Canadian Pacific Women’s Open
London Hunt & Country Club
London, Ontario, Canada
Round 1 Notes
August 21, 2014
Rolex Rankings No. 9 So Yeon Ryu (-8)
Rolex Rankings No. 20 Na Yeon Choi (-7)
Rolex Rankings No. 10 Anna Nordqvist (-7)
Rolex Rankings No. 16 Azahara Munoz (-6)
Rolex Rankings No. 138 Danielle Kang (-6)
Rolex Rankings No. 2 Inbee Park (-6)
Rolex Rankings No. 129 Xi Yu Lin (-6)
Rolex Rankings No. 301 Jennifer Kirby (-5)
World Amateur No. 2 Brooke Henderson (-2)
Rolex Rankings No. 222 Rebecca Lee-Betham (-2)
So Yeon Ryu and Na Yeon Choi – both top-20 in the Rolex World Rankings - went to a Korean dinner Wednesday night at a local restaurant with recent major champion Inbee Park to celebrate her win at the Wegmans LPGA Championship. It’s become a tradition where whoever wins picks up the tab the next week.
Based off Thursday’s first round, Park’s going to get a meal in return soon as So Yeon Ryu set the course record with an afternoon 9-under-par 63 after watching her friend Choi go out in 8-under-par 64 in the morning wave.
Ryu’s 9 birdie, zero bogey 63 in which she hit every fairway and 16 of 18 greens, needing the flat stick only 25 times wasn’t her career-best.
“I shot 11-under when I was playing in the 2012 Australian Masters, but I couldn’t win the tournament, but I hope I can win this tournament this time,” Ryu said.
She’s more than due. She’s had 27 top-10 finishes since her last win in mid-2012, including nine this
season. It’s a similar story for Choi, who has had 10 top-10 finishes since her last win at the 2012 CME Group Titleholders to end the 2012 season. Great golf undoubtedly, but it hasn’t translated into the
winner’s circle and the duo talked about that at International Crown a month ago.
“It was a really great opportunity to make us more honest to each other, then we talked about how hard it is getting through tough times,” Ryu said. “Na Yeon won U.S. Open and CME two years ago, then hasn’t won anything, and I’m kind of in the same situation. So we talk about how we can get through this one, how do we think about this situation. Then Na Yeon and I both were kind of sad, so I realized I’m not the only one going through the hard times.”
For Choi, Thursday was her best round of the season and included three chip-ins on the day. Two came during a stretch where she made five straight birdies on Nos. 1 through 5 – her 10th to 14th holes of the day.
Anna Nordqvist, playing in the same group as Ryu, is on the heels of both after a 7-under 65. Their dinner mate Park continued the terrific stretch she’s been on as well with a 6-under 66 on Thursday to finish in a tie for 4th with Azahara Munoz, Xi Yu Lin and Danielle Kang heading into Friday.
RETURN OF AN OLD FRIEND
Three weeks ago Danielle Kang brought back the item she wished she never had parted with – the old Taylor Made center shafted Corza putter she used to win the 2010 and 2011 U.S. Women’s Amateur.
“I always said it was the ugliest putter, but I putt the best with it,” Kang said with a laugh. “You know when there is a saying, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover,’ I’m going to go with that line. I love him even if he’s ugly. I love and I’m going to keep him. I’ve been putting better and better every week. He’s staying in my bag.”
She showed why on Thursday with a first-round 66 that included only 27 putts and has her just two shots back of the lead heading into round two. She had gotten rid of the putter once before during her amateur career and she played poorly during its absence. Her late father suggested she put it back in the bag and she responded with wins at the North & South Amateur and a low amateur at the Women’s British Open and a win at the 2011 U.S. Amateur.
But for whatever reason, she ditched it again. Putting had been Kang’s issue all season with her 30.62 putting average ranking 101st on Tour, and so she decided to make the switch.
It’s an ironic return to the past for Kang considering she’s changed up everything in her game recently. She hired a new short game coach Gabriel Hjertstedt and has a new swing coach Brian Mogg. Hjertstedt’s focused mostly on getting Kang’s short game back to how she used to play – totally based off of feel. As her game’s not been where she wanted the last two years, she’s gotten more technical and that’s never how she was before. And where he needs her to improve her technique, she does it on the practice area and focuses on feeling it on the course.
“I had just been worrying about too much of the outcome. The thing that my coaches Gabriel and Brian always told me, your mentality is good. It’s sometimes your technique,” she said. “So I’ve been working on releasing the club head and feeling the shots more with my club head than my hands, if that makes sense.”
ON THE HUNT FOR 20 PLUS
Inbee Park always seems at ease. Nothing seems to faze her, but she’s feeling even more relaxed after winning her first major of the season last weekend.
“I just got done what I needed to do, so yeah, I probably feel a little bit less pressure, and yeah, you’re not really searching for the trophy like so badly anymore, so you have a little bit more – I think you have probably less pressure,” Park said.
The key at London Hunt & Country Club is to hit the fairways and Park was perfect in that regard on Thursday during her 6-under-par 66 in which she hit 13 of 18 greens.
