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KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

March 27, 2004

Grace Park

RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA

MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started. Grace, thanks for coming and joining us. 8 under right now, top of the leaderboard, one round to go. Tell us about your day and we'll take some questions after that.

GRACE PARK: Today it was just really easy out there. Obviously the condition was much easier than yesterday. My ball striking has been good all week and I just felt like this was the day to attack, get aggressive and move up the leaderboard. And I had a little bit of a slow start but then once I hit a good shot on 7, to about three feet to make that for birdie, I went on a birdie role for four holes. So that was a nice streak. And then it kind of stopped. But just main thing was to make pars and I didn't miss anything out there today. So just very consistent and here I am.

Q. Grace, the play today of Aree Song and Michelle Wie, both teenagers, does that show on the third day of a Major that they have arrived at their game, that their game is there to compete and win on this TOUR?

GRACE PARK: Obviously their scores show it. Played with Michelle for the first time today, and she is incredible. She is more than what you all know. I mean she really impressed me and not only in her golf game, she was such a sweet 14 year old that I really enjoyed playing with her. And Aree, she's got a tremendous amount of talent. She's already had a successful career and she just has much more to come.

Q. You've had some success on the TOUR, you had a very successful amateur career, do you feel like you're mentally ready to win a Major and ready for tomorrow's final round?

GRACE PARK: I'm ready. I've been ready. I'll be ready.

Q. Do you remember we were talking about your amateur career, do you think maybe it's just a case where you could be doing let's say when you were 17 you could have could have been doing what they're doing. Is it just different pressures or expectations just getting sped up as the years go on?

GRACE PARK: I did what they were doing, just not as well. I played in this event as an amateur four times, four or five times. I got the invitation every year, just didn't get in the top 10 or on the leaderboard. But I did the best I could. Obviously they're ahead of what my game was 10 years ago.

Q. What can you take from coming so close last year in a Major into tomorrow's round that will make you finish first rather than second?

GRACE PARK: Well, not winning last year made me realize that I really, really want this. I'm really craving it. I've been ready. I've already had two good finishes the last two weeks and I worked really hard over the winter and this is the year I said in the beginning of the year that this was my year to step up and win more and get better. So I'm definitely ready.

Q. Why do you think there's so many good female Korean players as opposed to male players? Is it because in Asian families there's more pressure on the males to carve out lucrative business careers do you think?

GRACE PARK: I've said this all along, women are just better. We're just better. Apart from the pressure, I think for men there are so many more players that play this game from all over the world. It's much more deep. And for women Koreans, you know, we're just good, what can I say. But we're all very hard working players and we have that crave that we want to, everybody wants to succeed. And it's obviously showing.

Q. I didn't know whether you were joking a little bit, but it's an area in but is there an area in golf where the women do play better than the Korean men?

GRACE PARK: To be honest with you, I don't know.

Q. You never get to play with them?

GRACE PARK: Nope. Nope. I play with women.

Q. Do Korean men, male golfers and women golfers mix at all or not? At the amateur level or any level?

GRACE PARK: I'm not sure because I grew up playing over here. Not back in Korea. I'm not someone to ask.

Q. You mentioned the four amateur appearances you had here in this tournament. I think you also played some AJGA tournaments on this course, didn't you. Do you have a greater comfort level on this golf course because you've been playing it for what? 20 years now?

GRACE PARK: Well not only because I know this golf course, it's one of my favorite courses. It's a shot maker's course. And I like to consider myself a pretty good shot maker, so it definitely suits my game. And coming here, meeting volunteers from those that I met when I was playing AJGA it's almost like my hometown. They make me really feel close.

Q. Following on that, if there are like Aree and Michelle who haven't played here as much, is it just clear that have you an advantage on Sunday on the back nine, knowing the ins and outs of the greens and everything you need to do on this course? I mean is that advantage to you?

GRACE PARK: I like to hope so. My caddy, Dave, he knows the greens very well and I'm comfortable and we'll just see.

Q. When Michelle starts out with a couple birdies and it's pretty clear that both of you are playing well today, is that an incentive to kind of play with each other or do you just go off in a world of your own?

GRACE PARK: I tell you what, I was watching Michelle's game from the beginning. Not because I wanted to create any kind of whatever, it's just she's 14 and it was my first time playing with her, I like to watch other people's game. But that's completely separate from my own game. I went when it is my turn to hit my shot I don't worry about anybody else. I'm only into my game.

Q. Are you surprised at this point in your career that you haven't won a Major yet?

GRACE PARK: No. No. But I'm ready now.

Q. What makes you ready now that you weren't before?

GRACE PARK: I'm a five year TOUR veteran. I think I deserve it now more than if I had won it in the past. I have worked really hard, I'm continuing to work hard and I crave that more. I crave winning more than ever.

Q. We're all struck by how Michelle is so adult like on the golf course. And then when you talk to her she's 14 years old. Is that something that struck you, or have you not really seen that up close before or not noticed that sort of dichotomy? She's so composed on the golf course. And so young when you talk to her. Had you noticed that sort of contrast before that, the difference between how she plays and how she talks and how she acts?

GRACE PARK: I've known Michelle since she was 12. And she's always been a sweet, funny, like to joke around and do that. But on the golf course she was dead serious. There was not a sign that showed that she was 14 years old. And that was really impressive.

Q. Did you win AJGA tournaments on this course?

GRACE PARK: I think I did.

Q. How many?

GRACE PARK: How many? I have no idea.

Q. What's specific things have you been working on over this last off season?

GRACE PARK: Just overall getting better. I've been working with Peter Kostis, my teacher, over the winter, on just getting my swing to be more consistent so that I don't hack around too much out there. So that I'm more aware of what is going on in my swing. And continuing to work on short game and putting and really everything.

MODERATOR: Can we go over your scorecard, the birdies? Just tell us what you hit in.

GRACE PARK: Number 7 I hit a punch 9 iron to about three feet. Made that for birdie.

Number 8, hit 7 iron to 15 feet. Made that.

9, hit a lob wedge to four feet. Made that.

10, 8 iron to about four feet. Made that.

16, hit a 9 iron to about 18 feet. Made that.

MODERATOR: Any more questions? Okay. Thank you, Grace.

End of FastScripts.

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