Q. Final round of 67. You were right in the hunt for a major championship. What do you take away from this week?
YEALIMI NOH: A lot of positives. It's been my best major finish I think, and just really glad to have been in this position in the first place and to play with major champions.
Yeah, it was really great experience and I learned a lot from them. Yeah, it was fun.
Q. If I could take you back to the 18th, reachable par-5, looking at birdie, potentially eagle. What was the decision making process with that second shot?
YEALIMI NOH: Well, if it was just -- even it was in the rough, just play it like a normal lie, I 100% would've gone for it, but I was sitting down, and even after I hit my like punch-out it was like in a little divot sitting down.
So could make birdie either way, but didn't happen.
Q. You said at the beginning of the year you really struggled with your ball striking. That doesn't seem to be the case right now. What has changed for you?
YEALIMI NOH: Well, I worked on my swing a lot, which is kind of weird because there isn't much to work on because it's the same, nothing too big.
Swing coach has been the same for the past ten years, and just literally little things, tempo and just trying to fit everything all together was it. It was mental.
Q. Disappointed or pleased?
YEALIMI NOH: Definitely disappointed, yeah. I mean, I missed a lot of short putts. This feels like Portland all over again. I'm going to be fine, but I should be happy with this result and a lot of positives to take away from it.
It was just so close. I didn't think -- I didn't really know what to think in the beginning of the day, whether I could pull it off. But getting there and like actually being really close to it was good.
Just sucks because I didn't birdie a single par-5, and I had a lot of like six-footers coming down to make -- it's just like you always think about what you missed, but overall it was really positive.
Q. Yeah, what you accomplished is incredible. You didn't look like a nineteen year old out there. You looked poised.
YEALIMI NOH: I'm almost 20. Tomorrow.
Q. That's right, exactly. We had talked about that in the media center. Quite the birthday present to yourself, could have been.
YEALIMI NOH: Yeah.
Q. Take us through the poise that you -- we talked about it yesterday, your calm demeanor on the course. How do you manage the nerves and maybe some of the expectations that you felt around the venue today?
YEALIMI NOH: Yeah, I think definitely it's been a while since the we played in front of such a big crowd, too, so I think it's important to stay calm.
Yeah, when you're playing you don't really think about that. Only like the good reactions. But I just wasn't expecting anything today. When I got close I was, but overall I wasn't expecting anything, so I think that put a lot of -- a lot less pressure on myself.
Coming down 18 I thought would be like really nervous, but my heartbeat was really calm. Yeah, actually like a lot of the my trainers say I have a really like -- I'm really good at like calming my heart down. Like after a workout, too, I'm able to slow down the beating.
So I think that is really important just trying to calm yourself down. You can feel it. Like the only thing is your heart beating. But I was able to stay calm. Just took my mind off things. I was looking out, look so lucky to have such a beautiful day today. Yeah. Just going to enjoy the moment.
Q. Is there a breathing technique you focus on to slow your heart rate down when he have those moments, or is there something that you tell yourself?
YEALIMI NOH: I was like just singing a song. Today I was really looking out just at the lake. So lucky to have like no delays today. I was 100% sure we would get delayed. We did, but like during the round.
It was just like a perfect day today. Just enjoying being here and being in this position.
Q. What's the song of choice?
YEALIMI NOH: I honestly don't know. I was just like -- I don't know. I was just trying to talk about other things, like what we're going to eat next week when we're not in France and we don't have all that bread around us.
Yeah.
Q. You burn it off easily. Lots of walking.
YEALIMI NOH: Oh, yeah. Thank God.
Q. Did you feel your heartbeat at all today?
YEALIMI NOH: Yeah, for sure.
Q. Were you standing on any fairways and you're like, Oh, man, calm down?
YEALIMI NOH: Yeah, a little bit. I think I was actually pretty calm today with my ball striking today so I was not as nervous, but my putting, after I missed few short ones, that's when I was like, Please just go in. Yeah.
Q. We've been seeing a little more emotions out of you on the course lately.
YEALIMI NOH: Yes.
Q. Does this make you even more hungry?
YEALIMI NOH: Yeah, I mean, like after like starting out so bad this year you just want to do better. When it doesn't go your way, when you know you can be there, it's hard, and I want to like -- I'm working on it.
But today, too, it was just like you're calm. You think your calm, but for me I guess I'm -- I don't have a poker face. I'll admit.
Yeah, just a lot of emotion. Just means I care. Everyone does. You know what I mean?
Q. Yeah.
YEALIMI NOH: Just, yeah, trying to get through it.
Q. Are you extra excited to get to Northern Ireland now and keep the momentum going?
YEALIMI NOH: Yeah, and then after Ireland I'll finally have a break. Looking forward to that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports