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The rookies of the 2008 LPGA Tour are beginning to make a name for themselves. Get to know the rookies as they share their thoughts on a few topics. Keep checking back in the weeks leading up to the season to find out more about your favorite rookies as LPGA.com shares some insight into their lives.
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How do you feel about earning your 2008 LPGA Tour card? |
|
Rookie |
Country |
Answer |
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| Sofie Andersson |
Sweden |
I am very excited! |
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| Chris Brady |
United States |
Ecstatic. I'm getting to live a dream. I'm extremely grateful. |
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| Emma Cabrera-Bello |
Spain |
I feel I have accomplished what I wanted to do this year. I also earned a fully exempt LET card earlier this winter which rounds up a great year. |
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| Amie Cochran |
United States |
I feel good. It should be fun. |
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| Shanshan Feng |
China |
I am very happy and excited. |
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| Louise Friberg |
Sweden |
I am really excited! In 2005 I set a goal to be on the LPGA in 2008 and now I am! |
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| Sandra Gal |
Germany |
Super-duper EXCITED! |
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| Anna Grezbien |
United States |
I'm excited about starting the journey. |
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Russy Gulyanamitta
(not a rookie) |
United States |
I feel great. It's just the beginning. |
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| Nicole Hage |
United States |
I'm disappointed that I did not earn exempt status but I feel that I learned a lot from this experience and hopefully I'll be able to play in a few events this year. |
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| Liz Janangelo |
United States |
I feel very proud. |
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| Hannah Jun |
United States |
Well kind of disappointed because I don't have full status but really excited for the future. |
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| Hwanhee Lee |
South Korea |
Relieved but sad because it's not full status. |
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| Taylor Leon |
United States |
So excited! I am a lucky person to fulfill a dream at such a young age! |
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| Carolina Llano |
Colombia |
Very excited and looking forward to playing. |
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| Anja Monke |
Germany |
It was a good experience for me. We will see how much I can make out of it. |
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| Sarah Oh |
South Korea |
Excited. |
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| Anna Rawson |
Australia |
Fantastic! So excited to begin living my dream. |
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| Violeta Retamoza |
Mexico |
One of the biggest excitements I have ever had in my life. |
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| Onnarin Sattayabanphot |
Thailand |
It's pretty cool to be a part of the LPGA. I got non-exempt status but I fell like I've learned many things from this event. |
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| Ashleigh Simon |
South Africa |
Well I'm disappointed that I missed my full card by one shot but I'm sure I'll get a few starts which makes that a bit easier. |
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| Yani Tseng |
Taiwan |
I'm the happiest person in the world. |
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| Momoko Ueda |
Japan |
This is just the beginning. |
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| Sukjin Lee Wuesthoff |
South Korea |
I feel very excited and happy. |
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| Eunjung Yi |
South Korea |
Happy... |
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What tournament are you looking forward to the most? |
|
Rookie |
Country |
Answer |
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| Sofie Andersson |
Sweden |
The first tournament when you have the whole year ahead of you. Lots of opportunities! |
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| Chris Brady |
United States |
The ADT Championship because it's a go for broke tournament for $1 million. |
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| Emma Cabrera-Bello |
Spain |
The Solheim Cup. As a European it is a great honor to be picked for the team. |
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| Amie Cochran |
United States |
The U.S. Women's Open because each Open feels like the very first one I played. |
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| Shanshan Feng |
China |
The U.S. Women's Open because I didn't make the cut last year. |
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| Louise Friberg |
Sweden |
I am looking forward to the Safeway International in Phoenix since my sister lives there and my parents are probably going to come out to watch. I'm also looking forward to the event in Portland since I have some good friends there. |
