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WORLD GOLF HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONNovember 12, 2007Se Ri PakST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA JANE FADER: How were you feeling today. SE RI PAK: Basically right now I feel like I'm in the air. This is probably my dream come true, this day I've been waiting for like 15, 16 years actually, as soon as I start playing golf I decided I just want to be a professional golfer, best golfer in the world. And finally I'm here. It takes about 16 years, but I guess it's not too long a wait, I guess. Actually every day, every hour, every second, basically everything in my mind, all about this. Basically the first time I ever -- I just kept on focused on playing golf, just been really excited to be here and I'm very honored to be with other members, Hall of Famers. I'm a very lucky person, I think. But it's still very exciting, but at the same time -- this is my first time ever. I've been very nervous about everything. Last night I can't even sleep. I lay down in my own bed, well, actually traveling a lot lately, but usually I can sleep really well, but I can't sleep at all. I don't know what I'm thinking but just can't rest. In the morning I was almost ready to leave, and still actually I don't know where I'm going to. Basically everything is really getting close and makes me really nervous still. Hopefully today I will do a great job, make any mistakes, hopefully not. Hopefully this is probably the best life moment I've ever had. Q. You picked Nancy Lopez to introduce you tonight. Obviously she's a little bit older than you and was well before your time. How did you come about picking her to do your introduction? SE RI PAK: Well, because beginning of my success, actually career, she was still playing the LPGA Tour basically, and everybody knows her name. She's probably the best golfer, she's already a Hall of Famer. Actually she always helped me out a lot, it was the rookie season. I was studying to win the first tournament, and since then everything changed, the whole schedule basically. Every week, every day, every year has basically kept me so busy about things I really need to do, and I caught a little bit of -- don't know how to control those. But she's right there, even when I wasn't speaking English she helped me out, like how to control, how to make myself happier and how to take care. Sometimes I need to say no to some people. She said, I still remember that -- she reminds me all the time, saying, you can't make all people happy. Even if you try hard you can't make 100 percent of people happier. It's most important you try your best, but another thing, you have to be yourself. I mean, that makes me really keep it going to control it a little better. But since then she's always there for me. When I see her she's not only for the great golfer, she's a great, great person. That's why I say if I'm retiring, and I know I have a goal for getting to Hall of Fame, but when I retire, I want to be like her. Every person that meets her knows she's a great player but remembers her for a great person. That's basically why you remember people forever. Sometimes people remember she's a great player but people can forget about it, but great person is never going to be forgotten about. That's why since then I want to be more like Nancy and I guess study from now and then, and basically she's my American mom. I don't think she's a typical mom, but she really helped me a lot, being out here playing. It makes me stronger. Q. How gratifying is it to you to have seen so many young women from your country follow your lead and come to America and play on the LPGA Tour? SE RI PAK: Actually it's probably the same question every week literally, but because of so many young women from my country, I guess, right now 48 or 45, I think. But ten years ago just me, only one person from my country. Ladies four or five years ago started the young talent player from my country, they really play good. So golf is a very individual game, not a team game. So basically -- first time I see that happen, it makes me nervous. I don't know how I'm going to take that. I mean, basically it's not easy because we don't really have time to see each other. Some of them I know for a long time, but some I didn't know before. But it makes me nervous about we're kind of a little -- kind of gives me a hard time. But after one or two years later, makes me keeping company basically. Yeah, just as friends, as great -- the players, I mean. So actually I'm very proud of it. Now everybody calls me the leader of Korean ladies golfer. Leader is always hard, though, really difficult. There's a lot of pressure on it. All I know is I know how -- all I can do is just make them how to go the right way, to show them what's the best way, being out there to themselves, being able to control, how to believe in themselves, how to make them as players. Things like that, it makes me really more stronger. I have to show them which one is great for them and great for me, and is it is as friends, too. So having friends out there, really having fun now, getting close to each other. I'm really proud of it. Q. How hard was 1998? SE RI PAK: I don't think it's hard. 1998, rookie season, basically I don't know much about it. All I know, just being out there playing and trying to do the best I could. Suddenly I start winning, basically my schedule going crazy. Every week things happy wasn't expecting, things like that. But it was really fun for me. I don't think it ever felt hard or difficult, just fun, exciting, because I played so well mostly, and I was young. So I think I can do better, so basically everything has been -- I'm proud of it basically. Actually first rookie year being a member was really fun, exciting, the moment I think I have. Q. But it was tough a couple years ago and you weren't winning at all. Is there any part of you that worried you might never win again? SE RI PAK: Oh, yeah, basically I felt that way. Actually two years ago basically I got injured, so I just totally lost it. I kind of feel