KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

March 28, 2004

Grace Park

THE MODERATOR: Grace, thanks for joining us.

GRACE PARK: Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. You said you were ready for it for a long time and here it is. The chase is finally over. So go ahead and tell us about your day, how you're feeling and what it's like to be a Major champion. We'll take questions from there.

GRACE PARK: I don't remember what it was like out there, but I know that I won and I'm going to enjoy this moment.

THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and take some questions.

Q. It appeared that when Aree made her putt on 18 that you didn't even look up. How important was it to sort of block everything out, maintain your composure, stay within your routine at that point?

GRACE PARK: I didn't block it out, I knew that I knew exactly what I had to do. I watched Aree's putt, actually. I saw it go in the hole and then I knew that I really, really had to make my six footer.

Q. Yesterday in here you were pretty confident, can you explain where that came from and what made you so sure that you were going to play well today?

GRACE PARK: Well, I guess it's believing in myself. Believing in my hard work that I had done. Just trusting that I could do this. If you want it really, really badly, you can do it. And I guess I was the one that wanted this the most.

Q. On 15 when you were surveying the situation and then you kind of messed up the second shot, how did you feel like things were slipping away then?

GRACE PARK: No. Everything happened so fast I didn't have time to think about the past. I heard it hit the tree and then I just had to go up to the next shot and try to do the best I can. I chunked it and then I was walking up to the green trying to get up and down to save bogey and just move on. At that moment you just can't look back at the past and think. There's no time to think.

Q. This tournament will always be remembered for that finish, Aree eagles, you make birdie. Can you just kind of take us from the tee to the green, watching her go for the green in two, knowing that there's pressure on you now, just kind of recap everything as it went through your mind.

GRACE PARK: Our tee box was up forward so every one cut the corner, hit driver off the tee. Aree probably had about 210 yards and I had exactly 199 to the pin. I knew Aree was going to go for it. My caddy David and I decided to wait to see what Aree does to whether lay up or to go for it. And she hit a great shot and it rolled off to the right tier of the green and I looked to my caddy and he was like, it's not worth it. It's 199, it's got to be a good solid 4 iron for me. If I miss it a little it's in the water, it's not a good risk to take. So I hit a wedge and a sand wedge and six feet. And Aree's putt, her eagle putt it was just one of those things, you just know that your opponent, especially like in match play, when your opponent makes a putt, you just have that feeling that she's going to make it. And I had that feeling that she was going to make that putt. And sure enough, right at the heart. And she's pumping her fist, you know. And I just got ready to putt mine and I did it.

Q. (Inaudible.)

GRACE PARK: My knees, my arms, my whole body was shaking. I don't know if anybody else is that way, but I remember every win that I've had, seriously, I didn't know if I could start the club. And I guess it's good, because every time I'm like that, I do well. And I don't get that nervous very often.

Q. The shot that you had to make around the tree there, can you explain what you guys were going through as far as what you were thinking? Were you thinking hard hook around the tree? It looked like you went high from the beginning.

GRACE PARK: It didn't have to be a hard hook, it just needed to be a little draw. I'm a pretty good hooker.

(Laughter.) I don't know what else to say. Hook player. I knew I could do it because I am in the trees all the time, I know how to get around them. But the only thing was that I had sand wedge in my hand and I didn't want to get it too high starting out and hit the tree above. So I hooded the fairways a little bit too much and just started too left of my target.

Q. Then as you said, you chunked the next one. What are, are you starting to, is the blood starting to boil a little bit at that point with those two shots?

GRACE PARK: The third shot, the one I chunked, or after that I started to get a little frustrated, a little worried. But it lasted for about 50 yards because I got up to my ball and I knew I had to get up and down, no matter what, I had to get up and down.

Q. Coming down the stretch obviously you and Aree were very close and then Karrie, were you watching the score board and did you feel nervous, did you get excited or could you enjoy it? What was the feeling?

GRACE PARK: I always look at the leaderboard. I always like to know where I stand and where other players stand. I heard that Karrie had birdied the last hole, I knew exactly where Aree was. I'm always watching.

Q. Standing over that putt you said you always get nervous when you win, but was this different because it was a Major, did you sense the added importance of it?

GRACE PARK: Well, standing over a six footer on the 18th hole at that time, you don't think about what tournament it is. It's about making the putt, it's about winning a tournament, it's about becoming a champion. It's like I'm nervous because I want to win. I want to make that putt. And I want to win a tournament. And this one just happened to be a Major championship and a great one too.

Q. You're only 25, Aree is 17, and Michelle is 14, it's obviously a youth movement, what are your thoughts on that?

GRACE PARK: I think it's great. Our tour, we have great group of rookies and other young players on our tour, and really good too. They're so talented that they're just getting our tour to be more exciting and out to the world. Michelle, what Michelle is doing to women's golf I think is tremendous. It's so awesome it's like we got to thank those young I'm not old, but Michelle, Aree Song, I guess Paula Creamer, and a bunch of other players, I thank them for doing what they're doing, because they're making this game more exciting.

