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MICHELOB ULTRA OPEN AT KINGSMILL

May 7, 2004

Soo-Yun Kang

WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA

DANA VONLOUDA: Good round. 70, three birdies, two bogeys. And 7-under par total. Right now it's tied for the lead. Can you tell us about your day.

SOO-YUN KANG: Little different from yesterday and today. Yesterday shot everything is great, but today a little bit feeling like a little bit tired, swing like weak, sometimes a little bit thin. So shot is a little bit difficult today. Putting is okay. But not much make the green and not much make close to the pin. Not like yesterday.

DANA VONLOUDA: Tell us a little bit about the conditions of the course.

SOO-YUN KANG: Course condition is very good. Now it's very nice and the greens are soft, make spin. So condition is very nice.

DANA VONLOUDA: Questions.

Q. Let's go over the card.

DANA VONLOUDA: Okay. Start with your first birdie on hole No. 5.

SOO-YUN KANG: I hit the a little 5-iron, punch 5-iron and then four feet.

7, across the green, maybe 20 yard and then chipping and then maybe like a five feet. Five, six feet.

Q. Is that the 60-degree?

SOO-YUN KANG: Yeah.

Q. Favorite club?

SOO-YUN KANG: Yeah.

Then 8, hit a 9, I want to try for a little 9 but a little little hook and in the bunker. Bad lie for downhill lie. I try for the spin, but go over, past the green and then chipping and 1-putt.

DANA VONLOUDA: No. 9, birdie.

SOO-YUN KANG: Hit the 9-wood and then ten feet.

DANA VONLOUDA: Bogey on 14.

SOO-YUN KANG: 14, I hit a 7-iron but over the green past the pin. I didn't make the putt. Maybe ten feet.

Q. How did you sleep last night? Were you thinking about where you were on the leaderboard?

SOO-YUN KANG: No, I didn't think about that. But I going to the hotel and then taking a shower and something to eat. Go to bed 10:30 because not much for the sleep. I wake up for the 5 and so I think so today I cannot sleep for last night because swing is a little bit weak.

Q. It will be nice to be able to sleep in tomorrow because you will start late?

SOO-YUN KANG: Yeah, like the first day.

Q. Good motivation to score well, right? That's a good motivation to score well to sleep late on Saturday?

SOO-YUN KANG: Yes.

Q. Do you feel like the par 5s here are reachable in two for you?

SOO-YUN KANG: Yeah, strong front side is a par 5, every time I got 200 yards front pin, but this week I take it off of the 5-wood, normally 200 is my 5-wood, but I take it off with a 5-wood and I putt 52 degree wedge, but I don't have the 5-wood. I trying for the 3-wood, but something over, something going left.

Q. Why did you decide to make that club switch?

SOO-YUN KANG: Because I -- last year I thinking about the firm green here, more make -- for the 56 and the pitching wedge because I want to make like more come over for the green for make spin and I think about that, but maybe tomorrow I back to 5-wood.

Q. You can make those switches on a daily basis of your clubs?

SOO-YUN KANG: Yeah.

Q. Were the greens much different in the morning without having had people trample on them all day?

SOO-YUN KANG: Different from yesterday and today. Yesterday a little bit hard green and then little slow for the green, but today in the morning is a little bit more soft, make spin and then little fast, a little bit different from yesterday and today. But I didn't catch for that because make short of the pin and every time pass the hole.

Q. You have to adjust tomorrow?

SOO-YUN KANG: Yes.

Q. How much English did you know before you came to America to play golf? Are you learning sort of as you go through the Tour?

SOO-YUN KANG: Last year just to say like "How far" and then "Thank you" and a little bit of words, but I change for the caddie, but he gave me a lot talking about the English because little bit better for English, but now it's also bad, but --

Q. Were you able to go into a restaurant and, say, last year and order something?

SOO-YUN KANG: Yeah, I can order because important for that. (Laughter).

Q. You can order now. You could order last year too?

SOO-YUN KANG: Yes.

Q. Going into the weekend, will you become more calm or will you become more nervous tomorrow morning? Will you be more nervous than today?

SOO-YUN KANG: Now I feeling no nervous for tomorrow because I am playing for the Korean Tour like the same like the top finish, so I don't think so not nervous for tomorrow morning.

Q. There's so much made -- we make so much out of the number of Korean players on the American Tour and maybe we don't understand what a difficult adjustment that's for somebody to make. Do you ever wish that American players would go over to Korea and learn what it's like the experiences that you are having over here?

DANA VONLOUDA: The difficulty of coming to the United States and playing and adjusting to the United States.

SOO-YUN KANG: I think so a little bit difficult for here for English and something -- Korean Tour is not much far away for the house for just one hour driving, two hour. Far away for just one hour flight far away, but here it's one hour is very close. That's very difficult and tough. I missing home so much.

Q. Do you view -- do you think the LPGA Tour is at a lot more difficult than the Korean Tour?

SOO-YUN KANG: Yeah, I think so a -- appreciate in America.

Q. Is it very important for you personally to win on the LPGA Tour? Will that seem very important?

DANA VONLOUDA: To win on the LPGA Tour, how important is it.

Q. Best players in the world.

SOO-YUN KANG: I try for that every week for the win, but still not like matching for every week, but last year I am playing here, but very different for the people and grass and everything is like a human and food, everything is different. Very difficult and then something missing home. It very difficult, but this year, something like -- little same for the Koreans here, feeling --

Q. Are you more comfortable this year because you went through last year?

SOO-YUN KANG: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Q. Do you travel alone or do you have any family members with you?

SOO-YUN KANG: Yeah, my mom travel with me all the time.

Q. Do you remember the day that you went to your parents and said I want to play in the United States and what their reaction was?

SOO-YUN KANG: First time trying for my father you are going to America, going to try for the Q-School and playing. But I miss it four time for the Q-School, but when I missed it two times, -- first time I don't want to come to here because too tough and I don't like it because I am thinking like that. Now after two -- after Q-School I want to go to America because I want to do make the card, I can do because --

Q. Were they supportive or did they get behind you and support you in your goal to do this?

SOO-YUN KANG: Yes, my father a lot.

Q. What about mom? What did mom have to say?

SOO-YUN KANG: She make food. (Laughs).

Q. Does she walk with you on the course?

SOO-YUN KANG: Yes just the tournament today. She's staying for the room and tournament today she's coming out.

Q. Are you glad that you made that decision? Are you glad that you got your card and are over here?

SOO-YUN KANG: Yeah.

DANA VONLOUDA: Anything else? Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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