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MCDONALD'S LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA

June 7, 2007

Se Ri Pak

HAVRE DE GRACE, MARYLAND

JANE FADER: Good afternoon. Thank you everybody for being here. My name is Jane Fader. I'm the director of communications for the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida. I would like to thank all of you for taking time out of a busy tournament and your busy schedule for being here. Although I know many of you would not miss it for the world.
Ms. Pak, thank you for joining us. We're delighted to have you. At this time I would like to introduce Carolyn Bivens, the Commissioner of the LPGA, also a member of the board of directors of the World Golf Foundation.
CAROLYN BIVENS: Thank you, Jane. We have a lot of people who have come to join for this very special moment and I'm going to forget somebody so I'm going to sort of take a dive, if you will, and thank all of the tournament people who are here; players; we'll talk a little bit about some of the fellow Hall of Famer members here in just a second. I do want to recognize my boss, the chairwoman of the LPGA, Rae Evans, who is here in the back.
It's extremely fitting that we celebrate Se Ri's induction into the Hall of Fame, or at least her completion of the requirements, here at the McDonald's LPGA Championship. It was ten years ago at this tournament that Se Ri started her March towards the Hall of Fame. It was ten years ago that she earned her very first career victory, the 1998 McDonald's LPGA Championship. It was ten years ago when the golf world and the fans around the globe learned of the young player from South Korea with the 100-watt smile and incredible perseverance who came to the USA, the LPGA, to pursue her career in golf.
She won three more times, including the U.S. Women's Open during her rookie season, and that was just the beginning. Since then, Se Ri has done 19 more times and now is the proud champion of 23 career titles, five major championships, the 2003 Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average. Last year, who could forget that remarkable 4-iron shot to the 18th green on the first hole of the playoff.
She's accomplished so very much, and damn, she is not yet 30 years old; incredible. She has enjoyed tremendous support from fans all around the world, and no one is more proud of her than the fans from her homeland in South Korea.
She has left an indelible Mark on the lives of so many young boys and girls who dream of one day having a career in golf. She's shown them that it's possible; dream big; work hard; never give up. She has shown them what's possible. The LPGA Tour and the World Golf Hall of Fame is one of the hardest in all of sports to qualify for, and Se Ri has accomplished a feat that only 22 LPGA members have done before her, and that's through the 58 years of the existence of the LPGA.
She joins the likes of Louise Suggs, Betsy Rawls, Beth Daniel -- if you'll stand up and come to join us, Beth; Nancy Lopez who is out on the course; Juli Inkster, also out on the course; Betsy King; Annika Sorenstam; Karrie Webb, just to name a few. She is among some of the very best in the LPGA's history, some of the very best in the history of golf and they are now joined by one of the LPGA's finest stars.
All right, we want to give you just a few things. The big, big event is in November, Se Ri, but in the meantime, we want to recognize what's happening here. So let me start first. We have a poster -- this poster is a work-in-progress, Se Ri. It's signed by all of the players here, and it will be framed and shipped to whichever place you want it and that's going to be yours, from this weekend (applause) and in the significance of this very monumental occasion, Se Ri, congratulations. (Cheers and applause).
Now what I'd like to do is bring up the chief operating officer of the World Golf Hall of Fame, and a very good friend of the LPGA. Any time you see them here at one of our tournaments, it's a very good sign. Jack Peter.
JACK PETER: Thank you, Commissioner. Se Ri, congratulations on behalf of the staff, our 250 volunteers, and all of the members of the Hall of Fame. Well done.
I just want to take a moment to thank the tournament director, Alice Miller, for the hospitality shown to me and my staff the last couple of days. It's always a dream to be here. It's my third year at Bulle Rock and each year, as Carolyn has said it's a real joy. Two years ago we were here with Karrie Webb and last year with Marilynn Smith and of course now we're here with Se Ri.
I also want to thank Herb Lotman, who I saw earlier today for hosting the event, along with Frank Quinn.
I do have one of the best jobs in professional sport. We are all about recognition and recognizing the greatest players and contributors of the sport. So it really is an honor for me to be up here today in front of you talking about Se Ri and her accomplishments.
Earlier in the season we announced Hubert Green and Curtis Strange coming into the Hall of Fame along with you this fall, Se Ri, so you're in good company. We will have a couple other announcements at the U.S. Open and the British Open, so. For us, we are in this incredibly euphoric period where we are making people's days and it's really quite fun for us.
We met with Se Ri and her folks yesterday. We have begun to prepare had he for the induction ceremony, Monday, November 12 and she is going to learn about her bronze plaque and she is going to learn about the Walk of Champions. And I will tell you, we are going to be hoisting for the first time, because she is the first South Korean to come into the World Golf Hall of Fame, and that's a real testament to her fortitude and achievement. (Applause).
I could talk a long time, but you didn't really come here to hear me. So I want to congratulate Se Ri once again and ask Jane Fader to come up here once again and do what she does best, which is coordinate these sorts of things. Thank you, everyone.
JANE FADER: If you want to start out by just telling us how you're feeling right now, how you felt today and on this very momentum occasion, and we'll take questions.
SE RI PAK: Well, actually, I feel really -- I don't know. I mean, I don't know how to say it right now but just basically starting to first of all, on 18, I was out there playing, but I don't know, playing golf, I just got lost. So I said to Beth, she didn't even know if I made it today or not, she was curious about it but I made it. I'm very honored to join Betsy, one of the great players, Nancy and Beth, I'm very honored to be with Hall of Fame members. This is my biggest dream and basically dreams do come true.
I'm still a little nervous about it and checking myself. This is the best moment of my life and I'm very happy and I could say more and I have so many more people to thank and I can't do it today but I'm grateful and it feels great.

