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LPGA STATE FARM CLASSIC

June 12, 2011

Yani Tseng

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS

MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome our 2011 LPGA State Farm Classic champion, Yani Tseng into the interview room. Congratulations on your win today, your second win this season.
I know you've had one other opportunity where you were close early in the year. To be able to go out and shoot the number you did today and pick up a victory, how does it feel?
YANI TSENG: Yeah, I feel very exciting. I have lots of energy to going on this morning, and I know I can do it. I just kept telling myself, Focus, focus. So all my energy, all my patience like focus on every hole.
So I just play one shot at a time, and I did a great job. I missed couple putts, but I still hung in there and finish the way I want.
MODERATOR: Take me through the birdie on 17. That pretty much sealed this victory for you. What were you thinking?
YANI TSENG: Yeah, that was huge. I tried not to look at the leaderboard on 16, because we going to walk back. So I was like, No, don't look. Please don't look at the leaderboard.
On 17 hole, I know that is a tough hole so, in my mind it's only about you yardage, 170 yards. So I come in and I just hit it. I was perfect; tap-in for birdie.
Then I was asking my caddie because it was huge crowd. I was asking, Is that in the hole? Because I never made hole-in-one since I turn pro, so I was really exciting about that one.
MODERATOR: You were close to winning here a few years back. Now to get that victory, what does it mean to win here and at this golf course?
YANI TSENG: Yeah, it means a lot. After 17, I walked to 18 and I have a little nightmare in my mind saying I make bogey last hole. But standing on the tee I told myself, Okay, let's hit fairway, green, and make two putts. Just kept telling myself, I can do this.
It's been three, four years, and I really learn lots of things for the mistake. And then I feel like I improve myself and I learning a lot, and finally I got this trophy.
MODERATOR: There's been a lot of questions this week about the future of this tournament without State Farm coming back as the title sponsor. How do you approach coming back hopefully next year to defend your title?
YANI TSENG: Like I say, I been here four years. I love this tournament since I was rookie, so I really looking back to coming back to defending my champion.
I think the crowd every year is getting bigger and bigger, and all the fans, all the volunteers, the people here love this tournament, and I can tell.
It's like big party all week and everybody was very exciting, so I wish this is not end. I wish I can coming back for another 19 years, because I know State Farm been sponsor for 19 years. (Laughter.)
MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Yani, throughout day you said last night that you wanted to be aggressive. All day long, did your approach change at all throughout the day?
YANI TSENG: No, I still be very aggressive, especially on 17. That's a pretty tough pin, and I still go for it. (Indiscernible) shot I missed, but I still be very aggressive and keep in the same strategy. I think today the winning point is I really keep focused. I could really play like one shot at a time. I didn't look leaderboard much.

Q. Talking about No. 17 again, like you said, you stood on the 18th tee and just said, Fairway, green, two-putt. Again, what happened a few years ago, how big -- did you know you were three strokes ahead at that point going into No. 18?
YANI TSENG: On 17 I was look at the leaderboard, and I asked my caddie, Is Cristie Kerr 16 or 18? It was too far away; I couldn't tell. I have a feeling I had a three-shot lead until I get into...

Q. But, yeah, to have a three-shot lead going into a very difficult hole had to be a relief.
YANI TSENG: I don't know, you know. Like after 17 hole some people were say, Congratulations. I was like, Oh, don't say that too early. Still one more hole. You know, last hole you never know. It's tough hole, and I have a little nightmare there. (Laughing.)
So I just keep telling, Okay, focus. I can do this. I can do this. I hit a perfect shot second one. And because I was learning from the first year here, like second shot hit it to far, like all the way back to the pin, and I think that's like when you get exciting you hit further.
So like on second shot, 190 to the pin, but I didn't take out my rescue. I hit 4-iron and hit it perfect.

Q. You talked about being aggressive. I didn't see your whole round, but it didn't seem like you used a lot of drivers. How many times did you hit driver today, and would that total have been different had you been trailing than leading?
YANI TSENG: No, I think because the wind was different, so I didn't have to use too much driver. I use three like four or five hole hitting 3-wood, but just depends on the wind. I just kept the same strategy.

Q. Let's go to the start of your round. You talked about being aggressive and on No. 1. Did you go in the bunker?
YANI TSENG: Yeah, I did.

Q. Okay. Your sand shot, how close did you hit it?
YANI TSENG: Like two-footer, so it was easy birdie. But I was shaking the hand. I was really nervous.

Q. On the putt?
YANI TSENG: Yeah, on the putt.

Q. Okay. But, I mean, where you were on the fairway, no doubt you were going to...
YANI TSENG: Yeah, I was hit it on the fairway and just go for it. I mean, I had a rescue, so I just didn't think about anything. I just hit a second shot.