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| Sandra Gal |
Germany |
The British Open |
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| Anna Grezbien |
United States |
The Kraft Nabisco Championship because if you get into that event you're doing well for yourself! |
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Russy Gulyanamitta
(not a rookie) |
United States |
The first tournament in Hawaii because I've been waiting to compete in my first full season and Hawaii is so beautiful. |
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| Nicole Hage |
United States |
I love playing the U.S. Women's Open. I feel like it's the tournament for your country. Also, the Navistar tournament in Pratville because it's near Auburn and I love the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail courses. |
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| Liz Janangelo |
United States |
The Sybase Classic because it is close to home so friends and family can come and watch. |
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| Jimin Jeong |
South Korea |
The U.S. Women's Open because it is the largest women's golf tournament in the world. |
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| Hannah Jun |
United States |
Wherever my first tournament is because it will be my debut. |
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| Hwanhee Lee |
South Korea |
The U.S. Women's Open because it's the biggest tournament of the year and I get to compete against the best players from around the world. |
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| Taylor Leon |
United States |
All of them. To be able to play in any LPGA event is such a privilege and I just feel really lucky. |
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| Carolina Llano |
Colombia |
All of them. I'm very excited. One of my biggest dreams has come true and I'm sure I will enjoy it as much as possible. |
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| Anja Monke |
Germany |
All the events I can get in! |
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| Sarah Oh |
South Korea |
Everyone of them. I want to experience the competitiveness. |
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| Anna Rawson |
Australia |
The tournaments in Mexico because I have never been and I want to try out my terrible Spanish. |
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| Violeta Retamoza |
Mexico |
The U.S. Women's Open because I've always wanted to play in that tournament. |
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| Onnarin Sattayabanphot |
Thailand |
The first tournament I get in because it's always been my dream to play on the LPGA Tour. |
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| Ashleigh Simon |
South Africa |
Which ever one I get into. |
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| Yani Tseng |
Taiwan |
The U.S. Women's Open |
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| Momoko Ueda |
Japan |
The U.S. Women's Open |
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| Sukjin Lee Wuesthoff |
South Korea |
Hawaii, because I've never been to Hawaii and I want to go. |
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| Eunjung Yi |
South Korea |
The U.S. Women's Open because of big money. |
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Who are you looking forward to meeting the most on Tour? |
|
Rookie |
Country |
Answer |
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| Sofie Andersson |
Sweden |
Everyone. I can't wait to be a part of the crowd on the LPGA. |
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| Chris Brady |
United States |
Nancy Lopez because she has my same birthday and my mom used to compete with her as an amateur. |
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| Emma Cabrera-Bello |
Spain |
I'm looking forward to meeting any Hall of Famers who are still active on Tour. Their game and experience is something I want to learn from. |
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| Shanshan Feng |
China |
I'm looking forward to hanging out with Yani Tseng and Hee Young Park because we are friends. |
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| Louise Friberg |
Sweden |
The fans! And to get to know the players out there. |
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| Sandra Gal |
Germany |
I am looking forward to meeting Lorena Ochoa because she seems like a really nice person and inspiring golfer. |
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Russy Gulyanamitta
(not a rookie) |
United States |
Natalie Gulbis because my friends are crazy about her. I want to ask for her autograph. |
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| Nicole Hage |
United States |
The veterans. I want to learn as much as I can! |
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| Liz Janangelo |
United States |
I'm looking forward to meeting up with my fellow former Blue Devil teammates and alumni. |
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| Jimin Jeong |
South Korea |
Lorena Ochoa because she plays really well, makes a lot of money, wins a lot of tournaments, and is so powerful. |
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| Hannah Jun |
United States |
All the fans, because they are our support group. |
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| Hwanhee Lee |