Q. You've been pointing to a Major championship for a couple years now so what becomes the next goal for you, now that you've got this one?

GRACE PARK: I don't know, I'm just going to enjoy my Major championship right now. I knew that that question was going to pop up. I don't know, am I supposed to say I want to win every Major and get my Grand Slam and win Player of the Year and Vare Trophy and everything? But I don't know, I'm not going to get too ahead of myself. I'm going to enjoy this day today and going to take tomorrow off and when I get to that leg, my goal will be to win that tournament that week.

Q. Obviously Annika has sort of focused her schedule around the major championships and players on the PGA TOUR do the same thing, are you at that point now where it will become even more important to you?

GRACE PARK: This year was the first time I've worked my schedule around the Majors. So that I know that I can perform my best at the Majors, peak at the right time. And obviously this tournament I really didn't do anything, because it's only our third event of the year, but I don't know. I don't think there will be many changes. I'm going to do what I've been doing and get better.

Q. You knew this question would pop up too. Tell us about the like. The dive, the swim. How did it feel, what were your fears, trepidations, etcetera?

GRACE PARK: Well, few people have just scared me, saying that people have gotten sick after jumping in that water. But you know what, it's all worth it. And if can I jump in again, I will do it every year. But I've been dreaming about that jump ever since I got my first invitation to play in this event. And my caddy David and I talked about it last year whether we came over, that if we win, we're going to hold our hands and jump in as fast and nicely as we can. And he was ready. I mean he had taken his shirt off, he just had his jump suit on. And I wanted to enjoy that moment so, so much. But it happened so fast. It was like, boom, jump. I don't even know how I jumped in, I don't remember.

Q. A great win early in the season, but did you do anything special in the off season, strength, conditioning, to get ready for this year?

GRACE PARK: Nothing special. Everything I've been doing in the last few years. Both last winter and this past winter I took about six weeks off after the season was over the previous year and just relaxed at home and then I think that rest got me more ready and wanting to get back and get better and to practice. So I got back to Arizona and just worked hard. Everybody's all into workouts, working out. I'm into it. I work out with trainers. I work with my teacher, Peter Kostis. I'm just trying to get better.

Q. Is this even more gratifying after coming so close last year at McDonald's?

GRACE PARK: I don't know if it's more gratifying because I came so close last year, but it's great because it is my first Major championship. Does that make sense?

Q. What are you going to be most proud of about the way you handled yourself today on the course?

GRACE PARK: The putt I made on 18. While my whole body was shaking too. I don't think I'll ever forget that moment.

Q. Why did you feel like you needed to step it up this year and that this was your year to take it to another level?

GRACE PARK: Because this is my fifth year on this tour. The first couple of years it was just hard on me. It took sometime to get used to this life and this tour. And then I started really focusing my third year but things just didn't come around. And last year everything kind of came along, came together. I finished third on the Money List and just became very consistent. I had a bunch of top 10 finishes and so I learned that I could be a top player. I didn't believe in myself in the past, but after last year's performance I knew that I can finish in the top on a consistent basis. And if I just took it up a notch, that I could be a top, top player. And so I really focused and just trying to get better and I knew that this year would be a good one and it looks like I'm on the right track.

Q. With Annika talking about retiring and there's the teenagers who still aren't ready to come out here, do you sense an opportunity for you to emerge as the best player on this tour and is that something that you want?

GRACE PARK: It's definitely my goal. It's always been my goal and not because Annika is retiring, not because there are young players, whatever. Ever since I picked up a golf club I knew that I was going to be a professional golfer well ever since I started playing competitively, I should say. And I've been No. 1 at junior level, I've been No. 1 at college, amateur, and my next thing and the best thing will be to become the No. 1 professional player.

Q. And all the responsibilities that come with that, is that something that you're willing to take on as well?

GRACE PARK: It's going to be hard, obviously, but I'll tell you that when I get there.

THE MODERATOR: Take us over your scorecard, Grace.

GRACE PARK: Sure. Number 3 I 3 putted for a bogey.

No. 9, I hit a nice punch 9 iron to about four feet. Made that for birdie.

Number 10, hit a pitching wedge to about 15 feet. Made that for birdie.

No. 11, hit 7 wood and I had about a 30 footer. 3 putted for birdie.

12, hit a sand wedge to about six feet. Made that for birdie.

And then 15 you all know what happened. I'm assuming. Do you know? I hit it right off the tee and then I tried to hook it around, hit the tree, came back, I chunked my third shot, and I was about 15 yards short of the green and got up and down from there for bogey.

18, I laid up from 199 yards and hit a sand wedge to six feet and I holed it.

THE MODERATOR: Do we have any more questions? All right. Thank you. Thank you, Grace.

End of FastScripts.