“I mean ball-striking was almost perfect today. I didn’t hit anything really further than probably 15 feet,” Park said.
Although she misread a couple putts she said, the low scores are out there and Park has a number in mind of what it’s going to take to win on Sunday.
“It’s a really good start and obviously on this golf course everybody is going to score low,” she said. “I still have a ways to go. I think I have to be more than 20-under-par to win out here, so I’m trying to get there.”
COULDN’T ASK FOR MORE
Coming off a T-4 at Wegmans LPGA Classic last week to go along with two wins this year, Anna Nordqvist has been playing great golf lately.
Nordqvist was paired with Rd. 1 leader So Yeon Ryu during the opening round today and just had to keep up with the birdie-fest out there.
“She made nine birdies today and I made seven, so it gives you a lot of momentum, a lot of positive energy, just seeing a lot of birdies.” Nordqvist said of Ryu.
Nordqvist was many players who are fans of the course and the conditions this week.
“Yeah, the course is great.” Nordqvist said. “It’s a treat to come here. Some of them were a little bit bumpy, but it’s been a long day, a lot of play on these greens. But overall you can put yourself in position to make a lot of birdies out here, and that’s what I felt I did. It’s going to be a fun tournament, this one.”
FEELING CONFIDENT
Xi Yu Lin shot an opening round 6-under 66 for a very successful, bogey-free start to the 2014 Canadian Pacific
Women’s Open today. It was an early morning tee time for Lin which she said made her feel a little cold but felt she rebounded well after the first two holes.
“I think my putting is great today.” Lin said. “I made lots of the putts from five yards, eight yards, which is pretty tough. My iron is pretty good and my driver, like so so. Just very satisfied with my putting.”
The 66 tied thr lowest round of her short LPGA career, with the last coming in Rd. 2 of the 2013 Reignwood LPGA
Classic. The hot start makes Lin excited to come out and play tomorrow.
“I like this course and I like today’s putting, it’s really make me feel comfortable. “ Lin said. “So I just keep going and hopefully have a good finish.”
The Social Scene: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Jaye Marie Green fell down a flight a stairs last night, but rebounded nicely today to fire an opening round 2-under 70. Jaye Marie took to Instagram to show her battle wounds.
“Fell down a flight of stairs....#lovely”
TV Times This Week
The airtimes for the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open on Golf Channel are as follows:
Friday 12:00-2:00pm ET
2:30-4:30am ET (Taped)
Saturday 3:00-5:00pm ET
1:30-3:30am ET (Replay)
Sunday 2:00-5:00pm ET
1:30-3:30am ET (Replay)
Note that on Thursday and Friday, TSN has an additional 3:00-6:00pm telecast. On Saturday, TSN will air from 2:00-5:00pm.
quote of the day
“It landed about three feet short to the right and then kind of trickled in. It looks good in the air, too, though. It’s kind of one of those where you enjoy it the whole way.“
- Karin Sjodin talking about her hole in one on Hole 2 - 133 yards with a 9-ron. It was the 7th of her career and first on the LPGA Tour.
NO. 1 Scenarios
Inbee Park would go to No. 1 if:
• She wins and Lewis finishes in a four-way tie for second or worse.
• Finishes second and Stacy finishes 47th or worse and Lydia does not win.
Lydia Ko would go to No. 1 if:
• She wins and Stacy finishes in a three-way tie for second or worse.
• Even if Inbee and Stacy are cut, a second place finish won’t push Ko to 1.
Rolex Rankings No. 9 So Yeon Ryu (-8)
Rolex Rankings No. 20 Na Yeon Choi (-7)
Q. Three chip‑ins today. Could you tell us about those?
NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, actually I can't remember ‑‑ what hole was it? I have to look actually at the scorecard. Yeah, I mean, I made a lot of birdies out there. I think the main thing is I didn't really care about number today, like some holes I just realized I shoot like 5‑under, 6‑under. Like until then I didn't know how many birdies I had. The first hole I started with a birdie. It just feels good, I guess a lot of vibes from there. But I didn't really try to shoot a lower score, like 7‑, 8‑under today, but I think that's why I played well today.
Q. You had five straight birdies at one point. Do you feel your game getting better when you're shooting like that?
NA YEON CHOI: I mean, I felt good about my game, but I didn't really like realize I had five birdies in a row, and then also I got two chip‑ins during the five birdies in a row. I didn't really think about I want to birdie every hole or like that. I just tried to hit the fairway first and then hit the green first, then when I have a birdie chance I really try to focus to make it.
My caddie and I worked very well, and greens are pretty soft, so I hit like ‑‑ I hit the pin every time. Yeah, I like this golf course.
Q. How have your wedges been this year?
NA YEON CHOI: Actually I spent so many times, wedge distance control for this week. My coach came on Sunday night, and we spent like maybe at least five hours around the green and then like 50 to 100 shots. I spent so much time. I had a lot of good distance control shots.
Q. What were the lies like? Were they always kind of the same?
NA YEON CHOI: Oh, the chip‑ins? Actually I'd say inside of 10 yards, the first two, and then the other one was from the bunker shot, like 25 yards to the pin.
