|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
BALLANTINE'S CHAMPIONSHIPApril 25, 2013Yong-Eun YangICHEON, SOUTH KOREA CALVIN KOH: Y.E., thank you for joining us. Your thoughts on an opening 70 today. Y.E. YANG: Thank you very much. Yes, I started the first round very early today and as you all know, the weather today was especially chilly and also it started to rain in the middle of the game. So until about the 13th hole, I think because of the weather, it was not that easy to play but after the suspension when we resumed the play, I think that for about five holes, the weather became warmer and I think that play got better. So overall, I did bad with one or two holes. However, I think that overall, it was okay. CALVIN KOH:  Y.E., you have played in several different weather conditions all over the world, from the U.S. to Europe to Asia, I'm sure conditions like that you are very familiar with. Y.E. YANG: Yes, as you mentioned, I am quite used to the hot weather of Thailand and Malaysia and Singapore, and also the chilly weather sometimes of Korea and the United States. I know that as a golf player, I need to overcome those difficulties, including the weather conditions and prepare myself to perform well. However, today, I would say that until the mid‑part of my play, I think that it was not that easy. Q. Thank you very much for your hard work today. I know that this time around, this is your fifth Ballantine's Championship match, and I think that the first round today was pretty good. I know 2012, you recorded 15th, and this time around, you just completed the first round. So how do you feel? Did your goal change? Y.E. YANG: As a player, I understand that whichever match you go to, I think that your No. 1 goal is to win the trophy, especially this is the case when you are invited to a tournament, personally and for many different reasons, I really want to win this game. So far I have to admit that my performances were not that good in the previous matches. So in order to make up for those performances this time around in the Ballantine's Championship 2013, I really feel that I need to prove myself. So I'm very much committed to do my best. I'm going to do also my best for the remaining three days. Q. So I understand that Blackstone Golf Course, it has very tricky conditions, so what was the green speed like today? And I understand that you recorded several birdies on the par‑5 holes, so how do you approach those par‑5 holes? Y.E. YANG: So as I mentioned earlier, this Blackstone course, it has a lot of undulation on the greens, so it's not that easy to make that second shot. And also, there is undulation in the fairway, as well. So you have to have the right‑‑ you have to target the right location on the green, or else, depending on where the pin is, I think that it will be really difficult to make that final putt. So my focus this time around has been on that second shot, and this is going to be the case for the rest of the rounds this week. So if your second shot is close to the pin, then I think that it will be relatively easier to record a birdie. However, if it's lower or longer or shorter, then I think that there will be some distance between your ball and the pin hole, and because of the green undulations, I think that sometimes you can make like up to three putts. So again, taking into consideration the undulation, I tried to make that second shot and it was obviously not that easy. And you also talked about the green speed. I think the speed of the greens right now is most adequate, because undulation is really severe on the greens, if the speed is any faster, then I think that depending on the distance of the putt you're making, I think the ball could‑‑ instead of going into the hole, it could come right back out. Q. So back in 2012, I understand that was your fourth round, the 7th hole, you missed a shot because you were influenced by the galleries. Today in your first round because of the bad weather, we didn't have that big crowd out there. However, I want to ask if you were in any case affected by the gallery. And you've been attending this game for five years now, so do you see any change with the gallery culture here in Korea? And what happened in the seventh and eighth hole where you missed your birdie chance? Y.E. YANG: This time around, I think that the size of the gallery was not that big and most of the gallery that followed me were close friends of mine, so I didn't have any issue with the gallery today. Normally with regards to gallery culture in Korea, I always encounter some people who are talking on their phones and who are making sounds when they are walking. So I would really appreciate if they could actually turn off their cell phones so they can this enjoy the golf match itself. I always see some people running with their cell phones to pick up somewhere else, so I hope that that doesn't occur in the future. With regards to your second question, regarding the 7th and 8th hole, my birdie chance. At the 7th hole, my ball was about five meters away from the pin hole, and the lie was not that difficult. However, when I made the shot, it kind of tilted to the left, so unfortunately I missed it. And at the 8th hole, the distance was a bit wider, longer, about eight metres, and the lie was greater than I thought. So it was regrettable that I missed the two birdie chances. Q. So I would like to ask your opinion regarding three events that happened recently about the use of the long putter; do you also agree that it's cheating to use the long putter? And also, what do you think about not disqualifying Tiger Woods in the previous Masters? And also, what do you think about slow play? Y.E. YANG: So with regard to your first question, using the long putter, if I liked the long putter, then I would have actually used it. And I think that if there was a clear rule regarding the long putter, then I think that the players would decide accordingly. However, currently, there is no rule regarding the long putter. It is allowed to use the long putter, so I think that once the rule is decided, the players need to follow that rule. However, since the long putter is currently allowed and permitted, I think it's wrong to blame the players who are using the long putter. I think, also, the players who are using the short putter sometimes blame the players who are using the long putter; however, I think that if they have a problem, then I think that they can simply switch and also use the long putter. So I think once the rule is decided, it is then easy to follow and it is not appropriate to blame anyone at this moment because the rule actually allows them to use it. With regard to your second question concerning Tiger Woods, he obviously made a mistake, and I think that what is more important is the decision that came from the organising committee, I don't know what happened, maybe the organising committee made a mistake, or they said it's okay to do what Tiger Woods did. So sometimes depending on the decision that the organising committee makes, sometimes a player can be disqualified or sometimes they can gain some advantage. So I don't think that Tiger Woods made an independent decision out there. I think that the decision came from the organising committee. So in this particular case, what the organising committee told Tiger Woods would be very important. With regard to your third question, slow play, I think that I've never actually heard a case where slow players got penalized in the Masters in the previous years, so I think it's regrettable. I think the slow players really need to wake up and try to play a little bit faster in order to give more fun to the viewers at home and on the field. I think that it's not fair for other players to take a long time to observe the lies and observe their grips. I think that it's unfair for other professional players and I think that it's a duty, an obligation, as professional players to show to amateur players that they are playing in an adequate speed. So I also agree that the slow players in the professional game need the speed pushed a little bit further so that they can play faster, faster. CALVIN KOH:  With that, good luck tomorrow, Y.E.. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|