South Korea |
The fans and all the best players in the world. |
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| Taylor Leon |
United States |
Everyone! I think all the girls are amazing and I can't wait to join them out there! |
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| Carolina Llano |
Colombia |
Lorena Ochoa, even though I met her before. I would like to spend as much time as possible with her because she is a great golfer and also a great person. |
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| Anja Monke |
Germany |
I want to meet everybody! |
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| Sarah Oh |
South Korea |
Lorena Ochoa, because I want to hear about her experiences on how and what she worked on to improve her long game. |
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| Anna Rawson |
Australia |
The fans, because they are the reason we are able to play. |
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| Violeta Retamoza |
Mexico |
The veterans, because I think there is a lot of things I could learn from them. |
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| Onnarin Sattayabanphot |
Thailand |
Laura Davies, because she is my hero. |
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| Ashleigh Simon |
South Africa |
I've been fortunate to already play with Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam so that was awesome being able to meet with them. |
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| Yani Tseng |
Taiwan |
Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa. They are my idols and I hope I can be like them in a few years. |
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| Momoko Ueda |
Japan |
I've met many of the top players at the majors but I'm looking forward to seeing them again. |
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| Sukjin Lee Wuesthoff |
South Korea |
Mi Hyun Kim, because I think she is a great player and also a great person. |
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| Eunjung Yi |
South Korea |
Lorena Ochoa because she's a good player. |
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If you could pick a dream pairing who would it be and why? |
|
Rookie |
Country |
Answer |
| Sofie Andersson |
Sweden |
Jim Carrey, Henrik Larsson (Swedish soccer player), and Nancy Lopez |
| Chris Brady |
United States |
My mom, dad, and brother |
| Emma Cabrera-Bello |
Spain |
Laura Davies, Payne Stewart, Nancy Lopez, and Nick Faldo. All of them have been and still are unique golfers. |
| Amie Cochran |
United States |
Brad Pitt, Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, and Mickey Wright. Brad's hot, Arnie had his own army, Tiger is the best player in the world, and Mickey Wright was one of the best athletes to ever live. |
| Shanshan Feng |
China |
Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Lorena Ochoa. They are the best players in the history of golf. |
| Louise Friberg |
Sweden |
Karsten Solheim, my grandpa Bjorn "Basse" Friberg, and my sister Michaela |
| Sandra Gal |
Germany |
Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods because I would love to talk to them about their lives and experiences. |
| Anna Grzebien |
United States |
Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, and Tom Brady because they are all big-time champions. |
Russy Gulyanamitta
(not a rookie) |
United States |
Adam Scott, Fred Couples, and Laura Davies. They all hit it long and are laid back and nice. |
| Nicole Hage |
United States |
Tiger Woods, Karrie Webb, and Lorena Ochoa. I want to learn from the best. |
| Liz Janangelo |
United States |
My dad, brother, and grandfather. The three John's. |
| Jimin Jeong |
South Korea |
Se Ri Pak. She's the first Korean in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Ernie Els because I love his swing. Lorena Ochoa because she finished the season first on the money list. |
| Hannah Jun |
United States |
Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods and Nancy Lopez because I get a chance to play with the greats! |
| Hwanhee Lee |
South Korea |
Tiger Woods, K.J. Choi, and my brother because I respect their games. |
| Taylor Leon |
United States |
My dad and my two older brothers who play at OSU. I love my family so much, so anytime I can play with them I have the best time! |
| Carolina Llano |
Colombia |
Lorena Ochoa, Tiger Woods, and Camilo Villegas |
| Anja Monke |
Germany |
Tiger Woods because he is great. Kai, my boyfriend, because I love him. Annika Sorenstam because then we'll have a match! |
| Sarah Oh |
South Korea |
Lorena Ochoa, Morgan Pressel, and Karrie Webb |
| Anna Rawson |
Australia |
My late mother, Justin Timberlake (so I could get dance lessons afterwards) and Mark Wahlberg (because he's gorgeous, a good golfer, and I love his voice)! |
| Violeta Retamoza |
Mexico |
Lorena Ochoa and two other hispanic players |
| Onnarin Sattayabanphot |
Thailand |
My uncle, dad, and mom because my mom has never played a round of golf before and it would be fun to take her out with my dad, my uncle and I. |
| Ashleigh Simon |
South Africa |
Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, and Annika Sorenstam |
| Yani Tseng |
Taiwan |
Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer since they are such dominant players in their respective eras. |