Q. Was that No. 5?
NA YEON CHOI: No. 5, yeah. I hit 3‑wood for the second shot. I think that hole is the hardest hole, I think, on this course. I hit driver on the fairway, I hit 3‑wood, I missed to the right side. Actually I couldn't really see the ball go in. Yeah.
Q. It's been a couple of years since you won. Do you think the short game ‑‑
NA YEON CHOI: I think it's really important. Last week I had 17 birdies during four rounds, and I finished even par, which means I got a lot of bogeys out there, and I just realized that my short game wasn't great last week, especially last week, so I spent so much time this week with this grass, and my caddie always tried to give me the correct number to the flag and to the pitch area. I think everything was just working very well.
Q. And I believe your low score career is an hour away?
NA YEON CHOI: Just for this year. I shot a couple of times 9‑under.
Q. Did you have a 62 in Waterloo?
NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, Waterloo last year.
Q. The final round, I think, yes?
NA YEON CHOI: Yes.
Q. Is that your low?
NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, 62 is the lowest score, yeah.
Q. So when you pass through Canada ‑‑
NA YEON CHOI: I think every time I shoot like lower score in Canada, yeah.
Q. Do you just feel good vibes?
NA YEON CHOI: I mean, especially this course, I like when I play golf with big trees, like tall trees, and the air is fresh here. I just feel good, you know.
Q. Is it like that back home or ‑‑
NA YEON CHOI: Actually I think a lot of people know my manager is from Canada, and I spent so much time with him like the last four or five years and almost every day we're talking on the phone, even like just talking on the face. I don't know, he always says good things about Canada. Even I went to some like Canada outdoor brand, I went shopping last night. When I come to Canada, he always searching for a lot of good restaurants around the golf course and good shopping mall, and just have fun.
Q. What did you buy?
NA YEON CHOI: Actually I bought some hiking stuff from the outdoor ‑‑ what's it called, like Mountain ‑‑
Q. Columbia?
NA YEON CHOI: No, MEF. It's only in Canada, I heard that.
Q. Have you had some good meals in Canada?
NA YEON CHOI: Yeah, not like traditional Canada food, it's more ‑‑ I think always I can find a good restaurant around the golf course, and it's always nice to have a good meal during a tournament, even like today I might go find some good restaurant. There is a lot of Korean restaurants and Japanese restaurants, so I might go there.
Q. You've got Inbee on your heels chasing you. What's that like?
NA YEON CHOI: Inbee? Actually I haven't looked at a leaderboard, so I didn't no idea. Actually we had dinner together last night because she won last week, so she tried to buy ‑‑
Q. She had to take you out to dinner?
NA YEON CHOI: Yeah. I saw So Yeon and I.K. played well today, too, so that's from all Inbee's power we shared.
Q. She said 20‑under maybe; is it hard to say?
NA YEON CHOI: Oh, this week?
Q. Inbee was saying she thought 20‑under might win.
NA YEON CHOI: Oh, really? I haven't think about that lower. Actually I was thinking like under 15, but after my score today, which means ‑‑ if I shoot like 8‑under, I think everyone could shoot like 8‑under, so we will see.
Q. Where did you guys eat last night?
NA YEON CHOI: We went to like Japanese‑Korean food.
Q. Like sushi?
NA YEON CHOI: Sushi, but they have a lot of Korean menu, so we ordered like Korean.
Q. How many of you?
NA YEON CHOI: Four. So it was like a whole International Crown Korean team member, I.K. Kim, and So Yeon Ryu and me and Inbee.
Q. Inbee paid the bill?
NA YEON CHOI: Yeah.
Q. Has your caddie been your long‑term caddie?
NA YEON CHOI: My caddie?
Q. The one you have now.
NA YEON CHOI: We worked since like April this year, and then also he helped me last year at British Open. I mean, obviously I finished well at the British Open last year. I finished second. That's why we have a good feeling for each other, so I called him this year beginning of the season, and then he said okay, and we worked together.
Rolex Rankings No. 10 Anna Nordqvist (-7)
ANNA NORDQVIST: I played great today, hit most of the fairways and most of the greens and felt like I had pretty good speed on the greens, left a couple short at the end. But overall very happy with the start and my game feels solid.
Q. Putter was working well for you; even at 17 you had that long putt and you almost drained that.
ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, overall I had a lot of good putts that I hit that I didn't make, and I had some putts that I made, too. So I'm obviously very happy that my putting is coming along. So Yeon played great today, and I'm two behind. I can't ask for more for the first day.
Q. Just a quick comment on the greens. As you know, we've had problems over the winter. They did a lot of work to get this course ready. Did they roll pretty true?
ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, the course is great. It's a treat to come here. Some of them were a little bit bumpy, but it's been a long day, a lot of play on these greens. But overall you can put yourself in position to make a lot of birdies out here, and that's what I felt I did. It's going to be a fun tournament, this one.
Q. Is it fun when you're playing so well together when you're in the same group and also pushing each other?
ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, absolutely. She made nine birdies today and I made seven, so it's definitely ‑‑ it gives you a lot of momentum, a lot of positive energy, just seeing a lot of birdies.
