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WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 16, 2012So Yeon RyuGREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA KELLY THESIER: We'd like to welcome So Yeon Ryu into the interview room. Congratulations, you picked up your first official victory as an LPGA member last week in Toledo. First off, tell me about that experience last week. We all know you captured your first LPGA win at the U.S. Women's Open which is such a huge stage. But now as a rookie on Tour, what does it mean to capture that? SO YEON RYU: Yeah, this is my first one officially on the LPGA. After the U.S. Women's Open win, I don't have any wins even at the KLPGA. So I worked really hard, and I was really waiting for my first win. Unfortunately, last week didn't have any TV coverage, but still a lot of people were supporting me and congratulating me. So I'm really, really happy. How can I say? It's really awesome. The last round, I hit 9‑under. I felt like I had the birdie on hole 9 and finished at 14. Then 15, 16, 17 I got a par. It feels like a bogey or double bogey. So it feels so good at the moment. Especially the last hole I made a birdie and I got the win. It was so great, so great. This is my first time on the LPGA Tour, so I really want to keep concentration on my ball and on another tournament. KELLY THESIER: In terms of that impressive final round, you shot 62, which tied the LPGA record for the lowest final round by a winner. What were you able to do? You entered that last day tied for the lead with three other players. What got you into being able to shoot such a low round on Sunday? SO YEON RYU: Actually the first round, second round, third round, I made a bogey on the first hole. But the final round, I made a par. So I was so relieved at the moment. I thought oh, maybe I can do more today. So I think that's why I played really great. Especially these days, my shots felt really great, so I made a lot of birdie chances. On the front nine I missed a lot of birdie putts. But on hole 9, I made a huge putt, a long putt, 10, 11‑yard putt. Then my concentration level was really going high, and a lot of the crowds came to our group and encouraged me. I can't do anything without the fans. I'm really thankful to the fans and the crowds out there. Q. Going to another thing that you're leading now, which is the Rookie of the Year race. We talked at the beginning of the season how important it was for you to win that and what it would mean. Seeing how far you've gotten ahead now with Lexi Thompson, how does it feel to be up there? Is that still the goal? Is it kind of focusing on winning that? SO YEON RYU: This year, my goal is I never check the rookie points because it makes me crazy so I don't want to compare with Lexi and other players. I just want to keep thinking about my game or my golf. But my mother always checks it, and I read about some articles, and I think this win is really huge and helps a lot of the rookie race. Anyway, still my goal is Rookie of the Year. I don't want to compare it to anybody, I just want to keep thinking about my golf. Q. This is your first time in Portland, right? SO YEON RYU: Yes. Q. Can you tell us what you think of this golf course? SO YEON RYU: I think the golf course is really, really great. It's a little difficult. The course shape was perfect, but I heard the greens are really, really difficult at the moment. How can I say? Actually the last few years I watched the LPGA Tour. So this is my first time to play at this Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course, but I already know about a lot of holes because I watched it on TV. So it feels like, oh, this hole is‑‑ before, hole 18 looked not that difficult, but now I feel like that's a really difficult hole. Anyway, I love this golf course. It's a really great, and challenging course. Q. South Koreans have made a huge impact on the LPGA Tour. Why do you think that is? SO YEON RYU: Everybody asks me, but it's really hard. First of all, a lot of Koreans are playing here, and we help each other out a lot. Especially Se Ri Pak already made footsteps for women here in the LPGA, so we're really following her steps. She makes it a lot easier for us. These days a lot of American fans are still cheering the South Koreans. So this is not my country, but it feels like a lot of fans are supporting us and a lot of fans are cheering us, so I feel really comfortable. The LPGA helps us a lot. And thanks for that to the LPGA. How can I say? I'm just a rookie on the LPGA Tour, so I can't tell a lot of things. But anyway, a lot of Koreans helped me a lot, so that's why I'm a little bit comfortable and I play well here. Q. There is some school of thought that Korean parents are getting you started very early and a little pushy, maybe pushier than American parents. Is that true? Were you more disciplined growing up? SO YEON RYU: I think it depends on the parents. Especially my mother is not like that. Sometimes she calls me and you stop practicing. You're just going home or you just rest, kind of that. But I think it's not just the Korean way. I think it really depends on the family style and parents style. But I think Koreans practice hard. That's true, yeah. Q. There are so many South Korean women on the Tour, but on the PGA TOUR, not too many South Korean men. Why do you think that is? SO YEON RYU: How can I say? The PGA TOUR is really, really tough, actually. And I guess the Asians are a little bit smaller than Western people. But also the ladies are a little bit smaller than the American or European, but I think the men there is a really huge gap. It's different than from women. But I think still Korean men are getting improved. I feel like K.J. Choi is really playing great. Especially some young guys are really getting better. Q. I know you shared a story last week about when you were in contention and thinking about winning. You were trying not to focus too much on the win because of what you learned from one of your friends in the Olympics. You shared a story about what you learned from her experience in the Olympics? SO YEON RYU: Yeah, she's a rhythm gymnastics player. And her name is Yeon Jae Son and she finished fifth actually. The first time she qualified for finals. For the Koreans, that's really huge. The rhythm gymnastics has a four part, the rhythm, ball, stick and hoop, and she finished first, and second one, she is third. The third one is stick, but she dropped the stick, so that's why she finished fifth. After that, we had a little chat. She said to finish the second one, I'm thinking about the medal, so that's why I made a mistake. She said don't think about winning or the trophy. Just keep concentration on your ball and just thinking about your game. So I learned from that. It helped me a lot. It's really tough, especially the final round is really tough thinking about other players. It's really hard, but I did, that's why I played really well. So now I have really big thanks for my friend. Actually, she's four years younger than me, but she helped me a lot. So really, really big things for my friend. Now she's really a famous person in Korea, so I'm really happy with that. I can't wait to see her. Q. The Olympics, you wait every four years for, and next year you have another golf event, but what lesson did she teach you? SO YEON RYU: Actually, we always have a tournament, especially we have a three stretch tournament and then two weeks off. But she just prepared for the Olympics during the four years. It's a really, really hard time. Especially she's training herself. I travel with my mom, but still I think, oh, it's hard. It's hard playing in overseas countries. But even she is younger than me, but she's training herself and she lives alone in Russia, but she's still strong there. So I learned a lot from her. Q. I know this week you've got your swing coach out, Ian is out and Dave Stockton that you've been working with. How much does it help having them out here and what have you been working on even specifically in your swing? SO YEON RYU: First of all, I'm really happy to spend the time with them after my winning. Actually, Ian said my swing was perfect. He saw it, but I think it's not perfect. He always gives a lot of confidence to me. He said don't think about it technically. Just think about it and imagine your ball. He always said visualization is really important. So we just work on visualization on the range, and we work hard about hitting a shaped ball. Still Dave said my putter is pretty great, but the problem is if I miss the putt, I miss a little on the low side. So he just said keep my head a little low, and then just match with the arms and bodies. They helped me a lot. Always helped me a lot, and gave me a lot of confidence. So I'm really happy to spend the time with them now. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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