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KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 19, 2019

Sung Hyun Park

Chaska, Minnesota

THE MODERATOR: Welcome back. We are here with our defending champion Sung Hyun Park and her translator up here to help us, as well. Sung Hyun is a six-time LPGA Tour champion including a playoff win at last year's KPMG Women's PGA Championship. You've already won this year in 2019 at the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore. Sung Hyun is playing in her third KPMG championship. In addition to her win last year, she finished tied for 14th in 2017. Sung Hyun, when you won last year in the playoff, you immediately burst into tears. It was a very special moment for you. What was so special about that win?

SUNG HYUN PARK: Last year right before the KPMG, it was a tough time for me as I didn't make the cut at the U.S. Open, so the win at KPMG last year was like a present to me, and that's why right after the game I burst into tears and hugged my caddie, and right now it's so fresh in my memories.

THE MODERATOR: What about that week is most memorable to you? Is there a specific shot or a specific moment that was the most memorable?

SUNG HYUN PARK: So especially I remember the chip shot by the hazard on the 16th hole, and the other thing that I remember most is the playoffs, the last two holes playing with So Yeon. It was a very competitive two holes. I was very nervous trying to make the birdie putts, and as soon as I made that birdie putt, that nervousness sort of went away.

THE MODERATOR: Now we'll come to this year, to Hazeltine. I know you've seen the golf course. What are your thoughts on this golf course and the challenge it presents for the next week?

SUNG HYUN PARK: So playing in the pro-am yesterday, I thought it was a little similar to last year. The greens are firmer and drier, and keeping it in the fairway is going to be a little difficult. So I think although it is similar from last year, it is a little more -- I feel like it is a little more difficult this year.

Q. You referenced the missed cut at Shoal Creek last year as the defending champion at the U.S. Open. What did you learn from that week that you'll take into this week as defending champion?
SUNG HYUN PARK: So last year around in June, I felt like my putts and shots weren't that good, and I tried to get back into the game, tried to find better shots, and I feel that this year they have definitely been better, and coming in as a defending champion this year, I feel less anxious and a little more comfortable.

Q. How much do you know about the history of this golf course and the various events that it has hosted?
SUNG HYUN PARK: To be honest, I'm not sure. It's my first time being on this golf course as well as in this area. Yesterday when I was playing in the pro-am, the amateurs told me that there have been many team games here with the guys. I didn't watch all of them, but I know that the history is very deep and long.

Q. When you're at an event that you've won before, do you put added pressure on yourself when you see your picture holding a trophy or you're walking around the U.S. Open or here this week, do you feel added pressure as a past winner?
SUNG HYUN PARK: No, there isn't that much pressure, but it definitely feels good coming back as a defending champion, especially when you look at when I went into the locker room, I saw my picture with a label that said 2018 defending champion, and I actually took a picture of that, and then coming into the parking space with my name, stuff like that definitely makes me feel good going into the game.

Q. I read when you took up the game, you spent the first two years solely on the practice range working on your swing before you played a course for the first time. What was that like? Were you really, really anxious to get out and actually play? A lot of players would think that's very boring, to just always be on the range. And can you look back and see anything good about spending all that time on the range before you ever saw a course?
SUNG HYUN PARK: I first started playing when I was nine years old, and I only practiced indoors. It was like a three-meter distance, and I used to hit my shots over there. And playing like that for three years, I probably went on the golf course around four or five times only, which probably means like once a year. And so I always looked forward to going out on to the course and to play. There's a story that I'd like to tell. There was one time the day before I was supposed to go out into the fairway that it was supposed to rain the next day, and I was really upset about it, and I really -- I went out and prayed and hoped that it wouldn't play so then I could play out on the golf course.

Q. So you don't like the rain, huh?
SUNG HYUN PARK: No.

Q. How does the rough here compare in its length and thickness to say a regular Tour event or the U.S. Women's Open, and what kind of factor do you think it'll play this week?
SUNG HYUN PARK: So the roughs are not too thick or too long, but compared to other major events, they are a little long. So it's not going to be too difficult to make my shots, but it will definitely affect like spins.

Q. How much of not playing the course more was due to the expense of a round of golf in Korea, and how much was just the skill level that you had at the time?
SUNG HYUN PARK: Yeah, so I wasn't especially financially well off when I was young, and the round fee is pretty expensive in Korea. So that was probably also one of the reasons. And then I also had to pay for the pro that I played with. So yeah.

Q. Do you think that helped your development by spending so much time just on the range instead of getting exposed to a golf course early on?
SUNG HYUN PARK: To be honest, I had a lot of complaints back then not being able to play on the course, and I always wanted to play on the course. But looking back, I think that time on the range definitely helped me bring -- sort of establish my swing and my shots.

Q. We know how much Seri meant to Korean golf, but what does Michelle Wie with her Korean ancestry, do you guys consider her a soul sister, and what impact or influence has she had to you, if any?
SUNG HYUN PARK: So I first encountered Michelle Wie through an entertainment show in Korea where she played golf. That was the first time I saw her play a guys' game and saw her hit it 300 yards, which I was really surprised by, but then that also helped me sort of set my dream to think that women and girls can also play.

Q. You said at the inspiration that a certain amount of luck goes into winning majors. Do you have any good luck charms with you this week, and are you feeling lucky?
SUNG HYUN PARK: So I'm not sure about this week. Back then I meant that when the ball goes to a non-preferable place and I hit the second shot and it goes to a preferable place, that's what I meant by luck. And then I don't know, hopefully if I make any mistakes, hopefully that luck will come to me and then I'll be able to bring out good results.

THE MODERATOR: This week is all about inspiring greatness. Who inspires greatness for you? Did you have a mentor? Did you have someone you looked up to as you were learning how to play golf and even now?

SUNG HYUN PARK: So there's a pro that first helped me learn golf when I first started, and I don't talk to him a lot, but sometimes we text each other, and at the U.S. Open I did text him, and whenever I do talk to him, it makes me feel comfortable.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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