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SHOPRITE LPGA CLASSIC PRESENTED BY ACERMay 29, 2014Lydia KoGALLOWAY, NEW JERSEY THE MODERATOR: It's now my pleasure to welcome in the Rolex Rankings No. 3 player in the world, Lydia Ko, into the interview room. Thanks for coming in today. Coming off a very strong week. You've been playing very well. You have a win this season. We know coming into your rookie year there was going to be a lot of expectations. Talk about how you felt overall this season almost a third of the way through. LYDIA KO: Yeah, you know, it feels like week by week, it's kind of‑‑ it takes a long time for the week to go. You play week after week, and yeah, so it's kind of like tough, because before I would play one week and have a couple weeks off and then maybe play another. It's definitely a new experience, and I've been really enjoying myself, playing on the Tour, and yeah, I think every moment has been really special. Yeah, I can't believe that already a third has gone by. Q. Besides the win, I'm sure that was probably the highlight, what's been the highlight of the season other than the win so far? LYDIA KO: I think just getting more experience on the Tour. I'm so grateful that I can actually play on the Tour at age 17, and most of‑‑ you need to be at least 18, so to me it was a huge privilege for me to come out here. That's why I can't thank the commissioner more. Yeah, it's just been really great just playing week by week and enjoying different courses in different States. Q. You got to visit a food bank yesterday. You couldn't even go to the pro‑am party because you're not 21. Talk about doing some things off the course and being involved as an ambassador of the Tour. You went to the food bank and did some good things for the community. What does that mean to you to be able to do that? LYDIA KO: Yeah, you know, I'd better stay away from the casinos. But yeah, it was great to I guess visit the community food bank. It was actually my first time kind of doing, I guess, community service. It's really good that I guess especially for children who are receiving these kind of foods. I think it's great that there is people like that that can actually support them. I'm still a kid myself, so for I guess families to kind of get this, I think this is great. It was an honor for me to actually get the opportunity to help out. Q. You mentioned week after week that it's getting to be‑‑ it gets to be a grind, and you are only 17 after all. How do you keep mentally sharp from week to week, and do you wish maybe you could take a little more time off just to get your batteries recharged? LYDIA KO: You know, I've been trying to pace myself as much as I can this year. I skipped last week and I skipped the tournament in Texas, as well. Obviously I would like to play the whole schedule and get to every tournament, but it is definitely tough playing all 32 events. Yeah, I think just being‑‑ if I come off a good week, that kind of helps with the confidence, and it kind of makes the week go by faster, which has been really good. I've been trying to enjoy the moment, and that has definitely helped with being tired. I don't feel tired maybe in the second week, but I feel tired when I'm actually flying back home to Orlando because you're not worried about anything and you're kind of stress‑free, and that's when I feel tired. But other than that, just having fun on the Tour, that has definitely helped, and like I said, I'm just so thankful that I'm out here. Q. Also, could you like chart your development? Obviously you're out here at 17 and you could have been out here last year or the year before given your ability. What made you a good golfer and when did you realize that, hey, I'd really like to play women's professional golf for a living? LYDIA KO: I don't think there was like a secret way. I think everybody expects like there's this equation to kind of make this thing, but yeah, things have come really fast, much faster than I thought would happen. Yeah, you know, I got to win my first professional event in Australia, the New South Wales Open, so that kind of started with the confidence. When you play well, you're only wanting to go higher than lower. That has really helped, and I mean, now I've been getting a lot of support back in New Zealand, and that has helped, as well. At the end of the day, everybody wants to win and be up top, and I think that's what has helped me to kind of strive to, I guess, get better every day. Q. A story line each week is the fight for the No.1 ranking in the world, and we've talked about it all the time. What would that mean to you to see your name at the top of that World Ranking, especially at such a young age? LYDIA KO: You know, like even right now, I'm world No.3, and I really don't think about my ranking. I just feel like I'm another golfer going out there to play some golf, and you know, to be at the top, and I guess when you're ranked the best female golfer in the