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CME GROUP TITLEHOLDERS

November 20, 2011

Hee Young Park

ORLANDO, FLORIDA

THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome 2011 CME Group Titleholders champion Hee Young Park. How does that feel to hear your name as champ?
HEE YOUNG PARK: Still I cannot believe, and I think it's going to be good for my family to present with this win. I want to say thanks for the CME Group, the sponsor, and then Rolex sponsor and then Grand Cypress, thank you very much. And LPGA staff and LPGA commissioner Mike Whan, thank you very much. And then all the volunteers, thanks for coming out this week.
THE MODERATOR: Can you just take us through your day, the last 18 holes? When did you know that you were going to win this event?
HEE YOUNG PARK: Actually, you know what, I was worried about maybe No. 13, 14. That was a little early, but how can I do English, like automatically, you know, it was -- my body felt like it's going to be close, like I can tell. Even I couldn't see the leaderboard, but my feel and then that kind of stuff.
Back nine getting like nervous and then getting tight in my body, so my caddie said, just keep going, keep trying to like first round, you're on the tee first time each hole, and just keep doing the same thing, and then I say, okay. And then even No. 18, last putt, I just thought about this is first hole, first hole putt, like I just remind and then putt.
THE MODERATOR: How good does it feel when you look at that leaderboard and see some of the names that you beat that have been so successful on the LPGA Tour? How good does that feel?
HEE YOUNG PARK: Yeah, I played with Paula and Yani and Sandra this week. They are really, really fantastic players, and they are really, really strong, even mind golf, everything. But even this week I learned a lot to them. I think I'm very -- have to win this week, too strong mind.
THE MODERATOR: So will your family get some better Christmas presents now?
HEE YOUNG PARK: Yeah, pretty much (smiling), and then my younger sister plays golf, too, on the Korean Tour, so she's going to be playing Q-school this week, final Q-school. I think it's a lot of motivation to her.

Q. LPGA Tour Q-school?
THE MODERATOR: KLPGA.

Q. Your caddie's name and also your sister's name?
HEE YOUNG PARK: My caddie's name is Kylie Pratt, and my sister's name is Ju Young Park.

Q. You bogeyed the fourth hole and then birdies on 5, 6 and 8. Can you talk about that stretch and how you did that?
HEE YOUNG PARK: Yeah, No. 4, par-3, was difficult, difficult. And then I think too much thinking, like worry about after shot. So right after it, next hole, just think about my distance and then my -- just trust my club and then just hit the shot. So it was pretty simple.

Q. Can we get the length of those putts on the three birdies?
HEE YOUNG PARK: No. 5 was like two feet, really close, almost in. And then No. 8 was like 12 feet. And No. 6 was eight feet.

Q. I know you've wanted to win for a while, so where did you feel the most pressure? Was it from back in Korea, from yourself, family?
HEE YOUNG PARK: Yeah, I really, really missing my home friends, actually too much -- on a Tour a lot of friends, but like my old best friends still live in Korea. And you know different time, different time Korea to here, so really difficult even calling, so I really, really missing my old friends.
And my family, we are calling on Skype on the computer to say hi. So probably I'm very missing my friends.
THE MODERATOR: Did you feel pressure from anyone to win other than yourself, pressure from Korea, pressure from anyone?
HEE YOUNG PARK: Pressure from actually my sponsors. (Laughter.) I mean, that question was like pressure to play, right?
THE MODERATOR: Pressure to win.
HEE YOUNG PARK: Yeah, sponsors. (Laughter.) They really, really badly waiting for the win. Why not you win? Why not? That's what I'm saying, I'm trying every week, and I work hard. I want to make some low under par every day, and then every day, every week, win. But everybody played good, and then -- I think that they are really, really happy right now.
THE MODERATOR: You'll be happy to know I just got an email that you need to call your sponsor when we're done.
HEE YOUNG PARK: Okay.

Q. To follow up that question, who's happier, you or your father?
HEE YOUNG PARK: Yeah, I just called my father maybe ten minutes ago. My father will not really cry, but he just cried, I'm so proud of you. Oh, thank you.

Q. So your father was not here today?
HEE YOUNG PARK: Yeah, because my sister playing Q-school, which is really, really important to her, so I just said, stay in Korea and supporting my sister.

Q. What is your father's name, please?
HEE YOUNG PARK: A little different, Hyung Sub Park.

Q. You joined quite a number of countrywomen from South Korea to have won tournaments. How does that feel to be in that club, to have won an LPGA event?
HEE YOUNG PARK: I won in Korea four or five years ago, and then right now this is my first win in U.S. but it feels totally different still same kind of goosebumps, same thing, but this win I think getting changing my life, my future.
THE MODERATOR: How good does it feel to know you can go to dinner with Na Yeon now and say, "I won, also"? And I.K. and all of your other friends who have won on Tour.
HEE YOUNG PARK: Yeah, there are really a lot of people who win one already. We not care about -- we care about win, but not care about, oh, you won twice, you won four times. We never talking about that, just we play hard. We know that on the golf course try hard everybody and then just -- if they break par, get the win, just congratulations. Actually not really talking about a win or second, what place.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about your putting on the back nine? You had players two shots behind and you stayed steady on the back nine. How important were those putts that you made and were there any of them that you didn't think were going to go in?
HEE YOUNG PARK: Actually this week a little bit of change my putting style, like gripping. Normally when I hit the ball and then look at the cup, but this week it doesn't matter how long, how far away, just -- I just pointed my like one feet in front of the target and then try to hit over my small target. And I think that was really, really good work for me. Even my later trouble, like first putt, but after like really, really three, four times made a par putt, which is, I think, good work, confidence.

Q. Can you just talk about the last couple holes? Did looking at the leaderboard make you very nervous?
HEE YOUNG PARK: Yeah, I'm not try to look at the leaderboard, and then my caddie said, oh, oh, don't look at the leaderboard. Yeah, but I really, really want to look at the leaderboard later on during the play. But just that leaderboard means nothing to me, just nothing to different my visuals, just keep playing. I think my caddie wants to just keep playing, all my shots, everything, so I didn't look at the leaderboard. But I did actually once.

Q. What hole, 17?
HEE YOUNG PARK: 16.

Q. Does the win have more meaning, or is it more rewarding because some of the best players were right in the hunt?
HEE YOUNG PARK: I think winning means -- anyway there are players every week -- most weeks we play together, and then even this morning Cristie Kerr said, Hee Young, you can do it, good luck, even competition, right. She just said, cheer up, you can do it. We are actually pretty good friends like without the golf course.

Q. Where did Cristie say that to you?
HEE YOUNG PARK: You can do it.

Q. Where?
HEE YOUNG PARK: At the driving range this morning, the driving range.

Q. How did you like your victory bath, shower, whatever, the beer shower?
HEE YOUNG PARK: Actually it feels really good. I can do one more. Anyway, last week I went to Mexico, Lorena Ochoa Invitational, and I bought a tequila, big bottle, and not yet to open, but I think tonight maybe I'm going to drink it (laughing).

Q. One of your bios it says your nickname is Rocket. Is that true, and how did you get that nickname if it's true?
HEE YOUNG PARK: Yeah, maybe two years ago it was Thailand -- the Honda Classic, but I shoot like 64-65-67 kind of stuff, and then when I make a birdie sometimes like easily like three in a row, more than that, and the people just, oh, you're rocket, you just feel it and keep going. That's why I think they called me Rocket.
THE MODERATOR: Congratulations.

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