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KINGSMILL CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY JTBCMay 13, 2014Lydia KoWILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA MODERATOR: Like to thank everyone for being here, and welcome Lydia Ko into the interview room here at of the Kingsmill Championship. Lydia, this is your first event since winning the Swinging Skirts a couple weeks ago. What is your preparation like come into this tournament, and how do you feel? Does it give you an added boost of confidence starting the tournament off on a good note, I guess, coming in as a champion of a past event? LYDIA KO: Yeah, in a way I kind of wanted to play Texas. (No microphone.) MODERATOR: Do you have a little bit more confidence as you approach the first tee on Thursday knowing that you did just come off a win? LYDIA KO: Yeah, I feel really confident. The last time I played I won, so, yeah, I feel very confident about my game. I'm not trying to overdo it and not be overly confident. Being confident is great, but I don't want to be overconfident. MODERATOR: Back to Swinging Skirts, your dad was there to see your first win. You're very close with your family. How often does your dad and your sister get back to the States to see you play? LYDIA KO: Not often. My dad's second time there, so it was different having both of my parents. Normally it's just my mom.  My sister is coming out to the U.S. Open, so I'm really excited to see her. Yeah, it's kind of hard to touch base with her because she's all the way on the other side of the world. Most of the time she's working, so it's really hard to contact her. Same with my dad because he's over there. MODERATOR: Your sister is working. What does she do? LYDIA KO: She studied architecture for five years and now she works for a company and they do a couple airlines. So she does ticketing and all those things. MODERATOR: Very nice. You had two weeks off as you mentioned. What did you do? LYDIA KO: I had a couple days off. You know, I had an extra day where I looked around beautiful San Francisco. I went to the Alcatraz prison and had some Dungeness crab, which I think is a must when you're there. Yeah, I kind of relaxed and then I went and visited Pinehurst. MODERATOR: Open up for questions. Q. I think you have would have been about eight when Michael Campbell won the U. S. Open at Pinehurst. Do you remember that at all and what that meant to golf in New Zealand? LYDIA KO: I don't really remember that point. Michael Campbell IS obviously a huge star in New Zealand and he's done a lot for golf in New Zealand. Yeah, his win was kind of like a confidence boost for the whole country. Yeah, I guess like he kind of inspired kids like my age to kind of play golf and enjoy it and I guess give us a dream that one day we may be able to be in that position. Yeah, but now I realize more what he's done now than I did as an eight year old. Q. Just your impressions of this course, you first look at it, and also, what you found at Pinehurst last week when you practiced there. LYDIA KO: Yeah, it's my first time in Virginia, so this is totally different to the other courses I played. It's just really nice here, apart from it being a little humid right now. The course is in really good condition. It's really good to, I guess, come back to another great golf course. Yeah, Pinehurst is definitely different to this. When I played it it was quite long. You know, a par 70 I think, so that's different to what we normally play. I've played par 71s 1 and 72s, but not 70, and that's length as well. So I think it's going to be tricky, but I'm really excited to play there. Q. What are your thoughts about the men and women playing back‑to‑back Opens on the same course, and just what it might bring to golf and the atmosphere? LYDIA KO: I think it's going to be really cool. Obviously there will be a lot of spectators watching the men, so hopefully a lot of them can stay and watch the women as well. When I was out there, there were a lot of those kind of white tents for the VIPs and merchandise. So it's all kind of being done, and it's quite exciting that we've only got like a month or so until that time comes. Yeah, I'm really excited to have the men's in front, because I'm going to go there and watch them play a little bit and hopefully get some autographs. I've never really watched a men's PGA TOUR event. Q. Whose autograph do you want? LYDIA KO: I've already got my favorite player, Phil Mickelson, so maybe my No. 2, Adam Scott. (Laughter.) MODERATOR: Good choice. LYDIA KO: A lot of girls apparently like him. He's married now, so... Q.  For a lot of golfers it can be a grind out here. Talking to some of the other golfers, when they talk about you they say you're a lot of the fun. Is that the way golf has been for you, or maybe you're just to... LYDIA KO: No, I try and have fun out here. I guess it means business. Everybody is trying to play their best. All of the players out here are great golfers. They want to win. Everyone is here to win. They're not here to come second or whatever. Yeah, I'm just trying to enjoy the moment. I think when I enjoy it, that's when the play the best. Yeah, I enjoyed myself in San Francisco, so that made me realize I do need to have fun out there to I guess play golf and‑‑ I'm never going to play good golf every single time, but if I'm confident in my game, I'm sure the time will come. Q. The other thing they say about you is you're going to be the next big star out here. How do you keep that out of your lady on