Jin Young Ko: Cambia Champion

THE MODERATOR: Really happy to be here with Jin Young Ko, winner of the 2021 Cambia Portland Classic.

Jin Young, you came here off several weeks off. Did you think your first event back would be a win?

JIN YOUNG KO: No, I didn’t. Yeah. I spent a great time in Korea after the Olympics, maybe over six or seven weeks. I had a lot of practice with my same coach and I had a lot of workouts, three times or four times each week. My body weight is getting higher so, (laughing) but I had a great week this week and I’m so happy for the name on the trophy. Yeah, it’s a great win, I think.

THE MODERATOR: Absolutely. It was a great week for you. I wanted to go to 18, to your final putt. That was a long putt and great to drain in for the win. Did you know you had that putt? Did you think that you had that putt in you.

JIN YOUNG KO: Yes, I did. But I was thinking, I just make 2-putt easy, but the ball goes in, so, who knows.

Q. How long was the putt?

JIN YOUNG KO: I guess, oh, 7 meters. Yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Overall, what was the course like today considering how much rain we got? Do you think the course conditions were able to help you at all? You played bogey-free today.

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah. I really wanted to play yesterday, but we couldn’t play. I tried to make a no bogey-free round today, but I made it. I had a lot of missed shots and I had a lot of missed chipping or something, so I had to make great par saves, but I made it.

And this course was really amazing, perfectly clearing, and fairways and greens are really perfect. So I can’t wait to play for next year.

THE MODERATOR: What did you do yesterday?

JIN YOUNG KO: Well, we went to the H Mart with my parents and my manager and I bought Korean food, some Korea food and ice cream. So I ate ice cream and I watched, I was watching Netflix, Korean drama and taking a rest. Yeah, I took a rest.

THE MODERATOR: The nice thing about this golf course. You can work off the ice cream, right?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yes. (Laughing).

THE MODERATOR: A good workout on this golf course.

JIN YOUNG KO: Yes, I think so.

THE MODERATOR: Outside of the win, what were some of the highlights of the week for you?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah, I went to the Columbia mall. So I bought a lot of things. Like, inside this one were a lot of great jackets or hiking shoes and it was fun, with my parents.

THE MODERATOR: Glad to have your parents here with you?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yes.

Her parents got the chance to see a win like this in Texas

THE MODERATOR: Have they seen you win before?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yes, in Texas.

THE MODERATOR: So two this year.

JIN YOUNG KO: It ridiculous, you know? I want to win without my parents, but this year, I had two wins with my parents. But we’ll see what’s going to happen for next three weeks.

THE MODERATOR: Are they going with you the next three weeks?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yes.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Well, then you’re going to win four in a row.

JIN YOUNG KO: We’ll see. (Laughing).

Her thoughts on the course

THE MODERATOR: What are your thoughts on this golf course, on the challenge it was, but you played so solid over the three days?

JIN YOUNG KO: It was like fairways really narrow and greens are too, so we had to hit it straight to the fairway or even green as well and greens are really fast so we had to make sure great speed on it. But I did a great job this week.

THE MODERATOR: You mentioned him in your speech, but Tom Maletis, who is retiring, if you wouldn’t mind just saying what it means to the LPGA players to have people like Tom and Cambia and Oregon Golf Club, who support women’s golf and support you.

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah, I want to say thank you for who supports the LPGA Tour, even Tom or a lot of people are behind us. So I want to say thank you to all and Cambia, this year is the 50th anniversary, so I want to say congratulations and thank you.

THE MODERATOR: I know you’re on a plane tonight to go out to the next event, this was the first of four weeks in a row. How do you manage playing four weeks in a row to keep yourself from getting too tired or too stressed.

JIN YOUNG KO: Well, yeah, four weeks in a row is really tiring and tough, but two weeks is like just three days and, you know, not bad. And then after that I go back to Korea and then I will keep reminding myself, Okay, I can go back to Korea after New Jersey. So it will help me a lot.

Q. What can you say about coming to Oregon, the beauty of Oregon, the state, and your experience here, the nature and the other stuff?

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah, I love this place. I like this weather, even — well I like this weather, like rain, but today it wasn’t rain, but I like this, like British weather, I like this. Even a few days ago it was perfect, so I went to the park, anyway, it’s a famous one, and I went there with my caddie and parents and Sue and we hiked, we went hiking, and the weather was really good. Yeah, and I heard there’s a lot of good wine here. I love drinking wine (laughing). Do you have wine right now? (Laughing).

THE MODERATOR: We can get you some.

JIN YOUNG KO: Oh, thank you.

THE MODERATOR: Yes, lots of good wine here. Definitely next year we can get a wine tour next year.

JIN YOUNG KO: Yeah, a winery.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Well, congratulations, we’ll see you down the road and we’ll see you here next year.

JIN YOUNG KO: Okay. Thank you.

Interview Transcript by Asap Sports