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THE HONDA CLASSIC

March 3, 2010

Yong-Eun Yang

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA

PHIL STAMBAUGH: We have Y.E. Yang, defending champion of the Honda Classic in the interview room at this time. Y.E., you finished third last week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. This is your sixth appearance on the PGA TOUR this year. Welcome back to PGA National.
Y.E. YANG: This place is very dear to me. It's given me my first victory of the PGA TOUR. It's always going to have a special place in my heart. And even though it's very chilly outside, if feels very warm to me. So I'm very glad to be back.

Q. Can you talk about last week?
Y.E. YANG: If I played the last few holes as I did over in the PGA National as I did last year, I probably would have been talking in a different tone.
But unfortunately I rushed a few shots at the end, tail end of Sunday, the Waste Management. And that cost me I think dearly. I think I got a bit too nervous or a bit too anxious to get to the end of it, and on the 17th, I really rushed it. I should have calmed myself down a bit and paced myself.
But I was in such a hurry to see what I could do. I actually got a bit nervous, so that's what happened, and hopefully I will regain my calm this week and do a better job.

Q. How much did winning here last year sort of reaffirm the belief that you can win anywhere you play at any time? I know when you won in Shanghai, you said that you struggled a bit with the pressure after that. How did winning here, how was that a different feeling for you, as far as dealing with pressure, dealing with expectation?
Y.E. YANG: You know, during last year's tournament, I sort of changed my mentality towards the whole game and how I approached every hole. Before that, I was always trying to just win a tournament. I was trying to finish in the Top-10 or finish on a good note.
But during the Honda tournament last year, during the Honda Classic last year, I tried to strategize each hole. I didn't really think beyond every hole. And I think by playing each hole to the utmost of my abilities, that's what really changed my game, and that's the same that happened afterwards, as well, in every other tournament.
I think I lost some of that philosophy last week. I was trying to win it instead of going hole-by-hole. So looking back on last week, I think it was some good medicine for me. If I can bring back what I've learned last year over here at PGA National, I think I can fare quite well through the remainder of this season.

Q. It's a very difficult course at any time of the year but if it's windy like this, does that restrict or limit the number of players that have a chance to win this tournament this week if it stays high wind like this?
Y.E. YANG: Yeah, I think that's a good point. I think that if the weather -- I'm not sure how the weather forecast is right now for the rest of the week. But if it stays like this, then the more seasoned veterans I think have a better chance, especially the players have been playing in such conditions like this, windy conditions, and I think that a lot of European Tour players would fare in these conditions, as well.
I still don't know how the weather is going to pan out, but if it's so, then yes, there's going to be a specific group of players who I think have a better chance of winning.

Q. Are you a pretty good wind player?
Y.E. YANG: Sometimes and sometimes not. I don't know. (Laughing).

Q. Did you stay at the hotel last year, and are you superstitious enough to try to stay at the same place and do the same things as you did a year ago?
Y.E. YANG: I stayed here last year. It's not because I was superstitious. It was because it's so close to the golf course, so that's sort of a no-brainer.
But having said that, I do have -- I wouldn't say it was superstitious, but if it's good feeling hotel or a good feeling restaurant, somewhere that had some kind of significance towards that tournament, I try to stay in that good vibe area. So if you want to call it superstitious, then by all means.
I just try to bring a lot of positives from the outside of the golf course, as well as from the inside.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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