Rolex Rankings No. 16 Azahara Munoz (-6)
Q. We're here with Azahara Muñoz. Great opening round 66. What was working for you out there today?
AZAHARA MUNOZ: I think everything was working. I think I hit my driver extremely well, I think I hit 14 out of 14 fairways. I'm pretty long, so that put me in very good situations, and I hit many, many good shots, too, into the greens. On the front nine my putter was pretty hot, so I got to make quite a few nice putts and get it rolling.
Q. How do you feel about course conditions? Greens rolling pretty good, and was it pretty soft out there?
AZAHARA MUNOZ: Yeah, it was really soft. It was nice because you could really fire at the pins even with long irons into these pins, and the course is perfect. The greens are super nice. They roll really good, and the fairways, too, so it's a great golf course.
Q. You had a couple good playing partners out there today, too, in Lydia and Lexi. You all played pretty well, though. Did you guys play off each other at all today?
AZAHARA MUNOZ: I think so. It's always nice when you play with people that you like, especially when everybody is playing well because everybody is in a good mood, and that gets things going, too. I think I've played with Lexi about every single tournament this year, but it's only my second time with Lydia, and she's just so sweet, so I love playing with her.
Q. You've been playing pretty well lately. How would you describe the overall state of your game?
AZAHARA MUNOZ: I'm playing really well. I'm finally hitting my driver really well and my irons really well. Normally my long game is pretty good, and I was struggling the last couple months a little bit with that, so now it's back, I think, it's back, and as long as I made a few putts out there, it's always going to be a good round.
Q. You expect low scores the rest of the way here?
AZAHARA MUNOZ: I think so. Maybe not as low as today, but I think it's going to be a low one, this one.
Rolex Rankings No. 138 Danielle Kang (-6)
Q. Just want to run me through the round, 6‑under, got to be pretty pleased with that?
DANIELLE KANG: Today I teed off, just wanted to post a really good score. It was early in the day. I felt great coming out. My game's been building week to week, and I knew the greens were really receptive from the rain and it's not firm. I just played really aggressive today. I just went at every pin. I knew the balls weren't going to play as much, so I just went with my gut and I saw a couple of the putts rolling. The greens are in amazing shape despite ‑‑
Q. Golf course is great, huh?
DANIELLE KANG: Despite what it went through, it's wonderful. I really like ‑‑ the greens are very true, and also it was just one of the days where the greens are very receptive so you just go at the pins, throwing darts.
Q. What happened on 9 there? Pretty big to end with a birdie there?
DANIELLE KANG: I had a pitching wedge. I almost holed out three times today, including that it's four.
The 7th hole, I had the same shot similar to that and I came up an inch short. I just replayed that shot in my head and put the same feeling in the 9th hole. I kind of like looking down on the hole. I think that's Nicklaus' style of course. I don't know who designed this, but I really like ‑‑
Q. Robert Trent Jones?
DANIELLE KANG: I love Robert. That's what it is. I love being able to see the holes on downhill shots. I really liked it. I wanted to be aggressive, just threw a dart at it and it just stuck.
Q. Just went for it?
DANIELLE KANG: Yeah.
Q. Had a good finish last week, too, didn't you?
DANIELLE KANG: I finished bogey‑bogey on the last two holes and then finished 25th, I believe.
But I'm trying to pull myself together. I had a couple of rough years, so I just decided to pull myself together and get this starting to roll kind of thing.
Q. Putter has been the thing you have complained about and said has been your issue, is that accurate?
DANIELLE KANG: A while back. My old putter made a comeback three weeks ago.
Q. What putter is that?
DANIELLE KANG: That's my U.S. Amateur putter.
DANIELLE KANG: It's TaylorMade, center shafted Corza. I always said it was the ugliest putter, but I putt the best with it.
You know when there is a saying, Don't judge a book by its cover, I'm going to go with that line. I love him even if he's ugly. I love and I'm going to keep him. I've been putting better and better every week. He's staying in my bag.
Q. How important is putting this week? I would think it's almost ‑‑ Stacy was saying she thought you could have bunch of rounds here where you hit all 18 greens just because they're so big here.
DANIELLE KANG: The greens are so big. The fairways pretty wide. I mean, there are some bunkers that come into play as well.
I just think it's a putting contest. It's always been a putting contest. I realize in professional golf, you can't ball strike your way through. Putting is one of the most important things. If you are not comfortable with your putting, I don't think you are comfortable with your game. As soon as I was comfortable with my putter, I just more felt together with my game.
Q. Going back to the putter from the U.S. Am, is that anything there? Are you trying to go back to DANIELLE KANG: I am. I'm going back to it. I actually ditched that putter before in my amateur career, and I didn't ‑‑ when I first won in 2010, I told my dad, I don't like this putter.
He goes, Why do you not like the putter?
I'm like, it's just so ugly.
Then he's like, All right. I don't think you should change.
Then I played the Open, I played the Wegmans and all of those. I putted horrible. Then my dad goes, Put your putter back in the bag. I did and I won the North & South, British, I won the AM again, and then I ditched it.