like I'm not sure I can be back and play again. I know I've done everything, but I don't know first time ever I feel like no interesting about the game. I'm very excited out there playing golf, I'm always to be out here and challenge the great players. But I don't know why -- not happy about out here and play. I don't know what makes me that, but I was saying, I don't know if I can come out and play again being this great Tour. But here I am, I'm still playing. Q. What changed for you? SE RI PAK: I think suddenly I got injured, totally I can't even play, and I got a little bit of break time where I don't touch any golf courses, any balls, anything, I don't really even watch. Then suddenly kind of time to think about the many years past and how fun it was and how great times I have, and suddenly I forgot what was most important. I don't think I never, ever cared myself how much important to be -- a little bit of time I need, not only asking for like a couple months, a couple weeks, just basically one or two days, even a half day, not even thinking about golf. Then probably I don't think I'm going to be here. So since then I've been trying to think about being -- what I need to do, basically I have a lot of friends, but I never realized that they're right next to me. Always I know I have a lot of friends, but I don't really have time to spend with them. And they're always there for me, always trying to help me out, but I'm always so focused on going -- basically my job, and suddenly I start seeing my friends, hanging around with them, just sort of having dinner or lunch or telling them to go over to my house, having some tea or coffee. It makes differences, makes it more fun to be with someone or to hang out, being like normal people. Like basically the basic things doing, I was really missing that part. Basically people don't realize how important it was, usually having not to think about it. What I said is just I never doubted myself to be given any break, and then suddenly totally burned out playing golf because it was just 24/7 to always think about golf, traveling, this tournament, trying to win, just all year long, every single day, every single hour. So seven years later basically telling me I'm a human being actually. So basically after I came back from the injury I said, I told my coach, okay, then probably I'm going to start from the beginning. When I first time I pick up a golf club, I don't think it's ever going to happen like this, and now how exciting being out here trying to play. So I start slowly thinking about that moment I lost it a little bit and start playing and practicing, and after practice go home, see my friends, being like a normal thing, I never think about that day practice. Practice is always perfect. Taking a little break, suddenly everything changed, and then finally it was great again. Q. Someone mentioned earlier about your involvement is being a leader for bringing in a lot of other Korean players who have followed you. You obviously came to this country, it was obviously a different league from your own culture, but you adjusted and you were able to have success early in your career. How did you prepare yourself and what were some of the challenges that you faced coming from there over here just to learn the culture and understand, much less be so successful on the golf course? SE RI PAK: I think just mostly the hard part was all the traveling. I never used to be -- we have a lot of tournaments in Korea, but we're not traveling as much as in the U.S. We would always drive distance, two hours, three hours, and then maybe two or three days spend outside of town and came back for the weekend and things like that. But here you see that basically easily four weeks you go out of town and then come back for a week or two weeks, that makes it harder. And then the second, probably the language-wise. First time I was a rookie, I don't think I spoke as much English as right now, I guess. Just say, "good, bad," things like that. But second part was probably language-wise because you need to communicate to someone, have to speak. But by that time I don't speak any English. I was really afraid to see anyone, American people, because I was afraid they would ask me something I can't answer and afraid to ask them because I know they don't understand me. So for a little while I was always kind of turning really outside the line because whatever people comes to me and are close to me, I always run the other way. It made it harder. And then second thing is actually being No. 2 was the most difficult. But hey, I'm here to be No. 1 or best golfer in the world, and I have to take it. I kind of try hard because I don't have any friends here and no family is here, so I have to really work hard to be used to it as quick as possible, otherwise I don't think I'm going to be here for long enough. That's when I started learn it, start to make some more friends. I know I don't speak any English but things were getting better each day, each week. But now I'm good. Q. One other quick question. Obviously you're here at the World Golf Hall of Fame. You talked even in Mobile about how nervous you've been preparing for this. Obviously you're here in the United States but your status as a sports icon in Korea is huge. How do you relate and how do you deal? Is it difficult for you in Korea now being such a big star? SE RI PAK: It was earlier because, as I said, I was already knowing people because I already played so good in amateur career. But it's not as big right now. So first couple years, which was '98, '99, 2000 -- I think the first three years it's been hard because I can't go anywhere because people recognize me in a second. I don't know how they do that (laughter). Walking around where I can see some singer or actress, I can't even recognize it, I just can't tell. But they're like that (snapping fingers). How did they know that? Basically that's kind of something I'm not used to being that way, so it's not easy because basically don't have much private time because you just want to be with your friends sometimes in the