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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 13, 2011

K.J. Choi

BETHESDA, MARYLAND

BETH MURRISON: We're very happy to welcome today K.J. Choi, who earlier this year won THE PLAYERS Championship in a dramatic playoff. He is playing in his 11th U.S. Open. In 2007 he won the AT&T National here at Congressional. He was quite a fan favorite that week. Can you talk a little bit about coming back to Congressional and playing in the Open this week?
KJ CHOI: Yeah, it feels good to come back here, since winning the TPC, to be back at a place where I won the 2007 AT&T National, it feels like home here.
This course is very difficult, but yet I think the USGA set the course up pretty fair for the players, but it's going to play difficult.
BETH MURRISON: This is your 11th U.S. Open. What have you learned in the past ten that you think might help you this week here at Congressional?
KJ CHOI: This course you can't miss your tee shots. It's critical that you put it on the fairway. You know, if you miss a tee shot, you're going to have a hard time trying to get it on the green. That's where the short game comes in. I've been concentrating on my putting and my short game to compensate.
The U.S. Open is known for its hard greens, so it's going to be hard to spin the ball on the green. So the key thing is to try to go from tee to fairway, fairway to green, and I'll just try my best.

Q. What did you do so well when you won here in '07, even though the course was slightly different?
KJ CHOI: The course definitely plays different than when I won in 2007. The tee shot -- when you're standing on the tee box, the holes definitely played different. You have to attack it differently. Back then -- this week the tee boxes are, they've pulled it back 20, 30 yards on some of the holes, so you actually have to draw your shots back, where in 2007 I could fade my shots, so it's a little bit different strategy.
But having played both course setups on this course, it gives me less pressure because I know where to hit it. And another key thing is when you're standing on the tee box, visually there's some obstacles that kind of gets in your eyes. As long as you know how to get away from that, I think you'll be good.
Also for your second shots -- yesterday and on Saturday, I practiced nine holes each, and I don't remember hitting anything shorter than an 8-iron for my second shots, so it was mostly 6-, 7-irons.
So I think the key point is whether you're able to hit your second shots and stop it on the green, stick it to the green, stick it to the pin within four or five yards. Once you're able to do that, I think you have a better advantage. Guys who are able to hit it longer, hit longer tee shots and straight, will definitely have an advantage. But for me I'm not that much of a long hitter, so I feel like I'm going to have to be using a lot of 4- or 5-irons for my second shots. So for me to be able to hit high cut shots with those long irons is going to be key.

Q. It was suggested earlier today that as many as 40 contestants have a legitimate chance to win the Open Championship. Do you consider yourself among that crowd, and what gives you as good a chance as anyone here to win this championship?
KJ CHOI: I don't know about winning this week, but all I can say for sure is that I'm going to try my best to get the best result from how I play. For sure, tee shots, you can't miss tee shots here because even if you don't miss your tee shots, even if you're on the fairway, you're going to have to be hitting 3-, 4-, 5-irons onto the green, and as hard as the greens are this week, whether you're able to stop the ball, that's another story. If you miss the green -- if you hit the green and the ball goes over the green, you're facing yourself with difficult chip shots around the green. There's bunkers. So it's not going to be easy.
But it's one thing to hit 4- or 5-irons onto the green and try to stop it and hitting shorter irons like 9-irons onto the green; it's a big difference. And depending on what situation you're faced with, I think that's going to really dictate how you finish those holes.

Q. Have you thought about bag setup for this week? I know earlier in the year you've played with hybrids all the way down, I think your longest iron was 6-iron. So as you set up the bag this week are there going to be a bunch of head covers in the bag or are you going to play some long irons?
KJ CHOI: Yeah, I've used hybrids in the past. They're easy to hit for high shots and stopping on the green. But I think this week I feel that my irons are pretty good. The control is pretty good. So I only have a 3 hybrid in the bag, and the rest are just regular irons.

Q. What is your best memory of the U.S. Open and what is your worst memory?
KJ CHOI: The best memory is when I played Pebble Beach last year, and the worst is -- I mean, the whole experience. The worst memory is at Shinnecock on the 10th hole where I finished with a 9, a quadruple bogey.

Q. Speaking of those memories and speaking to the current championship being contested, what is the significance to you and what would it mean to emerge as the champion this year?
KJ CHOI: To win the U.S. Open would be very special, especially because now that I'm a resident here in the U.S., I think it would be very meaningful. I think if I were able to win it, of course it's God's choice, but I think it would be a great chance to glorify the Lord. And I think a lot of people that have supported me, my friends, a lot of people would be happy. It would be a good gift for the people around me.
I really didn't start thinking about winning a major until about four years ago. This year being my 12th year on the PGA TOUR, I really didn't think that I was capable of winning, having an actual shot at winning a major tournament until four years ago. I think my mindset has changed since then. I think my game is good enough to win a major, and even if I don't end up winning a major, I don't have any regrets because all I can say is that I've tried my best at every tournament that I've played.
BETH MURRISON: I'd like to thank you both for visiting us today. We appreciate your time, and best of luck this week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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