Q. You would think you would learn something from that?
DANIELLE KANG: I think I'm going to learn something. I'm just going to keep it. I don't need to rock something that doesn't need ‑‑ the boat is sailing, just cruising, I don't need to rock anything.
Really happy with my putter. TaylorMade makes great putters and they've designed hundreds of putters for me, but ‑‑
Q. That's the one.
DANIELLE KANG: ‑‑ nothing feels as comfortable as that one.
Q. Are there any other parts of your game you're trying to get back to?
DANIELLE KANG: My short game, just trying to get better at my short game, get more confidence in my iron shots. Those are the things where I just ‑‑ around the greens are where I need to just improve, and I've just been working on it really hard the last few weeks.
I also got a new short game coach, Gabriel. I can't say his last name. I could text it to you.
Q. That would be great.
DANIELLE KANG: Don't say that I can't say the last name. I got a new coach. He used to be a PGA player, and he's a Swedish guy. You might know him. Gabriel.
Anyways, he helped me a lot with my short game, my putting and my releasing the putts. I got a new ball‑striking coach Brian Mogg. I just got a new team going on, and I really like it. I got my old caddie back.
Q. Who was your old coach?
DANIELLE KANG: Brady Riggs.
Q. Who else does Mo coach?
DANIELLE KANG: Mogg, Brian Mogg. He teaches Amy Yang, Caroline Masson, Meena Lee.
Q. A lot of them.
DANIELLE KANG: Amy introduced me to him, and I really liked him, something about his ‑‑ the teaching.
He came out this week and he watched me for one hole. That's all he did. He just goes, All right. I'm leaving.
I said, Okay.
He's goes, You're good to go. Just keep working on your short game and you'll be good. Okay, you're right. He said, Don't change that putter.
I go, Okay.
Q. What was it about the short game that he was looking to fix?
DANIELLE KANG: Gabriel? He wanted me to be less technical. And I had just been worrying about too much of the outcome. The thing that my coaches Gabriel and Brian always told me, your mentality is good. It's sometimes your technique. So I've been working on releasing the club head and feeling the shots more with my club head than my hands, if that makes sense.
Q. Yeah, that makes sense.
DANIELLE KANG: I worked really hard for the last couple of months, and I'm starting to see my game come together, which I'm really happy about.
Q. Have you always been more of a technical player or more of a feel player?
DANIELLE KANG: I'm a feel player, but sometimes somebody says maybe it's your course management, maybe it's the way you're doing this, maybe it's this.
Q. Makes you think about everything?
DANIELLE KANG: Everything. But my coach goes, No, no, no. Your course management is great. Sometimes I think you need to practice this, so you don't have the technical issue out there.
So I go, that makes way more sense than someone telling me you don't know course management. Everyone knows how to play golf at this level. That made my feel really great. Just been working a lot of things, gaining distances, reaching par‑5s. After you reach the par‑5s, you can't three‑putt. I'm working on that. Just everything is coming together. It's always a process.
DANIELLE KANG: Still going to attack the pin. As long as the greens are receptive, I'm going to still play aggressive.
This is such a beautiful golf course, it is. Everything is so green. I was telling them today, This is so quiet. There's so many trees. I love everything about this golf course. I love rivers.
Anyways, beyond that point, there are some holes that you have to be conservative about, middle of the green and you've got to two‑putt, like No. 8. I'm not going to attack that pin, I don't care how aggressive I get. Went for the middle of the green, had a 15‑footer and I lipped out my putt.
Q. You'll take it and move on?
DANIELLE KANG: Sometimes you got to take it and move on. I was told not to be greedy, so I'm not going to get greedy.
Q. Inbee was saying if then conditions stay like this, she thinks it might take 20‑under to win this. Is that something you agree with?
DANIELLE KANG: I think so. Because I think you got to be going low every day, especially when the greens are this receptive. People are going to be throwing darts at the pin. You're not going to be playing ten yards short and roll it up. 153, you're going to land it 150.
Q. That's nice.
DANIELLE KANG: Everyone is going to play it at the pins, which will be great.
Rolex Rankings No. 2 Inbee Park (-6)
Q. Great start again. Run us through it.
INBEE PARK: Yeah, it was a very good round today. I didn't have any bogeys today, and also with the rain yesterday, the greens were a little bit softer, so I was able to play aggressive and go for the pins. I hit a lot of good shots out there. I hit one really close on No. 17 to about five or six feet and missed that one, and it was for charity, so I really wanted to make it. I missed probably about three five‑ or six‑footers, and except for that, I think it was a perfect round.
Q. Good round to build off what you did last weekend?
INBEE PARK: Yeah, I think so. It's a really good start, and obviously on this golf course everybody is going to score low. I still have a ways to go. I think I have to be more than 20‑under par to win out here, so I'm trying to get there.
Q. So ball‑striking was better than the putting today?
INBEE PARK: Yeah, I mean, ball‑striking was almost perfect today. I didn't hit anything really further than probably 15 feet. Yeah, everything was pretty much right on line. These greens, they didn't have much breaks in them, but I misread them, a couple of them. Hopefully I'll play a little bit better tomorrow and hole some more putts.
