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RICOH WOMEN’S BRITISH OPENJuly 31, 2018Sung-hyun ParkFife, Scotland THE MODERATOR: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Ricoh Women's British Open once again. We have the first interview of the week. I welcome Sung-Hyun Park, No. 3 in the world, won twice this year, including her second major championship. Welcome to the Ricoh. You've had a slight chance to see the course so far. What are your immediate thoughts regarding the golf course? SUNG-HYUN PARK: I had a slight chance to look at the first nine holes yesterday and I saw it very different from last week's Scottish Open and I think the bunker is much steeper and fairway is much narrower, and I think it will be pretty tough tournament this week. MODERATOR: You finished tied 11th in Scotland. Although the course is different, do you think that is good preparation for playing on links here. SUNG-HYUN PARK: I think it was a very good experience, experiencing the links course like Scottish last week. And I really think that was helpful. And so does my caddie. And yeah, I think it was a good preparation for this week. MODERATOR: You finished tied 16th at this tournament last year at Kingsbarns. Do you have any special memories of playing there? SUNG-HYUN PARK: It's my third year attending the British Open, and even though I'm not really happy with the results for the last three years, I hope this week I will have good memories. MODERATOR: Thank you. We'll open it up to questions. Q. You said you haven't been happy with how you've played in the Ricoh Women's British Open. What do you think has been the biggest challenge for you over the years? SUNG-HYUN PARK: The reason would be I'm not really used to the wind like this, and especially for British Open. The grass was very new to me. But I hope preparing from the Scottish Open this will be really helpful and great tournament. Q. Sung, could you tell us a little bit about who you're working with on your swing, and who do you work with on all of the aspects of your game, because it's a pretty amazing swing. SUNG-HYUN PARK: First of all, thank you for commenting. I'm actually doing it by myself, and I always get that same question and give you the same answer, but it's been like five years doing myself. I always videotape myself swinging and correcting it. And thank you. Q. Okay. So it's just an iPhone. I remember you saying your teaching pro is your iPhone? SUNG-HYUN PARK: Yes. Q. Could I just ask one more question? Like all the other brilliant South Koreans, did your game begin on a driving range before you actually went to a golf course, because that's where I understand a lot of South Koreans honed their skills, and they're very good. SUNG-HYUN PARK: Yes. I started off with the driving range and then go to the course, but many like golf courses in South Korea they don't have a lot of. Q. How old were you? SUNG-HYUN PARK: 10. I was 10 when I first went into the course. I started at nine and then two years of practice and then I went into the practice when I was 10. So I agreed I was pretty late. Q. British golf is very different, but what about British culture? What are your experiences of television, food and just everything in Britain? SUNG-HYUN PARK: I would say nothing special, but everyone is really kind and make me comfortable. But I like the country itself. So I like Scottish and British. I like everything except the course, except the links course. Q. I've got several questions. What is the name of your caddie? I believe he's Irish. How do you communicate? SUNG-HYUN PARK: His name is David Jones. He's from Ireland, and luckily he always uses easy words, easy diminish for me, and even though I'm having a little difficult with speaking in English, but we pretty communicate well. Q. You mentioned you don't like -- or you're not used to playing in strong winds. Are you doing anything to adapt your game for playing in the wind? SUNG-HYUN PARK: I try to practice, especially on windy day, even though it's not during the season. And I also attend a lot of tournaments that have a strong wind, and I hope it will get better. Q. Finally, did somebody inspire you to start playing golf? Did one of the other professionals from Korea inspire you or what made you want to play golf? SUNG-HYUN PARK: When I started golf when I was nine, I had no idea about golf, and my mom actually recommended me to play golf. And I was watching TV. There was an LPGA tournament, and I saw Hyung Sung and Se-ri Pak, South Korea players, and I would say they pretty inspired me. Q. Sorry. This is my final question. Do you have any brothers and sisters? SUNG-HYUN PARK: I have a sister four years older than me. Q. You've had spectacular success this year winning, but you've also probably missed more cuts than you would like. Has the year been more up and down than you would like, and how do you explain this year? SUNG-HYUN PARK: So I was pretty good last year, and because of that there was much pressure starting this year. And when I missed the first cut, there was so much pressure on myself, and I lost the confidence myself. But after the winning Texas and KPMG, I began to kind of check on myself and gained more confidence, of course, and I found myself more comfortable. Q. When things aren't going so well on the golf course, who do you talk to? Who is your confidant? Is it your parents? As you don't work with a coach or any mental coach, who is it that you relate to and can talk to when things aren't going well? SUNG-HYUN PARK: I text a lot with my sister, and actually there is our first coach when I was nine, I still contact with him. And we don't especially talk about like swing or anything like that, but we kind of talk like the special situation, like what was wrong and what was right, and I think that really helps me a lot. Q. When you won the second major title of your career at Kemper Lakes, did that change your expectations for the rest of this year? And talking about the challenge of links course golf, is there one person you've spoken to most for advice about how to play links course golf? SUNG-HYUN PARK: After the win at the KPMG, I gained a lot of confidence, like I said, and I see a lot of similar shots from last year, and I think it's getting better and better. And I don't talk to like someone about the links course, but like I said, I still talk to the coach from nine years old, and he advise me that if it's difficult for me, then same as everyone. So I always keep that in mind. Q. What do you do for fun when you're away from golf? What kind of things do you like to do when you're away from golf, and two, if you weren't a golfer, what would you be interested in doing as a career? SUNG-HYUN PARK: I spend a lot of time with my pets. I have dogs and cats. So with them most of the time. And if I weren't a golfer, since I love pets, maybe I'd become a vet. I have two dogs and two cats. Q. Can you give us their names? SUNG-HYUN PARK: It's my first question ever. The dogs' names are Awen (ph) and Ato. And the cats' names are Skumi (ph) and Shimo (ph). You're not even writing them down. (Laughs). Q. Do they live in the States? SUNG-HYUN PARK: One living in the States, one live in Korea. Q. And I read in your bio that you're very good at picking locks. Is that correct? SUNG-HYUN PARK: No, no, no. (Laughs). Q. Going back to you speak to your original professional, David Jones, he's a professional, isn't he? SUNG-HYUN PARK: Yeah. Q. Does he help you with shots or any technical stuff? SUNG-HYUN PARK: He's not really giving me technical advice about swinging or shots. But since he has more experience than me, he usually gives me advice on depending on the situation. Like this shot would be better on this situation or that situation. Q. Who are your friends on tour? Who do you like to hang out with? SUNG-HYUN PARK: Most of Korean players I'm close to, and I am also friends with Haru Nomura from Japan and Jennifer Song and Eun-Hee Ji, Hee Young Park. MODERATOR: Any more questions? Sung-Hyun, thank you very much. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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