Q. No. 15, which is a tough par-4, it rolled through the fairway and you were right behind that tree, the tree trunk there. How close -- I know you punched it out -- how close -- did it many come pretty close to hitting the tree or...
YANI TSENG: I don't know. After I hit it I didn't see my ball. I was just tell my caddie, Okay, line me up. I going through -- probably only two-footer, three-footer, and I just want to go through there.
My caddie was thinking I'm little crazy, because she say, You don't know what you're talking about. I want you to go left, not like that little gap. I'm like, Yeah, okay, just line me up; I going to go there.
So after, I don't know, but it was perfect shot. I punch out. I know we can save par or bogey is good there, too.

Q. You chipped in?
YANI TSENG: I chip in, so that's very big one. I also try to think about, Oh, how can I chip in? How do I do? I don't know why. I just see lie and that's where I line it, and I just chip in. Very happy. I know that's big one, because Cristie was really close to me.

Q. I think Mindy caught you on 6 when you three-putted there. Other than that, are you saying that throughout the day you didn't look at a leaderboard and you didn't know how you stood until you cleared 17, or did you look throughout the round?
YANI TSENG: Yeah, I look I think like on No. 9. For sure I look leaderboard on 18 hole. I think on No. 13, the par-5, I look again. Then I know I was like two-shot lead, three-shot lead back and forth, so I told myself I need make couple more birdies to get more gap.

Q. What does this do for your confidence heading into the majors? I know that's the most important thing to you.
YANI TSENG: Yeah, I feel very good right now. Lots of energy. I feel this tournament give me lots of confidence, especially I made par on 18 hole so it's like nightmare is gone.
And I really do feel like I improve a lot, I learning from lots of things, and I can holding the pressure better and better. So I'm really very exciting for the majors coming up, all the big tournaments.
You know, I just keep working hard, keep working with my coach, and I think it's going to be fine.

Q. One more. How are you a different player going into the LPGA Championship this year than you were last year?
YANI TSENG: Um, I don't know. That course we play three times, and is always big crowd there. But that course, like tree-lined course is totally different than this.
So, you know, when I have a week off next week, I just going to work on my driving. I want to hit on the fairway better, because I know if you hit on the fairway more you have more chance to winning a tournament.

Q. Jason, your caddie, how long has he been working for you?
YANI TSENG: Since this tournament last year. This is our one-year anniversary.

Q. Very good. He said that a number of years ago he caddied for Annika for a time. Of course she was No. 1 for a very long time. He said Annika was -- her style was maybe more point A to point B, very analytical; whereas you're maybe still more aggressive. Is that -- do you feel like that's a pretty good description of you two?
YANI TSENG: Um, like first couple year I'm really aggressive than now, so now I kind of playing much smarter than the last couple years. So I been learning a little bit, a little bit every year.
Then like I have a little fight with my caddie on 16 hole, because I hit it in the rough on the right and I was thinking hit 6-iron or 7-iron close to the green.
And then after I ask him, What do you think? He's like, I think we need to layup, hit it to (indiscernible) yards, chip in.
I was like, No. No way we can layup. It was only like 160, 170. I know I had a terrible lie, but I just tell him, Trust me. I can do this. Just trust me. Give me more confidence to do this.
So, you know, sometimes I'm a little crazy think, so he was like holding me little bit, not be too aggressive sometimes, too.

Q. For those of us who aren't real familiar with it, you live in -- you bought Annika's -- is it in Lake Nona, Florida?
YANI TSENG: Yeah.

Q. How long have you lived there now?
YANI TSENG: Yeah, I think it's already two years. Yeah, I try to follow her stuff, too.

Q. Well, I've read some stories that Annika, did she have sort of a trophy case or trophy area in your house? Is that your motivation, to try to fill up at least part of that?
YANI TSENG: Yeah, for sure. Every time I going back to the house I see empty trophy case, I'm not happy with that. So try to fill more and more.
I was thinking I want to bring my amateur trophies coming back to put in there first, but, you know, here's another one.

Q. Yeah. There's enough gaps certainly for the early part of the LPGA schedule. Do you consider at all going back, and to keep yourself sharp, going back and playing some in Asia in nonLPGA events, or are you so committed that these are the events that you're going to play in?
YANI TSENG: Yeah, I do try to think about play some in Asia, because those like first, like those two, three months we don't have many tournaments. It's really hard to keep the rhythm going on. Sometimes I playing good and I want to keep going. It was really hard.
But it's only one week between the tournament, and it's hard to go back to Asia and many coming back. So I just stay home and work with my coach and just try to feel like, Okay, we still in good position. We still looking forward like prepare for majors.

Q. Jason, I asked him about your No. 1 ranking on the are Rolex thing. Do you think about it a lot? Is that your main, like, motivation? Or do you just say, I'll try to win tournaments and then that'll take care of itself?
YANI TSENG: Yeah, I did. Actually, No. 1 in the world is my goal for this year. I been doing pretty good, so now I don't think about it anymore, because we have so many great player on the LPGA. Everybody is a great competitor.
You never know who is going to win tournament. We have to keep working hard, because if you just stop there, everybody going to catch you very soon.
So those player push me harder and I push them harder. I think we very good on this LPGA.
MODERATOR: Any more questions? Thank you very much, Yani.
YANI TSENG: Thanks.

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