restaurant, anywhere you go. But actually that's the hard part. You can't have it. So first couple of years it's been kind of hard pretty hard to understand that. Now it's just perfect. They understand me and they were very nice and they -- I love that people recognize me now based on they don't know me before. I really like it. Q. I was just curious how you learned English, watching a lot of TV? You speak great now. SE RI PAK: Every single time, the media was asking the questions, and I picking it up from them basically. Q. You learned to talk from us? SE RI PAK: Oh, yeah. It was great lesson basically. Since I won some tournaments basically I have a lot of interviews going on every week for, I don't know, hours and hours, and I felt that I need to speak, otherwise going to be a lot more harder, and then I don't think I'm going to have great success for doing this. Probably this is the best moment for my success anyway. So I tried to hear as much as I could and listen to the guys and then remember that, and then I'd kind of practice what they were going to ask and give an answer for it and things like that. And so then it just -- I don't know how long it takes, but I feel like going a little bit each time getting better and better and getting a lot of confidence about it. I know you guys know that I can't speak perfectly, but you guys say things like, your English is getting better and better. Those little sentences give me a lot of confidence, but I'm getting there. Q. Obviously you had a lot of success in the early part of your career. You've been a student of the game obviously most of your life, but at the point early on when you started winning majors, especially the first couple years you were out, did you have any idea of the type of legacy you were creating for yourself, not just winning tournaments but winning major tournaments on the Tour? SE RI PAK: I'm always being the same. I don't think I never change anything because of majors. But I think I know -- the major becomes are a lot more harder, really difficult. You have to do a lot of using your brain or your skills and strength. You need that in the majors, especially more. But I don't know why just playing such a hard golf course conditions I always play good. I kind of always stay the same person, same clubs, same tournament I always try to win so badly. But I don't know why the major always brings more better scores or better results. I don't know why. Basically it's a lot more in my mind mentally. Sometimes I'm more focused on it, or my mind is like more stronger when I play the majors. Q. Do you plan on playing in the ADT, and are you looking forward to it? SE RI PAK: I am very looking forward to it. Basically I know my hip is kind of a little bothers me, but no matter what I'm going to finish it. I know last week I saw my doctor and he just told me to play and kind of take it a little easy last week. This week is a lot bigger event. But I'm already there, I'm there for the winning. I just don't want to give up easily, so I just kind of push myself. I guess that's not a smart move. Kind of still bothers me. I don't think it's bothering me this week. I'm here already, it's a great moment I have, and probably I'm going to bring this moment to the ADT and probably going to make it perfect. Q. You had to wait three years for this day from when you qualified to when you had your ten years in, and now you've achieved your goal. What are you going to do for your next goal? You're going to have to find something else to shoot for. SE RI PAK: I still have many things to reaching for my goal. This is my probably biggest goal, obviously studying from the beginning with my golf clubs. But probably you guys never realize that I never have the Player of the Year for my own success because I'm always be Annika, Karrie, me, Juli. That's such a great top field all the time. Probably you guys don't know that, 24 events, five majors, now a Hall of Famer, but I never have -- such a great years. I still want Player of the Year. Basically I'm still setting my goals, and probably most biggest goal I never done is yet is Grand Slam. I still have one major to go. That caused me ten years and I still haven't done it. The biggest goal I make in ten years, and that goal takes more than ten years. I'm going to do it next year. I'm very excited. I can't even wait. I'm going to have a great off-season with the coach, and hopefully beginning of the season at March, the first major, all I need is the major for the Grand Slam. Hopefully have another dream come true. Q. I'd like to know since Tiger Woods was track and field when he was a child and you were track and field when you were a child, how do you think having been an athlete from track and field helps you playing golf? SE RI PAK: I think it helps a lot. First of all, I think physically being already in great shape. And track and field is not an easy sport, either, because all you need is to really, really have patience, too, being in the top basically because that's just such a -- all you need is speed, it looks pretty simple, but geez, that's kind of hard. I'm probably playing six years, and I was skilled, too. I won so many tournaments, too. But I think that makes me already strong enough to be -- to control myself, to being out here to playing with the best golfers. The mental you have to be really -- physically, too, but mentally you have to be really strong to win the tournaments. Actually personally I think it was a great adjustment, I think, to have. Q. What was your best event in track and field? SE RI PAK: Best event? Q. What did you do best? SE RI PAK: Actually I won at the -- probably the amateur -- the best amateur for -- I don't know how old I was, I forgot. I think that's more of a team game so makes it more fun to play. So I think I played with the team, 400-meter relay. That's the best moment I had. Q. Were you the anchor? Did you go last or first? SE RI PAK: I'm always going last, but I think that event I'd go first or second. I was good, though (laughter). End of FastScripts |
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