| Momoko Ueda |
Japan |
Lorena Ochoa, Karrie Webb, and Annika Sorenstam |
| Sukjin Lee Wuesthoff |
South Korea |
Christina Kim, Inbee Park and Angela Park because they're my friends. |
| Eunjung Yi |
South Korea |
Lorena Ochoa, Paula Creamer, and Morgan Pressel |
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What will you specifically work on in the off season to prepare for 2008? |
|
Rookie |
Country |
Answer |
| Sofie Andersson |
Sweden |
My putting. |
| Chris Brady |
United States |
Mental game. |
| Emma Cabrera-Bello |
Spain |
I will be changing clubs so I'll work on getting used to them and I'll practice my short game to get used to bermuda grass. |
| Amie Cochran |
United States |
Short game. |
| Shanshan Feng |
China |
I will work on my long irons and short putts. |
| Louise Friberg |
Sweden |
I will plan and organize some trips for next year. Workout in the gym and mechanics of my swing. Since it is cold in Sweden there is no real opportunity for me to fine tune my short game, but I will go to Australia a little earlier so that I can work on that. |
| Sandra Gal |
Germany |
I will work out a lot, improve my putting and work on my power off the tee. |
| Anna Grzebien |
United States |
Physical fitness and mental prep. |
Russy Gulyanamitta
(not a rookie) |
United States |
Practice hard, work out, and try to gain distance on my driver. |
| Nicole Hage |
United States |
Short game! Chipping and putting. You can never work at it enough. |
| Liz Janangelo |
United States |
Narrowing the gaps in my wedges. |
| Jimin Jeong |
South Korea |
I need more distance so I will focus more on working out and I need more accuracy at putting and my short game. |
| Hannah Jun |
United States |
Working out, getting back into shape and keeping my golf game sharp. |
| Hwanhee Lee |
South Korea |
First, I will relax and then hit the gym. I will work with my instructor and work on my swing. |
| Taylor Leon |
United States |
My short game. I just want to feel really confident in that part of my game so I can always rely on it. |
| Carolina Llano |
Colombia |
Getting stronger and my short game. |
| Anja Monke |
Germany |
My short game! |
| Sarah Oh |
South Korea |
Long game and strength. |
| Anna Rawson |
Australia |
Setting goals for 2008. Then simply working on the process to achieve those goals. |
| Violeta Retamoza |
Mexico |
Short game. |
| Onnarin Sattayabanphot |
Thailand |
Mental preparation, wedges, and putting. |
| Ashleigh Simon |
South Africa |
Fitness. |
| Yani Tseng |
Taiwan |
Physical training and English. |
| Momoko Ueda |
Japan |
Physical training and my swing. |
| Sukjin Lee Wuesthoff |
South Korea |
My short game. Putting and chipping. |
| Amy Yang |
South Korea |
Just everything. Maybe putting. |
| Eunjung Yi |
South Korea |
Putting. |
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How are you going to spend your off season? |
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Rookie |
Country |
Answer |
| Sofie Andersson |
Sweden |
I will take some time off from golf, plan for this season, work out and then work on my golf game. |
| Chris Brady |
United States |
Practicing. |
| Emma Cabrera-Bello |
Spain |
I'm going to ski with my family right after New Year's Eve, do a windsurfing introductory course and of course, I'll have some spare time to practice! |
| Amie Cochran |
United States |
Practicing. |
| Shanshan Feng |
China |
I am going back to China and I will spend two months there. |
| Louise Friberg |
Sweden |
I will spend time with friends and family. I will also keep working out in the gym and on my golf game. But first I will take a couple of weeks completely off from golf and just relax. |
| Sandra Gal |
Germany |
I will take a week or two off from golf, catch up on my studying and take my finals at UF, paint pictures for my apartment and then start getting ready for 2008! |
| Anna Grzebien |
United States |
Practicing and spending time with friends and family. |
Russy Gulyanamitta
(not a rookie) |
United States |
Go home, see friends and go out to the good Thai food restaurant. |
| Nicole Hage |
United States |
I'm going to spend some time in Auburn with my boyfriend and teammates, enjoy the holidays with my family, and then get back to work practicing and working out with my trainer. |
| Liz Janangelo |
United States |
First I'll go home to Connecticut and spend time with family and friends. Then I'll head to Florida to prepare for an exciting year of Tour life. |
| Jimin Jeong |
South Korea |
I figured out what I need to work on after Q-School. I'm also going to make plans for how I'm going to travel during the 2008 season. |
| Hannah Jun |
United States |
Relaxing and getting ready for this season. |
| Hwanhee Lee |
South Korea |
Take a break from golf and spend time with my family and friends in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. |
| Taylor Leon |
United States |
Spend time with my family back in Texas and shopping! |
| Carolina Llano |
Colombia |
Spending time with my family and getting ready for this year. |
| Anja Monke |
Germany |
For Christmas I'm going to be home with my family and by the end of January I'm going to be playing again in Australia. So only a short amount of time off. |
| Sarah Oh |
South Korea |
Relax at the beach back home. |
| Anna Rawson |
Australia |
