Q. And what does your dad do again, does he have a business?
ANGELA PARK: My mom runs an embroidery factor in Brazil. Back when I was a junior she came probably once in three four months, once a year. But now, she tries to come as often as she can so probably like for these two events she's here and then she's going back home to work.

Q. Can you give your parents names?
ANGELA PARK: My dad's name is Koiung Wook Park. And my mom is, Koiung Ran Lee.

Q. Where do they live?
ANGELA PARK: Sao Paulo, Brazil. I was born in Iguassu Falls, where the waterfalls -- like the biggest waterfall in the world.

Q. Why did they go to Brazil of all places, why Brazil?
ANGELA PARK: Why Brazil? Good question. I have no idea to be honest with you.

Q. You've played some AJGA golf with Kimberly, how close are you?
ANGELA PARK: Yeah, I was close with her for a long time for junior events. She was all a great friend and whenever she needed guidance or whenever I needed help, I'll go to her or she'll come to me. She decided to move to California from Hawaii. That was a time when we got a lot closer and she wanted to become my teaching professional.
So it's almost like we have a really strong bond even though we don't see each other that often. Great player, by the way.

Q. You said you always wanted to play on the Tour; when did that start and how did you come to that?
ANGELA PARK: Probably when I was around 15 or 16. I don't know how or what made me think that way. It was just something I felt. It was just a natural, like, oh, I was born to do this. Everyone prayed for me, like back at home, everyone prayed for me. Everyone always encouraged me that this is the way I should go. So I think it was more of a surrounding and family kind of situation.

Q. How did you get started in golf?
ANGELA PARK: How did I get started? That's a hard question because there is no specific answer. Like my brothers and I, when my dad used to do his business here, like my brothers and I, we would just go to the range after school and that's probably basically how I got started. Like the first day I hit balls, I was like, "Oh, this is so awesome, I want to keep doing this." So I just kept at it.

Q. (Inaudible.)
ANGELA PARK: Because he thought education was better here and living conditions.

Q. So what did he do while he was here?
ANGELA PARK: He opened an embroidery factory here which didn't work too well.

Q. So now you just have the one?
ANGELA PARK: Yeah, and my dad takes time off obviously.

Q. Who are you working with now, your instructor?
ANGELA PARK: His name is Don Brown. He's in California. Wish he could be here.

Q. Could you talk about your goals for the season, what your expectations are?
ANGELA PARK: Oh, my goals, I have a lot of goals. I guess my expectations are high, but reasonably high, because if I get them too high, I'll put myself down. Obviously one of the goals that I have in mind this year is to be Rookie of the Year. And I'm always thinking about that and when I'm practicing I think about it. Like when I get lazy, I'm like, "Come on, you've got to get Rookie of the Year, so go practice." It's a very good motivation for me to have that in mind for this year and for now, that's my goal, Rookie of the Year, basically.

Q. Does it help to feel like you fit in, the transition, given there are so many young players out here?
ANGELA PARK: I think I fit in more or I feel more comfortable than the other younger players because I played a couple of events. I played the U.S. Open and I played Kraft, and I think that Kraft made me very comfortable because after the first day, I finished really well and I was in the media room.
It's just been so -- like I'm just used to it. Like AJGA gets you prepared for that. They interview you; they ask you what did you shoot. I've grown up to be prepared for here, so it's nice. Not nervous at all.

Q. How many putts did you have today?
ANGELA PARK: I think the putts that I putted from the fringe, 27.

Q. Is the improvement in the putting because of the confidence or easier to reach the greens in general?
ANGELA PARK: I try to fix a little bit of my putting after the last three, because after the last day of last week, I had five 3-putts. That was the only bogeys I had, so I really thought there was something that I had to do with my putting.
And it is a little bit easier to read these greens because the greens, like you can totally tell the dark and the light part of the greens. I mean, I think a little bit of both.

Q. What was the change you made in the putter?
ANGELA PARK: I just try to stay more stable because it's so windy and the little -- if you move your knees just a little bit like you're going to pull it or you're going to push it. So I try to stay just really still and move my shoulders back and forth.

Q. (Inaudible.)
ANGELA PARK: I think after the last event where I finished 33rd or something, I really got into it. My parents are very supportive of it, and I told them that every time I don't want to practice or I just want to go home and just take a nap and it's like two o'clock and I'm like, okay, no, no, I've got to practice.
Everything keeps popping back in my head, rook of the year, rook of the year, so it's a good determination for me right now.

Q. Was there one player that you followed in golf quite a bit or you were a fan of?
ANGELA PARK: No but I all looked up to Annika though for sure. She was always my role model. I always respected her for her work ethic, everything about her, her attitude on the course, everything.

Q. Who do you consider your biggest competition in that Rookie of the Year race?
ANGELA PARK: Everyone, I don't know, it's beginning of the season, second tournament, I can't really tell you. But everyone is so good. All of the rookies, they are all my friends so it's a little bit hard. But if it comes down to the line where I have to beat them and they are my friends, it doesn't matter, I have to beat them.

Q. Have you told your parents about your goal of being Rookie of the Year?
ANGELA PARK: Yeah, yeah. That goal was set up in mind right after I made Q-School but I tried to focus more in on it this week and last week.

Q. Do they ever kid you about Rookie of the Year?
ANGELA PARK: No.

Q. You have to inspire yourself?
ANGELA PARK: Yeah.
PAM WARNER: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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