Q. Your good friend Na Yeon is at the top with 8‑under. How strong is that?
INBEE PARK: I'm just very happy that she's really breaking through and she's playing well. I'm just really excited to see her playing really well, and obviously if we get to play together in the third round or fourth round, I think it'll be very exciting. Yeah, it'll be fun.
Q. Do you feel any differently after winning a major?
INBEE PARK: I feel more relaxed. I just got done what I needed to do, so yeah, I probably feel a little bit less pressure, and yeah, you're not really searching for the trophy like so badly anymore, so you have a little bit more ‑‑ I think you have probably less pressure.
Q. When you see a lot of players get up to 14, 15 years old, why do you think so many players develop so young or are hyped up so young?
INBEE PARK: I think, you know, how they really grow up, and since there's so many good junior tournaments and good amateur tournaments that they can play in and they can play competitive since they were such a young age, and I think that really helps them to play well at such an early age.
Q. What's the key to staying on that path, when you're so great at a young age like you were able to do, to not get distracted or kind of fall off from that?
INBEE PARK: I think you just can't lose interest on what you're doing, especially it's hard traveling and golfing and obviously being away from your family and all that. But you've just got to work on that and try to enjoy what you're doing.
Rolex Rankings No. 129 Xi Yu Lin (-6)
Q. We're here with Xi Yu Lin. Great round today. You head to the clubhouse right now in second place in this tournament. How was the course playing today?
XI YU LIN: I think today I start early, so at first I'm a little bit cold. So first I start from 10; I didn't make birdie there.
But I think my putting is great today. I made lots of the putts from five yards, eight yards, which is pretty tough.
My iron is pretty good and my driver, like so‑so. Just very satisfied with my putting.
Q. You said your driver was so‑so. What are you not liking about it at this point?
XI YU LIN: It goes left, right, right. Because the fairway is pretty wide here and some of the holes, I need to get the right kick but I just missed by like five or ten yards left or right.
It's still fine, but I can make myself some more opportunity, I think.
Q. How do you feel like the greens are rolling today?
XI YU LIN: The greens are pretty good. I mean, because I hear that at the start of the year, they have the big trouble of the greens. I think the course is in good condition and the grass is fine. It's not very bumpy. I think it's just me, because I am putting a lot.
Q. Is there a potential for this course to shoot a lot of low scores?
XI YU LIN: Yeah, I think so.
Q. You shot a very low score. How comfortable are you going into the final three days?
XI YU LIN: Well, because this is my first year on LPGA, and this is the lowest round I play. I like this course and I like today's putting, it's really make me feel comfortable. So I just keep going and hopefully have a good finish.
Q. And you're excited for tomorrow now because of such a low score?
XI YU LIN: I excited for every day.
Rolex Rankings No. 301 Jennifer Kirby (-5)
Q. Good playing today.
JENNIFER KIRBY: Yeah, bogey‑free round. I took advantage of the par‑5s for the most part and hit it close on a few and didn't really make any big mistakes.
Q. You're from Missouri; how familiar were you with this course before this tournament?
JENNIFER KIRBY: I hadn't played it at all. I ran up about a month ago because I had a commitment on the Monday so I knew I wouldn't play. I just played nine on Tuesday and the pro‑am yesterday.
Q. Last week you had a good round, a first round 67, and not quite so good the second round. Are you going to be able to take anything from last week so you can have a second consecutive good round tomorrow?
JENNIFER KIRBY: Yeah, like I said before, it was just a learning experience, and I'm glad I had that now, especially going into tomorrow's round, but I mean, I definitely played a lot better that round compared to this round. I think this course is very scorable, so I think that that was ‑‑ it was a good round today, but yeah, still a lot to do out there.
Q. What was it like playing with all the Canadian girls today?
JENNIFER KIRBY: Yeah, it was nice. Just to have friends in your group is always nice.
Q. And talk about the gallery. I think you guys had the biggest gallery all day.
JENNIFER KIRBY: Yeah, we had a really great following, so that was really nice, the whole round long people were cheering us on.
World Amateur No. 2 Brooke Henderson (-2)
Q. Rebecca was just saying she got a lot of love out there. Is that a different golf experience than you're used to with all the Canadians out there?
BROOKE HENDERSON: It was awesome. The support out there was amazing. They clapped for everything, which was great, and playing with two other Canadians and having an all‑Canadian group was so much fun. They're great friends. I've known them for a long time. Having such support from family and friends and my playing partners was great.
Q. Do you feel like you left any shots out there that could have made a difference?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, definitely. I hit the ball great all day. I hit a lot of greens and had a lot of opportunities for birdie, and they didn't fall today, but hopefully over the next couple days they'll make up for it.
Q. How do you feel about the setup of the course so far, challenging or fair?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Definitely fair. It's a great track, it's beautiful, one of my favorite courses that I've played. Over the next couple days they'll probably toughen it up a little bit. The key to this course is you have to hit the fairways. The rough is so thick and so deep, and today I managed to stay out of it for the most part, which was great.
