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ADT CHAMPIONSHIP

November 16, 2004

Grace Park

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA

THE MODERATOR: Season ending tournament, ADT Championship, one more week this year. You've had a great year so far, lots of runner ups finishes, two wins. You were second on the Money List behind Annika.

Do you want to start with some comments about the year so far.

GRACE PARK: It's been up and down kind of season, but great in the last couple of months. I've been thrilled, I've been excited, and very pleased with the way I've been playing. This is the last week, last tournament. I'm going to try to give it all.

Q. The last couple months have been much better. Can you tell us what changed?

GRACE PARK: Nothing really. I think every player goes through, you know, cycles where there are ups and downs. I had my up in the beginning, down in the middle, and it just gradually went up.

I just cruised along. I didn't do anything different. I've always been a hard worker. I've always focused well in tournaments. Just in the summer I had a back injury that set me back, and then I just got exhausted from, you know, both mentally and physically from being injured and not being able to play well, you know, in US Open, Evian, British, those big events.

But I came back and I came back strong. I was healthy. I just did what I've been doing all along. The results finally came back. I was up going up period, cycle. I've really enjoyed those times.

Q. Just because the level of talent at this particular tournament, does your mental approach change at all? Do you continue doing what you've been doing the last couple months?

GRACE PARK: This week, like I said, I'm going to give it all. This is the last tournament of the year. I've had a successful year. This is my seventh week on the road. I was a little bit tired last week, but I think I can get over that. I rested well yesterday. I'm going to rest this afternoon, you know, start working tomorrow and just give it all, give all I have.

Q. Can you talk about what you're going to do in the off season and what your next year is going to start? Is it going to be the World Cup?

GRACE PARK: All I know is that I've got five more days to go, and I have a couple of corporate outings that I have to play over in Asia. But I'm going to put my clubs away. I'm going to go back home to Korea, see my family, friends, go skiing, vacation, veg out, definitely take the batteries out of my alarm clock for at least a month, and then I don't know what I'm going to do next year.

That's what I'm looking forward to now: December.

Q. Can you talk about the psychology? You've had so many second place finishes, not as many firsts as you'd probably like, but not as many third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh. Can you talk about the psychology of being near the lead as much as you have been? Does it surprise you that you've been runner up so many times?

GRACE PARK: No. Some may say that, "She's jinxed, stuck in second place." But it only shows that I've improved that much. If you look at the results last year, I had a bunch of second places last year, too, but I was never close to winning the tournament. This year I was in contention many more times than I had been in the past years.

Just proves that I'm more matured, I'm getting closer, I'm improving. And I'm just happy with the way it's been going. I would have definitely liked to have had more wins, but, you know, you learn a lot from your mistakes. Everything's a learning experience. I'm just glad that I was in contention so much.

I'm more comfortable when I'm in the situation because I've been through it more than in the past. I'll go from there.

Q. How much have you and your peers closed the gap on Annika this year? At a tournament like this, is she clearly the person to beat this week?

GRACE PARK: Oh, Annika's, of course, week in and week out the person to beat. You know, when Annika's in the field, everybody's aware of it. We know the competition will be that much tougher.

But I feel like I'm closer than I was last year. You know, like I said, I'm taking it step by step, taking it slowly. I want to get there. I will get there.

Q. Can you talk about the course this week, how it's playing, how it lays out for you?

GRACE PARK: I haven't been out on the course yet.

Q. You have been very brutally frank and candid with your performances a couple times in the last couple years, McDonald's last year when you lost in the playoff, the Samsung. Are you hard on yourself? It's refreshing to hear someone being that honest about their performance, but is that you in the heat of the moment or have you always been able to speak frankly about how you think you did?

GRACE PARK: No, no, no. That's me, you know. I'm open to you, to everyone else. I did really feel like a loser (laughter).

But, you know, you learn from it. It's an experience, you know. You got to lose a lot to be not afraid to lose. You know, when you lose for the first time, it feels horrible. But when it happens the second, third, fourth, the next time you're not afraid to lose, you got nothing to lose after losing so many times. Just go for the win.

