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KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP


March 30, 2006


Angela Park


RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA

PAM WARNER: Angela, thanks for coming in and joining us today. You're one of the sponsor exemptions. You finished at 68 today. Talk about your day.

ANGELA PARK: I didn't do anything drastically well, but I made sure I hit the fairways because the rough out there is pretty thick, and made sure I hit the greens. And a couple putts dropped, so I was very lucky today.

PAM WARNER: Go over your scorecard with me. We can just do birdies and bogeys.

ANGELA PARK: I had one bogey and five birdies.

PAM WARNER: Tell us what you hit for the bogey.

ANGELA PARK: The bogey came on my first hole. I missed the fairway, the only fairway I missed the whole day. I chipped it out to 30 yards and I missed my par putt.

PAM WARNER: And then you birdied 2.

ANGELA PARK: This is really hard. I don't usually remember my round. I had about a 20 footer downhill right to left. It was a slider. And I had played a lot of break and just tried to trickle it down there. And fortunately, it went in.

Birdie on 5. The par 3, I made a long putt.

PAM WARNER: Do you know how long?

ANGELA PARK: 25 feet about.

9, I had about 85 yards into the green and I hit my 54 degree to about two feet and I made my putt for birdie.

12, the par 4, that was another slider left to right to about 15 feet and I just made my putt.

16, I hit a 6 iron there and I hit a little draw to about three feet downhill. And I made the putt, fortunately.

PAM WARNER: You did a good job.

We'll take questions for Angela.

Q. What expectations did you have coming in this week?

ANGELA PARK: Well, I played Superstition Mountain two weeks ago, so I tried to finish a little better than that. I think every amateur wants to make the cut out here. And I set my goals a little higher. I knew if I played my best I could probably be top 20. I guess top 20 would be my expectation.

Q. Pretty high expectations.

ANGELA PARK: You have to set high goals. You never reach them well, not never, you never reach your goals, but if you set them high you can come close to them.

Q. Have you been out to this tournament as a spectator before?

ANGELA PARK: Yes, many times, because my house

Q. When was the first time?

ANGELA PARK: The first time was probably four or five years back. I never thought I would be here as an amateur playing.

Q. Were you intimidated or did you have any nervousness at all when the round started?

ANGELA PARK: I wasn't nervous because I played in the Open last year, and I was nervous then. My hands were shaking. I was shaking. Today I felt I was really prepared. So no, I just went out there and played my game, played the best I could play.

Q. Because you are quote/unquote from around here, do you have a lot of family and friends, things like that?

ANGELA PARK: Everybody is telling me, "Angela, you have to make the cut, then I'll go watch you." I'm trying. Hopefully if I make the cut there will be a lot of people out here on Saturday and Sunday.

Q. (No microphone.)

ANGELA PARK: My cousin is coming tomorrow.

Q. (No microphone.)

ANGELA PARK: Yes.

Q. (No microphone.)

ANGELA PARK: I don't remember.

Q. Two weeks ago, what did you shoot?

ANGELA PARK: Probably last week, 70.

Q. Is this your first time in an interview room?

ANGELA PARK: Well, in this kind of room, yes. But at the U.S. Amateur it was something sort of like this, but not exactly. This is making me kind of nervous.

Q. Are you turning pro after the tournament?

ANGELA PARK: I'm turning pro right after this tournament, basically, because I couldn't play this tournament as a pro because I was invited as an amateur, so I think that answers your question.

Q. Is that just because they changed the Futures' age limit?

ANGELA PARK: Uh huh.

Q. I'm sure you watched how players like Michelle and Morgan and Aree, when she was 13, playing in this tournament. You say you thought you would never be here, but when did you feel like maybe you could be here?

ANGELA PARK: Good question.

Q. Thank you. I'm a professional reporter.

ANGELA PARK: How long have been a professional reporter? (Laughter). Just kidding.

I don't know. It just caught me by surprise. I never thought I would be playing here, not even last year or before I got invited. And when I got invited I was like, Oh, my God, this is so great. I was so nervous not nervous, but scared for two months, trying to practice really hard and trying to get my game in shape. I don't know.

Q. So if you're turning pro, where is your first pro event?

ANGELA PARK: It would be on the Futures Tour in Texas. I think the third week of April.

Q. Are you asking for or receiving you are allowed 6, I guess, LPGA sponsored exceptions. Have you heard any talk about those?

ANGELA PARK: Nope. Maybe after this tournament people will be looking up. I don't know.

Q. When did you start playing golf?

ANGELA PARK: When I was nine.

Q. Why?

ANGELA PARK: I have no idea. I liked it a lot. I really liked it. I tried other sports before golf. I tried swimming, tennis, you name it. But I came to love golf right when I first started. I didn't even know how to hit the ball, but it was so much fun out there on the range.

Q. Did you play at a public course or a private course?

ANGELA PARK: I never had a lot of courses around the area I lived in, so I went to the range a lot and hit a lot of balls. So even when I started my first year, I would hit three or four buckets, 300 or 400 balls a day, for fun.

Q. Have any of the other players given you advice about turning pro and what that entails?

ANGELA PARK: I don't know. Morgan has been really nice about it. She asked me, "Have agencies come up to you, or sponsors?" Not really. But maybe if I play well this week. Morgan has been very supportive.

Q. Can you talk about making that decision to turn pro? I know you mentioned you're going to do it after this tournament. Out of high school, did you know around this time you were going to turn pro?

ANGELA PARK: I knew about a year and a half from today. It was a decision my dad and I came to. And my mom was in Brazil, actually, because she has to work. I decided that I wouldn't go to college. Because if you want to be good at one thing, you have to stick to one thing. You can't study and golf. There's not enough time. I wanted to go the golf way, and that's the way I'm going.

Q. Did you say Brazil?

ANGELA PARK: Yes, I was born there, actually.

Q. What does she do there in Brazil?

ANGELA PARK: Embroidery factory.

Q. When did you move to the United States?

ANGELA PARK: When I was eight, before I started golf. Am I making this interesting enough for you guys? I don't want to make your job boring. Come on.

PAM WARNER: Thank you, Angela.

End of FastScripts.

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