Q. Just a comment about London golf. You've won out at Fire Rock here, playing at London Hunt, getting a lot of support from local events.
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, definitely. I think playing at Fire Rock two or three weeks ago really helped because I saw a lot of women that were there watching that day are here following today, also. I had a great run when I was there, minus 13 for two days, so hopefully I can get a good run together and match that.
Q. I think you played over here the day after you won at Fire Rock, so that's really helping you this week?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, definitely. I came up here three weeks ago with (inaudible) Alexander and my sister and another member, and they were able to show me around the course and some keys to the course. Two or three weeks ago the greens were in rough shape. They had a really hard winter here, and they've worked really, really hard to get them the way they are. I mean, the course is in immaculate condition, and I'm really impressed with all of the work that they've done.
Q. You always see poa get a little bumpy toward the end of the day, but was it any bumpier than usual?
BROOKE HENDERSON: At the end of the day, there were a lot of spike marks. You've got to expect that. But no, they're rolling really nice.
Q. In these type of tournaments, you play in the morning one day and then the afternoon the next day and vice versa. Which do you prefer to do, the morning first or the afternoon?
BROOKE HENDERSON: I love mornings. I love practicing early in the morning. Like these tournaments you have to play one afternoon, one early, but I have a great draw and great playing partners, and 1:30 and 8:30, it's good.
Q. You're not really a typical teenager that likes to sleep in?
BROOKE HENDERSON: No, I wouldn't say so.
Q. What about the pairings, three Canadians, kind of pretty cool, right?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, it was. It was so much fun. Like I said, I've known them for a very long time. They grew up with my older sister, Brittany, and they played on the national team with her. So I've known them since I was seven, eight years old, and I've always just sort of grown up watching them play and wanted to be like them and my sister. So it's cool to get to play with them and just get to talk to them about their lives now playing out on Tour.
Q. And being comfortable with them, too, did that help your game a bit?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, definitely. Over the last couple years I've gotten a lot more comfortable on the big stage, and I've gotten to know more pros, and playing with good friends today made it even that much more comfortable.
Q. Talk about the success you and Lydia Ko have had as teenagers. It seems like there's more female golfers who have success as teenagers than on the men's side. Any idea why that is?
BROOKE HENDERSON: Yeah, there's a ton of young golfers out here, that's for sure. Lydia Ko is amazing, and so is Lexi Thompson, who's really young, and Charley Hull, just to name a couple. It's great to be out here against the best in the world, and hopefully over the next couple years I'll be out here full‑time.
Rolex Rankings No. 222 Rebecca Lee-Betham (-2)
KARIN SJODIN: It went in.
Q. Did you celebrate?
KARIN SJODIN: Of course.
Q. What did you do? Did you jump?
KARIN SJODIN: No. I had my mom. She's here. She came last night late, so it was good to have her here. And Tom, of course. It was one of the few solid shots today.
Q. What club was it and how far?
KARIN SJODIN: Was it 133? And it was like a tiny 9‑iron.
Q. How many is that for you?
KARIN SJODIN: Seven.
Q. Is that for sure?
KARIN SJODIN: Yes. My mom thought it was four, but ‑‑
Q. Did it fly in or kind of trickle ‑‑
KARIN SJODIN: It landed about three feet short to the right and then kind of trickled in. It looks good in the air, too, though. It's kind of one of those where you enjoy it the whole way.
Q. How many on Tour?
KARIN SJODIN: I had one in a European Tour event last year before I got injured and then two in the Swedish Championship, but this was the first, I guess, real LPGA one. Awesome.
Q. Are the kids, Brooke and them, bold enough to approach you for advice?
LORI KANE: Yes, Brooke has.
Q. Or do you seek them out?
LORI KANE: No, they have to come to me. I think it's important that they get comfortable with their surroundings.
Nicole Vandermade and I have worked a lot and talked a lot and played a lot of golf over the last couple of years in Florida once she finished school.
Brooke, we play practice rounds when we can. Unfortunately, this week we both were very busy at the beginning of the week and weren't able to do that. Brooke has sought me out, just like Nicole has.
I'm here for any of them that want to chat or play a little bit or just ask questions. I mean, I've been doing this a long time. I leaned on other Canadians, Dawn and Gayle and Lisa Walters to help me out when I needed it. So I'm here to help if I can.
Q. When you were 16, 17 did you get to play the amount of golf that these kids ‑‑
LORI KANE: No. I call them professional amateurs. When I was 16 or 17, I was working in the golf shop trying to have enough money to go play in amateur tournaments. I didn't turn pro until I was 29.
So I didn't play college golf. I played college basketball or university basketball and field hockey. I think these kids are more one‑dimensional, sport‑dimensional. Golf Canada and the programs that they have are helping them do what they do and I think that's great.
Q. And are they good enough athletes?
LORI KANE: They are good athletes. One of the things that Nicole stands out to me, she would be a hell of a basketball player and was in high school.
Brooke comes from a hockey background and a goalie background for that. Goalies are little bit out there on their own anyway. None of this surprises me.
