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SAFEWAY CLASSIC PRESENTED BY COCA-COLAAugust 15, 2012Yani TsengNORTH PLAINS, OREGON KELLY THESIER: We'd like to welcome Rolex rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng into the interview room, thank you so much for joining us here today. I know you've been here to Portland a number of times and you had a pretty good finish here last year, tied for 13th. First off, tell me about your feelings about being back here in Portland and what you enjoy about this golf course. YANI TSENG: Very good finish, tied for 13th? KELLY THESIER:  It's not bad. YANI TSENG: Yeah, I feel like I played decent on this golf course. But I like this golf course, and the people here are so nice, and it's beautiful, Portland. So we are always very happy and very looking forward to come back here. So I'm very looking forward to have a good week this week. I had a nine‑hole practice round today and I played an 18‑hole Pro‑Am today. I feel fresh. I feel I'm ready to go. KELLY THESIER: I know for you last year, tied for 13th probably wasn't one of the best finishes, but it's still a pretty darned good finish. Overall I know this last month or so has not been the best stretch of golf for you, coming off three straight missed cuts, what's your feeling coming into this week about your game, and what have you been kind of doing to kind of get yourself back on track to playing how you were just a year ago? YANI TSENG: I try everything I can. I'm working hard. I just work on location. This week, I feel very good, I feel like the old Yani is getting close and I feel like I need to get started on what I'm here for. This is a sport I love and there is no way I can be more appreciative than anyone else. I feel that I have a lot of advantage this week and I can do it. Just enjoy more than anybody on the course this week. KELLY THESIER: After missing the cut last week, how did you spend your weekend before coming here? How did you put that behind you? YANI TSENG: I had lots of fun the last two days, I played golf with Michelle Wie and played nine holes with caddie and with Jiyai. It was so much fun, it felt like a party over there (laughing). Having dinner with some players. It's just a week, it's not really a big deal. We always learn more from the losing than the winning. The last couple months I learned a lot and I told myself, if I win again, it's going to be my best trophy I've ever had. I will be very, very much more appreciating how much goes into it and I know a couple of years looking back on this time, I know I will probably say this is my best time. It's hard to always go up when you go down a little bit more, and then you go up a little more and get back more. KELLY THESIER: Do you talk to other players about that, too? Michelle has been to that point, too, where she was up at the top of this tour and has gone through her struggles this year with her game and getting it back on track. Do you ever talk about that, about what it's like mentally to be at that spot where you're the best in the world and then all of a sudden, everybody goes through slumps or spots where you're probably not playing where you feel like you're capable. YANI TSENG: I know, I think it's all about mental. I played a lot of golf with Michelle this year. She still hits the ball very well. She still hits it far. Still making putts. I thinkoverall, it's the mind. I ask her, like a few times this year, and she says, of course, me, too. A few months, it's like I try to hard, but I always learn something from it. Golf is not easy. I mean, last year, for me play was much easier than now but I still think good things. Like I say, I've been through ‑‑ dedication and I feel like I'm back and I don't want to give anybody a chance to beat me again. Q. You've got a another bit of change this week, a new caddie on your bag. Can you tell me about your new caddie and just changing up things again a little bit? YANI TSENG: Yeah, I met him last week at Detroit and then from my friend‑‑ they are good friends and they say he's a good guy and tried him out. Went to dinner together and he seems really nice. Just a couple of days we work on some yardage, and I think he's really good. I know he will keep me relaxed and I think he's a pretty good caddie. Q. And his name is Patrick? YANI TSENG: Yes. Q. Do you know his last name? YANI TSENG: P‑u‑r‑l‑e‑y. Q. Inaudible. YANI TSENG: Yeah, of course, there is like three par 5s in a row and it helps a lot because those three par 5s, we can make birdie and make one eagle on No.9, it helps a lot. Some of the shots, maybe it's longer, you get much better angle to hitting from there. So I think it's good for long hitters. And the fairway is not really narrow, so you really need to hit it to the spot you want to go and stick with your game plan. Q. Inaudible. YANI TSENG: I think par 4 is better. For the long hitters, par 4 may be better for the regular‑‑ par 5 is fine. For us, I just feel No.9 is a long par 4 for me. KELLY THESIER: I wanted to ask you about some fun that you had before Toledo, you got to go to the Olympics. Can you tell me about that experience? What sports did you get to see, and what was that atmosphere like? YANI TSENG: So much fun. Just go out there and warm up for 2016 Rio. It's incredible. I watched swimming, diving, archery, table tennis, tennis, basketball. I was sight seeing in London and just so much fun that week. Every time I watched it in the morning, they put on their flag, and I was like crying so hard all the time with them. I feel like I'm a player. You know, you feel like you're not just playing for yourself. You're playing for your country. You're playing for your family and for your friends. It's very different and everybody is working so hard for the four years, and just that one time, just that one dive, and you might win a Gold Medal, and you might just lose for that one diving. So it's very hard but I'm so proud of it. If you can be a player in the Olympics, I think that's just a huge honor. Doesn't matter if you got medals or not you; it's just a huge honor to be there. KELLY THESIER: And got you excited for 2016 and imagining yourself perhaps being up on that podium and receiving a medal? YANI TSENG: Yeah, I can't wait to play that. I want to work hard. I want to play for my country, play for everybody, and I want to be there. I just feel like I have so many feelings and I want to play in the Olympics and feel how special if I can win that tournament. KELLY THESIER: You've accomplished a lot already in your career, and I'm sure there's a lot more. Thank you so much for joining us today. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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