	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

KIA CLASSIC

March 27, 2011

Sandra Gal

CITY OF INDUSTRY, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: Sandra Gal, the 2011 Kia Classic Champion; how's that sound?
SANDRA GAL: It sounds great.
THE MODERATOR: Give us some thoughts on the day and winning your first LPGA event?
SANDRA GAL: Well, I'm a bit overwhelmed. It was an amazing day. You know, it was close all day long, so I had to kind of dig deep to pull out some shots. And Jiyai obviously didn't have her best day but then she started rolling a few birdies in, and her irons were right on the spot every time.
I'm just happy to have finally have done it. Had a good feeling about today when I woke up, so I'm happy to be sitting here now.
THE MODERATOR: That's great. Tell us about the third shot on 18.
SANDRA GAL: I was trying to hole it. I came close, so, yeah. Pretty much just hit it where I wanted to.

Q. What club did you use?
SANDRA GAL: I hit a little grip down sand wedge.

Q. About how far were you?
SANDRA GAL: 83 yards.

Q. When Jiyai hit her putt on 18, you kind of looked like you didn't want to look at it. You had your back to it. Was that just trying to keep your mind on your putt or did you really not want to see what it did?
SANDRA GAL: I really didn't want to go into a playoff (laughing). But I never want to wish anyone to miss a putt. So I was just, okay, she's probably going to make it. So I've just got to focus on my putt, and if it's a playoff, it's a playoff, you know.
All day long I haven't been watching her putts very much. I was really trying to focus on my game and not play her, but play the course.

Q. Were there any shots in the last four or five holes that will stand out to you that maybe at a point where you could have lost control of the match a little bit after she went ahead that you're proud of hitting?
SANDRA GAL: Yeah, I know -- what hole is that -- 14 maybe, the par-4 where I knocked it over the green. I don't know what happened. I had the right yardage. Probably some adrenaline and I really hit it solid. And I had such a hard job coming back down.
That long putt was kind of like, wow, don't want to be slipping away. But that putt that I made I think that was really big.

Q. What was all the discussion about where to place the ball? What exactly went on there?
SANDRA GAL: Well, the ball was kind of in a hole sitting down. I guess one of the spectators picked my ball up once it was moving, and then like slammed it back down into the ground.
And one of the spectators kind of told me it's sitting down. It's not supposed to be sitting down. It was still moving on top. So the ruling was kind of put it back in place where it was last seen.

Q. You were smiling almost all afternoon after every shot. Is that how you usually are? Is that how you stay calm?
SANDRA GAL: The way I played the last six months was with a lot of smiles. I think life's too short to not enjoy what you're doing. And I think that's really helped me and my attitude and my game.

Q. Does it validate it more winning this tournament against Jiyai, like going head-to-head with her all the way down? Does that in your mind make it more special?
SANDRA GAL: Definitely, she's a great player. She's No. 1. So obviously, as I said, she didn't have her best day, but she's a tough competitor. So I'm really happy to get on top this time.

Q. When is the last time you won a tournament?
SANDRA GAL: Last time I won a tournament, I think, was in college.

Q. And does it feel any different as a pro?
SANDRA GAL: No, not really. It's just another golf course and you have to play your best.
But I think it feels different in a way that the crowds were huge, and obviously you have TV following you. But that's why you're a pro.

Q. What were your thoughts when she hit it close at 18 just before you hit it?
SANDRA GAL: I kind of expected her to hit it close. So as I said, I was just trying to hole it, get it inside her or force a playoff.

Q. I'm sure you probably talked about this before. But how did you end up as a Florida Gator from Dusseldorf?
SANDRA GAL: I actually went over to Bradenton for a couple of weeks to work with Jonathan Yarwood in 2003. And he knew the college coach at Florida, and she did some recruiting in Germany too.
There were a few other colleges I looked at. But I wanted to go somewhere in the south where it's warm. And I love the school, and yeah, that's the story.

Q. Do you know Martin well? Have you played with him?
SANDRA GAL: We played a lot of junior tournaments together, but I haven't seen him in a few years. So I wouldn't say I know him well, but we are from the same area of Germany.

Q. Did you always want to go to college? You didn't think about going pro early or anything?
SANDRA GAL: No, never. I was not ready.

Q. You said that you've been playing with a lot of smiles in the last six months. What changed that? Well you insinuated that it changed.
SANDRA GAL: I think just a couple injuries that I had in the beginning last season, a few cuts I missed there made me realize that this is my job. And you've got to love what you're doing, and I wasn't loving it. So I just changed my attitude towards it.
I'm really thankful for what I'm doing and the game I play. You know, that's made it such a big change. Part of it is also my team, having my parents around, my coaches, Andrew Park, having Callaway with me. So all of that together makes it happen.

Q. The crowd was pretty much in Jiyai's side. Did you notice that? Did it bother you at all or did it not make any difference?
SANDRA GAL: No, it didn't bother me at all. I think it was great how they cheered for Jiyai. Probably put a little more pressure on her, I think. I was kind of like an underdog, so I didn't have anything to lose.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297