the such an age? LYDIA KO: I'm just playing a tournament at a time, round at a time, a hole at a time. Yeah, just like I said, I'm trying to enjoy the moment and not think about what's going to be happening in the couple years or whatever. So it's my first year on the tour. I'm really having fun. I just feel fortunate that I'm having this opportunity to play on the tour as a 17, 16 year old. Q. One last thing: I read an interview where you said you were a Se Ri Pak girl or she had an influence on your career growing up as a very young person. LYDIA KO: Yeah, Se Ri Pak, she's a huge influence to I think a lot of the Korean players out here. I started my golf in Korea, so I think when she won her U.S. Open and she was one of the big Korean players out here on the tour. So she's been a huge influence. It's really cool that I get to play alongside her sometimes and I get to see her. It's just really cool for me being out here. I'm seeing these people that are in articles and TV, so to kind of have them right there putting next to me or whatever, it's really exciting for me. Q. Did you model your game after Se Ri or somebody else? And also, have you undergone any kind of mental strength training or anything like to keep composure and poise in such a tough game under such pressure? LYDIA KO: I personally think that every player is different. Everybody has got a different swing, even if they have the same coach. So, every player is, I guess, built differently. I tried to copy Se Ri and personally like her, but she's definitely a great player to I guess kind of look up to. Yeah, I think the first every round I ever watched outside the ropes was Se Ri playing in Korea. So, yeah, I don't really remember them, but my dad took me there. I'm pretty sure I had a lot of fun watching her. She's such a great player to look up to. And my mental training, yeah, I have a mental performance coach. Yeah, because I'm over here it's a lot of Skype work, but I haven't talked to him that much in depth lately. I talk to him, but obviously I can't really do one‑on‑one talking. But we text and Facebook now and then. He says, You go get 'em. It's just really good to have the support. Q. I know you're a big photography fan. Just wondering, did you upgrade any of your camera equipment off after you in San Francisco? LYDIA KO: No, I already bought a camera just before then, and so... My mom will yell at me if I get another one. I'm not that good to get those $1000 cameras anyway. But I'm going to see Gabe. I'm going to try and model some of his photos. That should be very exciting. I'm excited. Q. Obviously wondering just about the No. 1 ranking. You're so young, but here you are at No. 3. Is No. 1 a goal of yours or something you don't think about? LYDIA KO: Hopefully one day I'll be able to become world No. 1. I don't know if that might happen or not. Yeah, I'm going to work really hard towards that. Yeah, I don't like to think about the rankings and things. I try and just think about that tournament and just try and get a good performance there. I think that's more important. When I try and think about the result before, I guess, something happens, it doesn't go as well as I would like. Q. Just wondering, have you been surprised at how quickly the success has come for you, and what challenges do you face on this tour as a teenager that a lot of other ladies don't? LYDIA KO: Yeah, a lot of things have been different. First Canadian Open Women's win, that was totally out of what I had imagined. I went out there to make the cut and just try my best, and I just won it. Yeah, you know, everything has happened really fast the last two years, especially the last year. But it's definitely going the right way. I'm excited about that. I've just been trying to have some fun, which is different to when I was playing as an amateur. But I do feel a little bit more pressure, feeling like there is something more on the line, but I'm just trying to have fun. I think I that that's what's going to keep my head on the right way. Q. (No microphone.) LYDIA KO: School. I guess school is a big thing. I've still got one more year to go. We go to year 13 in New Zealand and I've finished my year 12, so I could actually go to college. Yea, so I guess it's an extra bit of work I'm doing, but that's why I kind of miss school. I'm always ‑‑ like a lot of the teenagers say, I don't want to go to school and sleep in and everything. I'm the opposite. I want to go to school and see my friends. I want to be sitting down and write whatever the teacher writes and stuff. It's like it's a little different, but to me that would be the hardest part, just doing education with‑‑ playing golf. Q. Were you aware that Time Magazine had a list of the 100 most influential people? And how surprised were you to be included on that list? LYDIA KO: Yeah, I think that was announced on my birthday, so it was perfect, perfect timing. Yeah, I was really surprised. I kind of thought to myself, What did I do to be in the top 100? But I'm honored to be amongst those big name. I would have liked to go to the gala thing they have but, yeah, it was just an honor for me to be among those names. I saw the magazine at Publix one day and I said, Oh, that's me. So I was really excited. The things that Annika said about me were really nice of her. She's one of my role models as well. Yeah, very exciting. Q. When and where is that gala, and do you have a golfing commitment? Is that why you can't or couldn't attend? LYDIA KO: I'm not really sure where it is. Yeah, my mom would