	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

SBS OPEN AT TURTLE BAY

February 16, 2008

Jane Park

KAHUKU, HAWAII

THE MODERATOR: Great job. After winning the 2007 final qualifying tournament, you're obviously coming out in your first event 2008, second place, which isn't bad. Phenomenal play.
JANE PARK: Definitely not a bad start. I didn't come in with high expectations, but I knew I was playing well. So I just wanted to have a good solid showing. My short-term goal from now on is to get into the Kappa Bisco, because I don't have any status with that. Hopefully this will help me in my quest.
THE MODERATOR: Can we go over your scorecard? Birdie on 1.
JANE PARK: Hit an 8-iron to 20 feet. And I fortunately hit a 3-wood off the tee when I should have hit a driver because it wasn't that downwind today. I hit a 7-iron from 180 yards playing a little downwind, but I chunked it into the water.
THE MODERATOR: What did you putt like when you got on the green?
JANE PARK: I hit my sandwedge to about six feet, seven feet, and I missed it. And on 9 I hit a good 3-wood, went to the right side of the green. Chipped up and made, say, like a seven-footer for birdie.
THE MODERATOR: 11.
JANE PARK: 11. What did I do on 11? I hit a 9-iron to about six feet. I made a putt. And 15 was like an 80-footer. From the front of the green to the back of the green. It was a crazy putt.
THE MODERATOR: What did you use to get on there?
JANE PARK: Hit a 4-iron. Chunked it.
THE MODERATOR: What club did you use?
JANE PARK: My second shot? My putter.
THE MODERATOR: Was that picking up speed as it went into the hole?
JANE PARK: You know, when it was -- I was talking with my caddie right after I made the putt. And he said as he was standing there tending the pin you could see a line going -- because my ball was going up over a hill and down the hill. He said right from the top of the hill he can see the line of where my ball needed to go. And I saw that, too.
So he's thinking himself, if she puts good speed on this it's going to funnel straight to the hole. When I hit it it was tracking over the hill I saw it was tracking the entire time. I had a good feeling about it. Finally it disappeared and it was, oh, my God. Got a little excited for that one.

Q. Did you say you could see the line?
JANE PARK: I saw the line. I saw the exact line you needed to hit it. It was going straight down that line. And a good thing was going to happen and I knew it.

Q. How close was that birdie putt at 12, do you think, the par 5?
JANE PARK: Wow, that was a 3-footer. That green was really dry. So it was hard for me to see the grass that was standing up probably a foot from the hole. I hit a good putt, but it just took a straight kick right. I was just baffled.
It was crazy. I thought I made it. But I looked up, it didn't even hit the hole. It wasn't even close. So I was a little mad but I got over it real quick.

Q. I think people who haven't been here might look at this result and go, oh, yeah, Annika walked away with it. But it was anything but a cakewalk for her.
JANE PARK: Definitely. This golf course, if the wind starts blowing it's anybody's game out there because there's holes you can make mistakes on. And since the greens are really big it's easy to 3-putt. Just like that -- that was hole 16? Yeah, 16 where I made a really, really good 2-putt from the front of the green.
It's really easy to 3-putt out here especially if you're under pressure. But fortunately I kept my cool.

Q. Do you think the wind is the reason why there's so many unusual names who come and challenged her?
JANE PARK: I think everyone out here is a great wind player. You can't get out here and compete week after week if you're not a good wind player.
But, you know, just one week someone's playing better than the other person. So it's just different results every week. We're all pretty good players.

Q. What did you do right this week to get your best finish?
JANE PARK: I think my caddie -- I just met my caddie this week. Shaugn McBride from Australia.

Q. Can you spell that?
JANE PARK: S-h-a-u-g-n McBride, M-c-B-r-i-d-e. He just married Maria Yorst. Husband. My agent hooked me up with him. Right after that we clicked. Both of us are very -- our sense of humor is very similar.

Q. Worked?
JANE PARK: We're crazy together. I'm not going to lie. After we hit every shot or something or if we're walking down the fairway we'll talk about anything but golf. Just because that's my personality. I just like to talk about a lot of things.
And I think he really got the sense that I needed to kind of think of other things while I'm on the golf course, just to keep me calm. You know? And he's really good at that. He adapted to me very well. The main thing this week, I think, was I had a really good time. I enjoyed myself every single shot I just enjoyed myself.
And he was just great, my caddie. Good thing for next week, too.

Q. You said he scared the hell out of you on 17?
JANE PARK: Yeah.

Q. What was that?
JANE PARK: He didn't scare the hell out of me. Well, I've only seen his good side. I'm sure he has a bad side. I'll probably see it one of these days. But a cameraman walked in front of him. He almost tripped on the cord. He grabbed the cord and he's like, let me do my job first, in his Australian accent first. It was, oh, my gosh, scary. When he's down to business, he's down to business. He'll do anything to keep me comfortable, which is great.
I kind of saw that side of him. I thought maybe I should stop making fun of him on the golf course.

Q. Is that kind of a bit like walking down High Street with a rottweiler?
JANE PARK: Basically. We're just really -- we're really, let's see what's the word? Our chemistry. Compatible. We're very compatible. He just knows the right things to say at the right time just to make me laugh. No matter what.
Even after I made that double bogey, you know his reaction was the same even if I made a birdie. If I make a birdie, par, double, his reaction is always the same, which is really good. But every now and then when I make a birdie, I'm like, come on, get a little riled up. But we're really good together.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297