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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPJune 16, 2011Yong-Eun YangBETHESDA, MARYLAND BETH MURRISON: Very happy to have with us this afternoon Y.E. Yang, who shot a 3-under 68 in this morning's first round at the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club. Can you talk a little bit about the conditions today and going out early this morning? Y.E. YANG: (By interpreter) Started off with the back nine, and I made a birdie on my first hole, which was a very tricky hole. So I started off feeling very good, and I continued to ride that emotion, that good feeling, until the last 18th hole. BETH MURRISON: Is that an intimidating tee shot, your first hole of the U.S. Open, to face that water on your first hole? Y.E. YANG: I didn't really think about it as being intimidating until we went up on the tee, and the two players in front of me, Ryo Ishikawa and Anthony Kim, when they both dropped it in the water, that's when it really hit me that oh, this hole is really tough. I was praying when I was hitting it that I would just get it on the green. Fortunately for me it landed fairly well on the green and I was fortunate enough to make a birdie. So I think that's probably the best scenario that anybody could want. Q. Could we get the club you hit at 10? Was it a hybrid? And also, just your overall impressions on the golf course. Y.E. YANG: I sort of cheated and looked at the other guys and saw what they hit. They both -- I think they grabbed 5-irons, so I pulled out my 5-iron hybrid, and fortunately for me it was a very good hit. It was a very straight, honest hit, and it landed quite well. There was a bit of a hurt wind, and I think I just played it to my advantage. Overall, I'm more impressed with the weather, actually. It helped me a lot. It softened the greens, which we anticipated would be really hard after all the greens, what they went through last week. And I anticipate that it's not going to get any easier than today unless it starts to rain a lot. But overall, I had probably the most success on par-3s that I've ever had in my career over here, so right now the impression is quite good. BETH MURRISON: Could I ask you to go through your birdies and bogeys in the round today? Y.E. YANG: On the back nine, my first nine holes, the first hole, as I explained to you, I hit a 5-iron rescue, birdied it. The second hole, the 11th, my second shot was in a bit of a sliced lie, and I pulled out my 2 hybrid, and I think I sliced it a little bit, and it ended up in the water, as I think the USGA wanted most of the players to hit it that way. On 13, I had another birdie on the par-3. On 18, I read the green quite well, but it was an error on my chip shot, and I just had a massive left curve. It went far left, and I had to make a bogey on that. And on the front nine, second hole, my 11th hole, I made a birdie, probably about 13, 14 feet away. On the sixth hole, I also made birdie on the par-5. I hit quite a good shot, landed another 13, 14 feet, and made a good putt for birdie. And on the 7th, I grabbed a 7-iron and hit it, and it was well positioned and probably about eight feet away and holed it in for birdie. So just for you guys, if this is of interest, it was my first time that I've made birdies on all par-3s in my professional career, so I'm quite stoked about it right now. Q. Of course you won your major by doing something nobody had really done, by beating Tiger Woods coming from behind on Sunday down the stretch. Does this major, the U.S. Open, have a different feel to it with Tiger not being here? Y.E. YANG: You know what, half of my heart is disappointed. The other half is probably -- I wouldn't say thrilled, but I know that my chance is a little bit better because Tiger is not in the field. But at the same time, it's a loss for golf, really, I think, and Tiger just adds another dimension and adds a little bit more quality to any tournament where he participates. So as a fellow golfer and a fellow PGA Tour member, I really hope that he comes back quite soon because it's just a little bit different when he's not here. Q. You have won a major before. Do you feel more comfortable playing in majors? Do you feel you have a little bit of an advantage because you know what it's all about to win? Y.E. YANG: In Korea, they say that it takes a winner to recognize a winner. Yeah, definitely it'll help. I'm not sure if it boosts my confidence or helps me under pressure. But I know the feeling, and I know that it's a little more of everything in a major than it is in other tournaments, so it's easier for me to cope with that kind of pressure or expectations, whatever you want to call it. It definitely has some kind of psychological advantage. BETH MURRISON: Thank you so much for joining us today, and congratulations on your fine play. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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