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RICOH WOMEN'S BRITISH OPENAugust 2, 2013Na Yeon ChoiST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND COLIN CALLANDER: Good afternoon, we have Na Yeon Choi, the championship leader at 10‑under par after two 67s. Very well played, how do you feel after that second round? NA YEON CHOI: Thank you. First of all, I'm very satisfied the last two rounds. You know, especially today, the weather wasn't good. It was very hard. But my focus was very good and my caddie helped me a lot. And you know, I had a daily goal every day so I just tried to stick with the goal. It could be like par is 74 or 75 today, but I didn't care, like every hole, par 3, par 4, par 5, doesn't matter for me. I just try to play one shot at a time and I think that's why I had great results. COLIN CALLANDER: Was that your goal for today, to play one shot at a time? NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, I couldn't tell you like my secret daily goal, but yeah, this kind of weather, I have to focus my game. It doesn't matter where my ball is going. It could be like bad luck and bad bounce. I couldn't control that, so I really tried to stay in the moment and to stay positive. COLIN CALLANDER: How many shots harder do you think today was than yesterday? NA YEON CHOI: I think at least three or four strokes harder than yesterday. Q. What type of goal ‑‑ NA YEON CHOI: It's more like technically goal, that kind of thing. Q. Would you have thought a 67 was possible when you started? NA YEON CHOI: I don't think so. I mean, today 67 was my best score out there, and I don't think I could have shoot lower than 67. Q. Since you won the U.S. Open last year, can you talk about what you've worked on as a player, and I know maybe you've been a little frustrated with some results this year, but how you feel like you've‑‑ I guess improved and matured as a player since winning that tournament? NA YEON CHOI: Well, actually, my coach is here this week, and he came from Korea. Last time I saw him, like that was in February. And then this week, he saw me and then he said, like, hey, Na Yeon, where has all the confidence gone. I think this year, I had pressure a lot from all the Korean fans and media, also family. But I mean, last two months, I hit it very well. Just my putter didn't go in. I think that's not because like, you know, technique. I think that was like because mental wasn't strong. So you know, this week, my coach is encouraging me a lot, and he gave me a pep talk, and also my mental coach, Pia and Lynn, they are here. This week, all my teams are here, my trainer, manager, coach, mental coach, caddie, everybody is here. If I have a good result this week, that's because I have a good team this week. Q. What's your coach's name, and how long have you been working with him? NA YEON CHOI: My coach, his name is Robin Symes. Actually he's Irish. I met him seven years ago in Korea. This week, my caddie is friend of my coach, also Irish, and they grew up together from Ireland. My caddie also a pro, and they control me a lot this week. I still have to go two more days, but they controlled me a lot, and like hundred percent, I trust them. Q. And is this your caddie for this week? NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, my caddie this week is just for this week. Q. After Inbee won the Women's Open in 2008, she had about a four‑year period where she talked about that pressure, too, to repeat it. Have you guys talked a little bit about that? Is there I guess more expectations on you, and do you have to sort of deal with that after you've had that major breakthrough? NA YEON CHOI: You know what, I'm a long time friend with Inbee, but we never talk about golf, especially off the golf course, we never‑‑ like being golfers. We always just talk about, just friends, or like movie or music or something. Actually, I don't know how tough it was she had it, like tough time between that four years, but I can guarantee she was really tough‑‑ a tough time. It's hard to even ask her, because I know that kind of feeling, so that's kind of too emotional I think, so I never ask, and all my friends never ask me, also. And the caddie, his name is David Young (ph). COLIN CALLANDER: Do you know why your coach was in Korea when you met him? NA YEON CHOI: He came to Korea like seven years ago. I was only high school. He was a teaching pro in Korea, still right now. COLIN CALLANDER: Whereabouts in Korea? NA YEON CHOI: Right now just a little outside of Seoul, and he has a big academy there and he has a lot of students there. Q. I don't remember your exact card, but I don't think you dropped a shot over‑‑ how many holes? Did you make bogey on the last nine? NA YEON CHOI: Only 7th. Q. What was more impressive or do you think was better for you, the birdies that you made, or not making any bogeys from, say, 13 through 17? NA YEON CHOI: I mean, like obviously the back nine is more difficult than the front nine. I think that I would like to have more birdies rather than bogey. Every time, if I have birdie, I got good vibes from there, and especially if I make the putt, and I got confidence from that, because the last two or three months, my putting was like‑‑ every day, like hit 15, 16 greens and 35 putts or 34 putts, but I missed so many birdie putts out there. But the last two days, I made it. I missed a couple birdie putts today, and also yesterday, but I made like some long putts and that gave me confidence I think. Q. Why are you making them now? NA YEON CHOI: I think a little bit I change my routine in basic stuff or technically. Also, like last week, couple days, I tried close eye and hit a putt. That kind of gave me some confidence I think. I mean, like two months ago‑‑ like two months ago, I couldn't even do it closed eye on practise green, I couldn't hit it. I couldn't trust myself. But this week, my coach gave me a lot of confidence and then I trust myself, so I tried a lot of putts with the closed eye and just to see the line, just it's all imagination, just my ball going in, going in, that kind of practise. Q. Did you make any putts with your eyes closed out there? NA YEON CHOI: Not on the course. Not on the course. COLIN CALLANDER: Could you go through the details of the birdies for us? NA YEON CHOI: It's hard to remember, especially like today, like No. 3, I think my birdie putt was very close‑‑ I'm sorry, like five hours out there, this kind of weather, it's hard to remember. I think I still remember like 17, that's the only one I can remember, 17 and 18. 17, it's kind of difficult hole for today I think. 15, 17 was very difficult. 15, I hit 3‑hybrid from tee shot and then I hit 3‑wood from second shot, which means like second shot was longer than tee shot. But I still hit a good shot from the second shot and I made a par. 17, I hit driver and 3‑hybrid for a second shot and then my birdie putt was like 45‑yard putt, and I made a 2‑putt. Those two holes were like the most difficult holes today. Q. 45 yards? NA YEON CHOI: Yeah. COLIN CALLANDER: What was your best birdie today, do you remember that? NA YEON CHOI: I think 15, I hit little past the green from the second shot. So like I hit it past from the fringe but I made it like 35 feet. COLIN CALLANDER: Was that the longest putt of the day? NA YEON CHOI: No, actually on fifth hole, that was the longest birdie putt I made. That was like a little more than 40 feet. COLIN CALLANDER: Thank you very much indeed, good luck tomorrow. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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