I will spend 10 days in Australia over Christmas seeing family. I will then go back to Los Angeles and meet my best friend who is visiting from Turkey. I will probably be doing a lot of celebrating with friends. |
| Violeta Retamoza |
Mexico |
Practicing, getting ready for next year and trying to spend as much time as I can with my family and friends. |
| Onnarin Sattayabanphot |
Thailand |
I'm taking a week off at a beach in Thailand with my family. Then I'll train with my coach and my trainer. |
| Ashleigh Simon |
South Africa |
Going home to South Africa to our beach house for three weeks. |
| Yani Tseng |
Taiwan |
Spend time with friends and family. |
| Momoko Ueda |
Japan |
Relaxing. |
| Sukjin Lee Wuesthoff |
South Korea |
I'm going to exercise and practice. |
| Amy Yang |
South Korea |
Training really hard for next year. |
| Eunjung Yi |
South Korea |
A lot of practice. |
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Are you going to make a New Year's Resolution this year? If so what? |
|
Rookie |
Country |
Answer |
| Sofie Andersson |
Sweden |
I don't like resolutions. I'd rather set goals for myself to achieve. |
| Chris Brady |
United States |
No. I'm just going to do the next right thing. |
| Emma Cabrera-Bello |
Spain |
My New Year's Resolution is to take a serious attempt to improve my German. |
| Amie Cochran |
United States |
No! |
| Shanshan Feng |
China |
I'm going to exercise more. |
| Louise Friberg |
Sweden |
To have as much fun as possible. |
| Sandra Gal |
Germany |
Yes, that I will play the game that I am capable of next year. |
| Anna Grzebien |
United States |
I'll probably make one on December 31st. |
| Russy Gulyanamitta |
United States |
To have a better golf game. |
| Nicole Hage |
United States |
Yes. To never look back except to wave. |
| Liz Janangelo |
United States |
Same as last years, no bogies! |
| Jimin Jeong |
South Korea |
No |
| Hannah Jun |
United States |
Yes! Getting more than 8 hours of sleep a night. |
| Hwanhee Lee |
South Korea |
No, I rarely make New Year's Resolutions. |
| Taylor Leon |
United States |
No because I can never keep them. Hahaha. |
| Carolina Llano |
Colombia |
To enjoy each and every moment, to make the best out of every situation and to be happy. |
| Anja Monke |
Germany |
No |
| Sarah Oh |
South Korea |
No |
| Hee Young Park |
South Korea |
No |
| Anna Rawson |
Australia |
To eat healthy. I used to be a really healthy person but playing in Europe has made me into a bread, cheese, and wine girl. I need to get back to getting more nutrients. |
| Violeta Retamoza |
Mexico |
I'm not sure yet. |
| Onnarin Sattayabanphot |
Thailand |
Yes. 1. Lower my stroke average below 72. 2. Get stronger and more flexible. 3. Earn full exempt status by 2009. |
| Ashleigh Simon |
South Africa |
No |
| Yani Tseng |
Taiwan |
Yes, to include physical training into my routine. |
| Momoko Ueda |
Japan |
A minimum of one win on the LPGA Tour. |
| Sukjin Lee Wuesthoff |
South Korea |
My New Year's Resolution is to play well in 2008. |
| Amy Yang |
South Korea |
No |
| Eunjung Yi |
South Korea |
No |
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What was the hardest part about qualifying school? |
|
Rookie |
Country |
Answer |
| Sofie Andersson |
Sweden |
Getting through the first stage. |
| Chris Brady |
United States |
Expectations and pressure . |
| Emma Cabrera-Bello |
Spain |
Making sure I wasn't giving away shots, because any shot could mean not making it. |
| Amie Cochran |
United States |
Having to actually play the "never ending golf tournament." 90 holes is a lot. |
| Shanshan Feng |
China |
We had to play well with a lot of pressure. |
| Louise Friberg |
Sweden |
Stage 1. Just wanted to get through it! |
| Sandra Gal |
Germany |
Staying in the present. |
| Anna Grzebien |
United States |
Not putting extra pressure on yourself. |
| Russy Gulyanamitta |
United States |
Sending the entry fee check. |
| Nicole Hage |
United States |
Playing five days in a row. |
| Liz Janangelo |
United States |
Keeping breakfast down. |
| Jimin Jeong |
South Korea |
The pressure. |
| Hannah Jun |
United States |
The hardest part is not getting ahead of yourself for five rounds. |
| Hwanhee Lee |
South Korea |
The spots are limited and the players are more competitive. |
| Taylor Leon |
United States |
Handling the enormous amount of pressure that I put on myself. |
| Carolina Llano |
Colombia |
During the fourth round there were a lot of things going through my mind and then during the final round I was able to keep my mind pretty quiet. |
| Anja Monke |
Germany |
Sending the check to the U.S. because my bank in Germany was not prepared and experienced to do it. |
| Sarah Oh |
South Korea |
That was a tough week. |
| Anna Rawson |
Australia |
It was mentally and physically draining. Five rounds is a lot! |
| Violeta Retamoza |
Mexico |
I qualified through the Duramed FUTURES Tour. |
| Onnarin Sattayabanphot |
Thailand |
Handling the pressure. |
| Ashleigh Simon |
South Africa |
The last nine holes of the tournament. |
| Yani Tseng |
Taiwan |
Mental endurance. |
| Momoko Ueda |
Japan |
I don't know because I qualified by winning the 2007 Mizuno Classic. |
| Sukjin Lee Wuesthoff |
South Korea |
Keeping up with the score all five days. |
| Amy Yang |
South Korea |
The grain on the green. |
| Eunjung Yi |
South Korea |
Five days of play. |
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