Q. When you see a field of 15 Canadians, does that make you feel good about the status of golf in this country?
LORI KANE: I do, yeah. Quality players and we're only getting better. I think ‑‑ well, I know, I don't have to think this. But Jen Kirby had a really good amateur career and is learning her way on the professional side. I think there is adjustment period from amateur ranks to professional ranks.
We have seen Brooke have success in tournaments, but she's still an amateur. When you cross over that line, there is a learning curve. I still like to keep them comfortable, keep supporting them. The Young Pro Initiative by Golf Canada will help that. You are out there on your own earning a living, that putt means something, a little bit more than just hoisting the trophy.
Q. You see a lot of golfers who get a lot of hype when they're 14, 15, 16 years old. What is the key for them to stay on that path and not ‑‑
LORI KANE: I think it's just stay out of their own way, and that comes from encouragement from the adults in their lives and not to make a big deal out of what they're doing.
I gave some advice to Brooke. I said, Don't read your own press. It's just not worth it. Because for very good thing you will do, somebody might not think it's that good. As long as you're on your path and you follow your own goals and you set legitimate goals and things you want to improve on, which she's doing ‑‑ that's fun for me to watch. She wanted to succeed, came up a little short at the U.S. Open Am, but that's only going to make her stronger.
Q. Brooke was playing with Jennifer Kirby, did you ever play in an all Canadian group before?
LORI KANE: All Canadian group? I don't think so. I don't think I've ever played an all Canadian group in this. I know Brooke and I have played together at Manulife. We had a Sunday pairing, which was fun, because anything I could do, she could do better. No, I don't think so.
Q. Cool to see that?
LORI KANE: Yeah, I think it's great. I think it's really good for the fans to come out and watch. It's nice for them to play together and see where everybody is at.
MI HYANG LEE
Q. Talk about the course conditions. Good scoring today, soft greens?
MI HYANG LEE: It's not, like more faster and they're more harder than practice round, so mine is pretty good, and they're faster.
I played in the morning, so the course is pretty wet until No. 14, but course condition is very good, and then I like the green speed, yes, it's better.
Q. So the greens were not really slow then?
MI HYANG LEE: Yeah, it's not really slow. In the practice round it's really slow, but like much better.
Q. But not much roll on the fairways, though, because they were wet?
MI HYANG LEE: Yeah, right, but on the green it's a little firm, so a lot of bounce, when I hit a low iron.
Q. You're near the top of the leaderboard. How was your game overall? Great putting.
MI HYANG LEE: I think my shot is good, but my putt is really great.
Q. Putting?
MI HYANG LEE: Yes, putting. Putting is best.
Q. How have you played this year?
MI HYANG LEE: Much better than last year. Last year I got 92 in the ranking, but now is 46, so much better, yeah.
Q. What could this event do for you?
MI HYANG LEE: This event? Just I like Canada. Like when I'm young, I draw the Canadian flag when I was elementary school homework, I draw the Canadian picture. I like Canada, so when I come to Canada, pretty good play always.
Q. Why did you choose the Canadian flag? You just liked it?
MI HYANG LEE: Just I want to come here to Canada one time when I was young, but yeah. Just I like it.
Q. Do you know how old you were when you first came to Canada? Really young?
MI HYANG LEE: No, just two years ago, Waterloo.
Q. Manulife?
MI HYANG LEE: Yeah, Manulife, the tournament.
Q. So you like this part of Canada then?
MI HYANG LEE: I think much better than Waterloo here. Here is much better.
SARA‑MAUDE JUNEAU
Q. How did you feel about your round today?
SARA‑MAUDE JUNEAU: I feel good. I was just here to have some fun and putts started to fall in. I made one or two mistakes at the end that I think I could have been lower, but in general I'm really happy.
Q. Course conditions kind of favorable for shooting a lot of low scores today but throughout the weekend?
SARA‑MAUDE JUNEAU: I think it is. The thing is you've got to stay in the fairway because if you go in the rough it's definitely penalizing because it's really thick, but if you stay in the fairway and you're accurate with your irons, it's definitely scorable.
Q. How many more events are you playing?
SARA‑MAUDE JUNEAU: I have three more on the Epson Tour. We are in off weeks now, so that turned out to be good for me, and then I have another week off after this, and we have three more, and then that's it.
Q. Do you think you can get from 17 to 10?
SARA‑MAUDE JUNEAU: I'm trying real hard. I've done it before, so you know, it's definitely doable. Everybody is playing well right now, so I think it's good for me to be here and get some experience, and I think I can bring that in two weeks.
Q. Would it help if you made the cut?
SARA‑MAUDE JUNEAU: Yeah, definitely. Yeah, it's definitely one of my goals is to just keep improving. I've always put pressure when it's the Canadian Open because you're Canadian and you want to play well. But this week I just went in there and was like, I'm just going to have fun this week, and it's been good, I had fun today.
Q. It seems like everybody other than Brooke is taking the approach of just enjoying themselves.
SARA‑MAUDE JUNEAU: Yeah, everybody ‑‑ I know maybe how Brooke feels because it's tough to play in front of your country, your crowd, your people, but in general, yeah, I'm just trying to have fun because I know if I put pressure it's not going to work.
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