Q. What are you feeling right now?
SE RI PAK: I don't know, I think it's too young for me because I'm such a young player out there. I know I'm probably the youngest to join; I'm probably a rookie now.
I feel great. I don't think I can ask for anything more at this moment. I feel great.

Q. Could you talk about what it was like to play today; where are you nervous, did you get a lot of support from the fans who knew what was going on?
SE RI PAK: It was a little nervous. I always forget about -- until this morning, I knew it was going to be happening until Beth tell me in the trailer. She was saying it, remind me and made me a little nervous again. Probably the most nervous tee shot I've ever hit in the last ten years. This is my first time ever starting one hole to finish the 18 -- the four and a half hours, I mean really, on 5, 6, it seemed like I was in the middle of nowhere and it was slow and I didn't know what was going on out there. The fans were supporting me out there and were saying congratulations to me. It's great.
This is one of the things I've dreamed about and finally I've made it. I know there's still more but I'm a very lucky person to be joining as a member of the LPGA and part of my dreams is making it for the LPGA and I'm very grateful for the LPGA otherwise I don't think I'm going to be here.

Q. How special is it to have this ceremony at this tournament?
SE RI PAK: This is probably the best tournament I've had even though I won so many times. Even though my friends here, the media support me and the LPGA support me and the managers, my coach, everybody was here. So this is one of the biggest moments of my career, it's fine, every second. So it will be great.

Q. How special is it to have so much of your colleagues, your fellow players here. Do you realize what you mean to them?
SE RI PAK: That's a hard question, too. You know what, because of all the fans, the great fans out there I'm here playing. Otherwise if I don't have any plans around supporting me, maybe I don't think I'm here playing or maybe I don't come back. I had such a hard time over two years, I lost my game and everything.
Because I'm here to make it today to this moment, it's because of the fans that supported me. This means for me a lot, for me and the fans, which is -- I don't want to ever make them disappointed. So I'm going to try my best I possibly could, playing great -- right now there's so much going on, I don't know what I'm talking about. (Laughter).

Q. Can you talk about just how special it is to be the first South Korean to be inducted?
SE RI PAK: It's probably pretty hard. But I think -- I know my country is already proud of me. I probably have notes from everybody. I'm the first one, that's why you see 45 players being from my country, they are young, they are great. So I'm very proud for them, proud to be part of their life and their dreams. Every single second right now, just so much going on -- the last ten years, everything, it's just like everything goes every second through my mind.
But like I said, I'm just really grateful and my country supports me a lot like a family, so they are very proud of me.
JANE FADER: The World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for Monday, November 12. This is the Monday of the ADT Championship. For any of you who will be making your way down to Florida. It is free and open to the public. Certainly all media are welcome. We'd love to have you and it will air nationally on the GOLF CHANNEL.
At this time I'd like to invite Chris Gabriel, the tournament chairman to come up and present Se Ri with a surprise.
CHRIS GABRIEL: Se Ri, you make children around the world smile and your smile is always magnificent, and we'd like something to make you smile even more. You're a Happy Meal collector, we have all the Happy Meal toys, the Shrek toys and everything. (Laughter).

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