probably know. MODERATOR: I think they did host it last week. Q. Oh. One other thing. You mentioned that Kingsmill course is totally different from what you've seen elsewhere on tour. What about it is totally different, and how did you play when you were out there? LYDIA KO: I think there are a couple more dogleg holes out here than the other courses I've played, especially on the back nine. The greens and everything condition‑wise, it's really good. Yeah, they always seem to put the bunkers where my drive distance goes, so there it is. Yeah, it's just a really nice golf course. I didn't know what to expect coming in here because I've never been in this area before. I think I'm going to enjoy myself. Q. Do you miss being in New Zealand? How much do you miss home? LYDIA KO: Yeah, I miss home quite a lot. I don't really have friends here. When I'm back in Orlando all I see‑‑ well, I go to the academy and I see more golfers or I see some of the tour players that live out there. So I feel like I'm still living that tour life even if it's an off week. If I would be home I would see my school friends and teachers, so it's a little different that way. I definitely miss New Zealand. It's totally two different countries, but I'm really enjoying myself out here. Q. Last thing is who do you consider the biggest sports star in New Zealand, and where do you rank now in this do you think? If there is a top 100 influential or whatever. LYDIA KO: New Zealand a pretty big with rugby, everybody knows the All Blacks. I think they were n 60 Minutes the other day. That's pretty cool. Luckily I got to meet a couple of them. Rugby, they're into rugby, so great that we've got a really strong rugby team. I don't think they lost a match last year, which is pretty impressive as well. Q. You every met Michael Campbell or played with him? LYDIA KO: No, but I just got a phone call one day. It was an unknown number and I wasn't going to answer it. Luckily I did. I was kind of surprised when he was like, Hi, I'm Michael Campbell. I'm like, Excuse me? No, I was surprised. Q. When was that? LYDIA KO: I think it was a couple nights ago. He gave me a couple advice and, yeah, it was pretty exciting for me to have somebody like him, his profile to call me. I thought he got the wrong number. Yeah, but I was like, Man, luckily I did pick up the phone. Q. You mentioned you would like to go to college. Is that still a plan? Would you go somewhere in the U.S.? LYDIA KO: Yeah, I plan to go to college, but my head is more on high school. I want to go to college. It might be in the States and might be in Korea. I don't really know where. A lot of things are happening right now, so to kind of think about what's going to happen in a year or so is not really what I try to think about. Definitely college is what I want to do. Q. I wore my ski cap every single day and it's freezing, windy, et cetera. This week's going to be very, very much different than that. How does the weather affect you, and what do you think about hot and then cold and windy? LYDIA KO: I think I would prefer the cold, because, I mean, you can put more layers on but you've got a limit to how many layer you can put off, take off. No, I would rather the cold because you've got hand warmers and everything to I guess kind of keep you warm. Would have been great if it was a couple degrees warmer in San Francisco, but I kind of knew what to expect because I was there like a month or so ago and it was really cold then, too. Yeah, it's different here. There I had my hand warmers every day; here I'm going to have my cool towel every day. Yeah, it's different. I think a lot of it is going to be about energy, not overdoing anything, and I guess just productive work. Q. There have been so many young stars, athletes that have had success at young ages and then kind of burned out. I'm wondering if you have noticed that or if like your parents and the people around you have done anything to kind of try and keep you grounded. LYDIA KO: I don't think that has been the case for everyone. You know, you can see by Lexi and Michelle, they're playing pretty awesome right now. Lexi with a major win at the Kraft, and then Hawaii, Michelle and Hawaii. She won there. Yeah, I don't think that's the case for everyone. Yeah, that why I'm just trying to enjoy the moment. I think that's a huge key. When you enjoy it you're going to have a longer career. Q. One more thing: Is there any way to tell how much growing up in New Zealand has affected kind of your approach and just sort of the way you approach golf and the success you've had as opposed to maybe having grown up in Korea? LYDIA KO: I don't really know what it would have been if I had grown up in Korea because I haven't spent much time over there. I don't really know how to compare that. New Zealand I think is a great country to play golf. In my golf club when you're under 17 it's $100 for the year as a membership. That's pretty cheap. You've got the swimming pool, the gym, the golf club, the range, and everything. So that's really cheap. Some people pay $100 to play one round. So I think it's a really great golfing country. It's really relaxed, so I really like that as well. Some people might think it's kind of slow and a little too laid back. I'm more used to that. So when I'm more in the city I kind of get a headache and stuff. To me, I really loved growing up in New Zealand. MODERATOR: All right, well, thank you. Lydia. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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