Q. Have you ever watched an interview of another athlete, be it a golfer or whatever, who has finished second and said, "I'm proud of the way I played"?

GRACE PARK: Oh, yeah. You know they're lying. You know they're disappointed. Of course, they're disappointed. If they're happy they finished second after having the lead for 65 holes, they're lying.

Q. Have you ever lied?

GRACE PARK: Oh, all the time. I probably lied five minutes ago (laughter).

Q. When you are in a big tournament like this one, you're on the 17th hole, tied for the lead, what is your thought process? Is it different now than it was three years ago in terms of what you have learned? You're talking about learning.

GRACE PARK: Oh, definitely. Three years ago I probably wouldn't have been in the lead going into the 72nd hole or a tie for the lead. You know, I'm three years older. I'm more mature. I've had more experience. I have a few more wins under my belt than in the past. I've been in the contention many more times.

I just in the last couple of months gotten better at taking it hole by hole, shot by shot. I don't get ahead of myself and I don't get stuck in the past. And that's helped me tremendously. It shows on the results. Even though I only won once, but seconds and thirds. You know, I think they're great.

When it happens, I'll be more ready.

Q. (What part of your game do you feel like you need work on?)

GRACE PARK: Oh, a lot. Driving consistency, greens, regulations, short game. There's always things to improve. I'm sure Annika has things to improve, Tiger has things to improve. I just want to, you know, improve little by little, take it step by step, just keep working hard. That's all I can do.

Q. When you win the major this year, does everything change in your mindset? Does anything change in your mindset about what kind of golfer you are, what kind of person you are?

GRACE PARK: Yeah, you think you can win everything (laughter). It just puts a lot of confidence in myself and in my game. I didn't really believe that I could do it. Not that I didn't believe, but I didn't know that I could do it, especially that early in the season.

I worked really hard in the off season both mentally, physically. I knew that I was good, I just didn't know how good I was. By winning the first major of the year, it gave me a huge boost in the confidence. I feel like I'm a better player. I acknowledge that I'm a better player than I was in the past, had become a major champion.

Q. You talked about giving it your all this week. Is that a reflection of so many weeks on the road, so many weeks in the year that you have to push harder just to beat fatigue mentally or physically?

GRACE PARK: Yeah, you never do seven weeks during the season. Well, it's actually six weeks, but I travel for seven weeks.

You think you can do it when you start out, and then you see yourself get fatigued. But at the end I'm just going to all I can do is stay tough mentally. You know, my mental strength was definitely not in last week, more than my physical. But this week, you know, I've got four rounds to go. I think I can do it. I know I can do it. And I think it's all up here.

Q. Does everybody else feels the same way; just a question of getting one last good performance out?

GRACE PARK: I'm sure they are. But I'm going to do better (laughter).

Q. In looking at the field, it seems to be an interesting mix of players who have been around for a long time, players who are sort of in the middle pack like you are, and then these young guns, if you will.

GRACE PARK: Middle? I'm still young (laughter).

Q. Can you describe the differences in what it's like to play in groupings with the different levels, ages involved.

GRACE PARK: Yeah, I think it's great. I just shows how much variety we have on our tour. You know, we've got Beth Daniel, Juli Inkster, Meg Mallon, then you have me, Lorie Kane, then Shi Hyun Ahn, Rookie of the Year. I haven't seen the whole list. Is Arie in the field? Still in her teens.

It just shows that golf is getting bigger, women's golf is getting played all over the world because we have players from all over the world, different ages.

You know, hopefully more fans can get involved in it, more different age groups. We're all great golfers. I think it's just a great mix of groupings.

Q. It says in your bio that you like to do two things, you like to shop, we know that's true because we've seen your spectacular outfits on the golf course. It says you like music. It doesn't say you have a favorite song that you use to get yourself ready to play.

GRACE PARK: I don't have a favorite song, but I listen to Korean songs. I like Korean music. That may sound weird to you. It's everything, just in Korean. That's all I can say.

Q. (No microphone.)

GRACE PARK: I like it a month at a time, always changing. I'm not a loyal fan. I like cute guys, whatever.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, guys.

End of FastScripts.

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