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BALLANTINE'S CHAMPIONSHIPApril 27, 2012Bae Sang-MoonICHEON, SOUTH KOREA CALVIN KOH: Many thanks for coming today, 3‑over in the opening round and 4‑under today. What made the difference today? BAE SANG‑MOON: So first of all, just like yesterday, today it was quite windy. I think my driving and irons were a little more steady than yesterday and I was able to provide a lot of opportunities to get birdies. So in the first part of my game, I think I had a lot of good birdies. I actually made five birdies out of nine, and my feel for my putting was very good, so I hope that that feel continues on throughout the rounds. Q. So after a very good second shot in the bunker on hole 13, I think you made a mistake for the par putt, and then after that, your game seemed to be unsteady? BAE SANG‑MOON: I think for the 13th hole, my tee shot was very good, and my second shot was also very good. And I actually had a very short distance for the par putt. But it was very hard to read the lie. I had to see whether it was on the right‑hand side or the left‑hand side, and then at one point, I looked front, and then to the right. So it was very hard to read the line, and so I did not make a decisive shot. As for the next hole, 14th hole, my tee shot was very good, but with the second shot, I think the wind got in the way and I only had 90 yards left. But the ball landed on a very difficult location, and so my approach was also very difficult. So I think looking at today's game, the two areas where I feel some regret is for the 13th hole, the par putt, and the 14th hole, the second shot. For the 16th hole, I think the par3 hole, anyone can make a mistake there. So for me, it was the 13th, the par putt, and the second shot on 14. Q. So wherever you go, there's crowds of people following you, and so maybe the gallery, they affected your game? BAE SANG‑MOON: I've played in Korea, Japan and the United States, and in each country, I think the galleries have their own unique characteristics. In a Japan, a lot of the gallery, they are quite elderly, so one minute they are cheering you on, and the next minute they are very quiet. In Korea, the galleries, they really root for you and cheer you on. In the United States, whether the golfers are playing or not, people are talking and they are really there to enjoy themselves. It's a very free sort of relaxed atmosphere there. I've played in Korea for a very long time, and yesterday and today, many people came to cheer me on and it really helped me and boosted my morale and I was really able to enjoy the game. If you look at my play style, yesterday I didn't do very well. But today the front part of my game I did really well, and I was able to pick up my game, and I do believe that part of it is due to the cheering of the gallery. Q. So I think out of your games, tournaments in Japan and in Korea, you know, what was the biggest number of shots that you were able to overturn to win the tournament? BAE SANG‑MOON: I think in 2009, I was in the lead at the Korean Open, and I think on the second day, I was even par, but the No. 1 person on the leaderboard was 9‑under and I was able to narrow the shots to win that tournament. In Japan, I think in the Japan Open, I was able to narrow the shots by five shots, and so on the last day, I was able to reduce the shots by five to win the tournament. So even today's course, once again I felt the windy conditions were very difficult; I think with the leader, I have about six shots difference, and so of course I would like to have narrowed those shots more today. But I still think that I don't have a really bad score, and I still have a very good chance of winning. So to win this tournament, what will be important is the back nine tomorrow and the front nine on the last day. Q. So I know that you're getting a new caddie, and when you get a new caddie, which points do you look at? BAE SANG‑MOON: This caddie I work with, Akira Yomane, he's from Japan and he's the first professional caddie that I worked with. He also worked with Danny Kuzitoro (ph) in Japan.  He's over 40 years old, and I have come to really become affectionate for him. And you know, for me, I don't change my caddies very often and he's the first professional caddie that I use. He was a lot of help in Japan. He helped me through Q‑School and also helped made me No. 1 on the Japanese prize Money List. From the very start he was very helpful, but he's not very familiar with the U.S. courses. And especially players and caddies, they have to spend time together. So even on my weeks off in the United States, I have to take care of him. So after the Masters, he came up to me first, and he said, you know, why don't you get a new caddie. So I was very grateful. He's a very smart guy, and so we both agreed that I would try a new caddie every two, three weeks, and if it doesn't work out, he will come back and work as my caddie. So I'm very grateful and he has helped me a lot in choosing clubs and reading green elevations. Q. So for the first round and second round, I think you used two different irons, can you tell us about the new irons? BAE SANG‑MOON: From March, I wanted to change my irons, so every time I went out on a tournament, I attempted different irons. And then the iron that I was using had very low ball trajectory and was very strong, and actually it worked very well in the wind. But especially in the United States, for my iron shots, it went over the bunkers and then it would fly low and fall behind the pin. So my irons had very low ball trajectory and I wanted to change irons. So I practiced with the new irons, and it worked this morning. The new iron, I only practiced for 30 minutes and it's the first time I brought it on course, and I was able to play in the wind and control my distance. So I think because it gave me good results, it worked. CALVIN KOH: Thank you, good luck and we'll see you tomorrow. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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