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NORTH TEXAS LPGA SHOOTOUTApril 27, 2013Na Yeon ChoiIRVING, TEXAS THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Rolex Rankings No. 3 Na Yeon Choi into the interview room. Congratulations, a great 5‑under par round today putting you right up there near the top of the leaderboard. Take me through your day out there today and what was really working well for you. NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, I had a great day today. I started off to hit a birdie on the first hole and also No. 3, I had a great birdie there. Today I got five birdies out there but without bogey. That's the very important thing for me. And I mean I can say, you know, I just changed caddy from last week, and he came from PGA TOUR and I think he's great for reading the green. So he helped me a lot. And I'm not trying to be mean to my old caddy, but he's great and we had a great time out there and I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. THE MODERATOR: Was it one of those things with the caddy change, just felt it was time to make a switch and kind of get things going in a different direction? NA YEON CHOI: I don't know. I mean just the last couple weeks ago I think I put too much pressure on myself too much, you know. So many people asking me like world No. 1 or I mean that kind of thing. So I just needed some fresh feeling, and last week even I had great results in Hawaii, but I just decided to change caddy, and I got some new or good or fresh feeling this week, and it worked. THE MODERATOR: Sometimes you just need that little bit of new energy to get you going. The golf course today, I know conditions were different again than they were yesterday. How different did the golf course play today, and was it partly that that you thought that it was a great day to be able to capitalize on scoring? NA YEON CHOI: I mean today wind was very different than yesterday. I mean a couple par‑5s we can reach in two because the wind switched than yesterday. But still, you know, greens fast and fairways very firm, and we have to think a lot on the course. I mean we can't hit driver every hole, so we need to lay up from even tee shot, and we have to ball landing and how much release even under fairway. We have to think a lot on the course. THE MODERATOR: I know people have asked about that No. 1 ranking a lot. This week really isn't a possibility of you getting there. Does that kind of almost take a little ease off when you don't have to sit there and think what do I have to do to get that ranking and just play golf and enjoy yourself? NA YEON CHOI: I really want to play just my game even tomorrow. I don't want to get any pressure or, I mean, like stress from that. You know, that's all about the results thing. I cannot control. I just do my best every day, every week, every tournament and if I have a good result, then always the good results just follow. I cannot control. But last couple weeks I tried to put like, this is my chance, I have to go. I mean it's not going to work. I knew it and I just learned from that. So even tomorrow I really ‑‑ I mean this day my shot is great, you know, so I really hope to get another the same day. THE MODERATOR: Questions for Na Yeon? Q. You've had a good season, though, wouldn't you say, so far, three Top 10s? NA YEON CHOI: I think ‑‑ I mean I just mentioned like I've had a lot of stress this year because I think I expect too much. Maybe my expectations too high. I want to be Top 10 every week or win every week. Also, you know, a lot of fans in Korea or media, they always focus for being No. 1. So even I don't try to think, but like around the people they like remind me like you have to be No. 1 this time or this week. That's why I think I got a lot of stress or pressure too much. Q. How comfortable do you feel going into tomorrow? You'll be either one or two. NA YEON CHOI: I feel really comfortable, and I mean especially today. I haven't nervous or I was so calm, and especially this course, we need good composure until the last hole. So really want to focus on my smart golf for tomorrow and try to stay with that until last hole. It doesn't matter about the result. If I, you know, did my best after the round, then it will be okay. Q. You are one of the few today that had success on No. 1, and it's proved to be one of the most difficult holes this week. Only five players, I think, today hit the fairway. Can you talk about the difficulty of that hole? And I'm assuming you hit the fairway today. NA YEON CHOI: Yeah. Even last couple days, even you know, first round, second round, even today I hit not bad. I mean that hole slope is too much, and even my ball landing over the fairway and finish in the rough. Like even 18th hole, today‑‑ last three rounds I didn't hit to the fairway. But I mean we cannot control about the pick on the fairway. So I mean it's not easy to accept, but I try to accept. Even I hit the fairway and even I hit like solid shot, but still finish in the rough or behind three, cannot control. And the older players I think may think about it that way, but we have to understand and accept that happened, you know. THE MODERATOR: You feel all this pull. You get all that attention in Korea and then you spend a lot of your time in the States. How different is it to kind of have the pull of these two places, kind of two different homes, I guess, as you kind of balance? NA YEON CHOI: I mean some people ask me where are you from. I always say from Korea, because I feel like I'm Korea and I came here from Korea and play golf on the LPGA Tour, and I just have a house in Orlando. But when I have two weeks or even three weeks off, I always go back to Korea and see my family and my coach is there and all my friends is there. So when I have time, I always go back to Korea and release from stress. Q. (Inaudible)? NA YEON CHOI: I don't know actually other players, but that is one of my biggest dreams, you know. When I heard golf in 2016, I don't know what reason, but right now my biggest dream is playing in the Olympics in 2016. So that's why I hired the trainer, manager, and I try to prepare in 2016. Q. You've done 35 consecutive holes without a bogey. And I know you got off to a good start today. Are there any hole that you look at the rest of the day today where you got lucky not to bogey or where you maybe should have had a birdie besides the ones you did? NA YEON CHOI: I think only 15 I had kind of like kind of had bogey situation. You know, I hit to the fairway, but I pulled it for a second shot, and then it wasn't easy bunker shot, and my par putt was like almost 20 feet. But I made it and then I got some, you know, momentum from there. And next hole I got birdie so I finished 5‑under. But you know, I had a great round today, but still, I feel like kind of a little left something. You know, I missed a couple birdie putts out there. So you know, even tomorrow my caddy is great this week, so I try tomorrow focus on my putting. Q. How good of a ball‑striking event has this been for you so far? I mean you look at your stats and it's amazing the amount of greens you've hit. NA YEON CHOI: Even last week in Hawaii I hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens. Just my putting didn't go in. I think I didn't tell you, but last week after second round in Hawaii I changed my putting grip. I used to be grip (inaudible), but I changed to close to hand, so left hand is lower than my right hand. Like 10 or almost 12 years ago I did maybe like two months practice with this grip. But I just changed it immediately, and I finished strong last week, you know, third round I shoot 5‑under par and then 6‑under par on the last round. So I mean it works, you know. I changed the grip. A lot of people say you are very brave to change during the tournament. But I did and I got good results, and even this week I am doing great. THE MODERATOR: Any more questions for Na Yeon? All right. Well, thank you very much and best of luck tomorrow. NA YEON CHOI: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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