world, that's something special. I mean, hopefully I can be the world's No.1 golfer. It doesn't need to be now. That's what I'm thinking. I just want to pace myself and really enjoy it, and I mean, yeah, I have just got to have fun, and to me that's the most important thing. Q. How do you pass time on the road? Do you have any hobbies or what do you do when you're not out there golfing? LYDIA KO: When I'm not on the course, I'm probably on my computer watching stuff. I watch way too much. I get told off a lot by my mom. But to me it's great that I have a travel companion such as my mom because then we can do stuff and then talk about stuff. But yeah, I like to practice and I guess kind of grind my game out, so I don't get too much time where I can go out and do stuff. But to me just even watching TV or talking to my friends is a treat. Q. You mentioned obviously you couldn't go to the pro‑am party because of your age, but do you feel left out of that stuff, or do you wish you could have been there? LYDIA KO: No, I think this one, I think it was great that I was under 21 and I could go to the food bank because I really enjoyed my time there. I didn't really know what to expect. I knew we were going to package food, but I thought we'd put like maybe a banana, an apple and a sandwich or whatever, but it was a big deal, cans of food. It was different. That's not what you'd do on a normal basis as a golfer. To do things outside of playing golf and outside of just working for yourself, it was good that you could actually share and I guess have the teamwork. Q. You have the personality that you've made enough friends on the Tour right now. I was walking in, Jessica Korda and you were joking. Did you think it was going to be that easy to make friends, or did you come onto the Tour thinking I'm going to be so young, I'm going to be the outcast? LYDIA KO: It was better for me because I had already played a couple LPGA tournaments before turning pro, and I think that kind of helped me to, I guess, have more opportunities to meet with the players, play with them, and that's when you kind of interact. Yes, to me I think that was the advantage in that, but I kind of came in and I didn't want to get in their way. I know they're all into their game and into their zone, and the last thing I want to do is kind of disturb. It's great that I have become friends with the players out here. It's such a great Tour where everybody knows each other and it's so nice, and they were very welcoming to me. Q. Have you ever watched yourself play a round that's been taped? And just from my observation, you're doing something that's not just competitive, you have a fierce nature about your game that you're so intent on that one shot. Have you ever seen yourself play golf? LYDIA KO: I only see myself when I won a tournament or when I've played good because‑‑ no, to me I feel like there is no real point in me watching a bad round or a round where I've gone, man, I could have done so much better because I realize when I come off the course I've already reflected and I go, these are the things I need to work on. But to me if I do watch a round, it's because I want to kind of feel the confidence, so I watch the round, me winning at the Swinging Skirts. I was really happy to see that. And then sometimes I see my Canadian Open wins. Those weeks, they were very special moments to me. It kind of feels different when you're watching it because when you're in that moment, you only think about that one shot. But when you're watching, you're like all relaxed and you're like, oh, maybe I could have done this. But yeah, it's really good, I guess kind of feedback. But if I do watch it, I watch it for a confidence gainer. Q. Are you a fierce competitor? LYDIA KO: I mean, I don't know. I don't know. I kind of just go out there and just try to concentrate on my game, and I mean, that's my game plan. If I'm fierce, that's great. Q. At what point do you think you might want to travel alone without parents? Have you given that much thought? LYDIA KO: I don't think I can imagine what it would be like to travel without my mom because I've done traveling where I've been with my teammates and then we have a manager there, and she cooks for us and she does this. But I guess that's the only time I've been really independent. But like my mom does so much for me. She cooks for me. She's cooking for me this week. She does the laundry. She's outside the ropes. She packs snacks, lunch. All she is not doing is I guess hitting the ball. Even with how my plan goes on the golf course, she kind of helps me with that, also. She puts a lot of input into my game, and I mean, even like eating and I guess laundry, that's all part of it, I think, because laundry and stuff, I mean, they may just be like pushing a button, but it takes time. That's why I'm so grateful that she is there to help out. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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