Q. Can you tell me about last year's Tour Championship when you won?
PRIMA THAMMARAKS: Well, obviously the situation is a little bit different. Like last year, you know, I was kind of on the verge of like going Q-II or Q-III, and with it being the first year, like after COVID all the travel restrictions are kind of still there in terms of me going home to Thailand, so even though we had two weeks in a row break or something, I wasn't able to go home because I had to go back in quarantine for 14 days before I can go out and see my family.
So last year was kind of like I didn't have that option to go home so I was here from, I don't know, late February and I was here like for the whole year and I couldn't see my family.
So it was really hard for me, and I always tell my travel buddy, Michelle, that, oh, I can't wait to go home, I can't wait to go home. So I just really, really, really wanted to go to final so I can have those time to go back to see my family before final stage.
But like obviously it's kind of ironic because before I go to Daytona I had a talk with my friend who's kind of like a big brother figure to us. He kind of told me just to basically prepare to go to Q-II, then just kind of use Daytona as like a prep event.
So I really -- before the tournament started I just decided to go in without really any expectations, even thought knowing deep down inside that's what I really wanted, is to do something great there and skip second stage and be able to go straight to final.
But, yeah, it was kind of after I let go of every thing that it all just kind of came together. If you go back and look at the reel when everybody was splashing me with water, Michelle came in and said something in Thai and it translated to, yay, you finally get to go home. I thought it was kind of funny.
Q. I love that. Coming back to Daytona this year, how does it feel being the defending champion and how does it shape your mindset heading into the rest of the week?
PRIMA THAMMARAKS: I don't think it changes anything really. I still prepare for the tournament the same. Luckily, this place kind of holds a lot of memory for me. We played that course so many times my first LPGA orientation is there, final stage used to be there, so like it holds a lot of memory and I know that course well.
So I think I have that to my advantage. It always kind of feels like a little bit at ease just going back to that because do I like that course. Yeah, so I think other than that, I think I just prepare for it the same as just that extra comfortability that I have in the back of my mind, that I've played this course so many times and it holds good memory for me.
Q. That was kind of my next question. Coming into this week, do you feel like you can relax a little bit more on the practice round days having played the course so many times before?
PRIMA THAMMARAKS: Uh-huh, yeah. Yeah, definitely. Like to be honest with you, I almost play it as much as my home course because it's in Thailand and I'm never there, you know. So I feel like I've played this course just as many times because usually they have final stage there and I always play the prep event.
So countless rounds there. Yeah, I think that helps to know the course and like I don't have to play too many practice rounds. Yeah. Yeah.
Q. And then I know last year you said that you kind of let go of all the emotion behind the game and all of the pressure for the week. Do you plan on doing the same this year or what's the expectation for this week?
PRIMA THAMMARAKS: Yeah, obviously I still want to go there and play well, but it's probably going to be the same because I have decided early I'm not doing Q-School this year because of like my foot injury earlier this season. I'm just going to come back and take medical.
So I think it's going to be a very similar experience going in with less expectations and just trying to play one shot at a time and enjoy myself out there.
Q. And then I know with golf the game is just generally a lot of ups and downs and you just have to find the positive light after a bad round or bad tournament, and it's all relative, too, because there is a number on the scorecard but it's all about how you feel. With your injury, how do you balance staying positive through that?
PRIMA THAMMARAKS: To be honest, I mean, this year has been really difficult. Like there was a lot of different challenges thrown at me. Like the foot injury was one. Like we played in some really bad weather earlier this season, which is something we can't really control. But just to combine things on top of each other, that's just hard in general.
But I feel like I've overcome a lot, and at this point in the season, I feel like my game is coming back together and I feel a lot more like myself.
So I think that's kind of like just a good mentality to be in in general anyway. You're right, you always have to find something positive to hold onto like when this happens.
Like I know even I said to kind of let go and everything, it's really impossible. Like what I just told you, that I'm not going to play like -- I'm not going to like think about anything too much.
But I'm still going to have to think about some things. Going to the golf course, as a golfer, for me, like it's almost impossible to not feel any pressure or not feel like you're trying to do well.
But I just feel like that stage where you can play well, when you completely let go, you're just focusing your mind on the right things. It's up to the player and every week is different for to you be able to find that one thing that you can focus on that would help you accelerate and play your best.
Q. Awesome. And then two more questions for you that are kind of different, other things that we're working on. One, how is Epson -- and I know like you were around last season so you kind of have a bit of a way to compare -- how has Epson really helped impact and grow the game in their first year sponsorship?
PRIMA THAMMARAKS: I think they have done a great job. You know, the tour have gotten so much better. The purse increases, and there is a lot of stuff coming out on the media side, which I think is very helpful. Like I think for people who are on the other side of the world, like it's important to have something out there for them to see like visually and keep up with.
I think our media team has done a good job this year, like a really great job this year actually, to throw that out there and put Epson on the map as like the second best tour in the United States, because it is the second best tour, and it's getting stronger and stronger.
I think we should be very proud to show that, and Epson have done a great job helping us connect those two dots, and really put us out there in the bright light.
So I think it's been awesome.
Q. Amazing. I love that you guys love the media stuff. That's our goal.
PRIMA THAMMARAKS: Yes.
Q. And then the other thing was coming to Daytona, obviously a hurricane just ripped through the entire state. Daytona is still kind of getting back to where it needs to be. The golf course staff has been working around the clock this week to get the course in the right conditions for you guys to be able to play. I know that the Tour Championship is always played in Daytona On the LPGA International, but some of these people have lost a lot in the past week.
What does it mean to you that even though they're struggling, they're going through things personally, they still are out here working so hard to get the course ready for you guys to play?
PRIMA THAMMARAKS: I mean, it means so much. Like it's very special. Like sometimes we don't really think about that, but if you look around, like especially with the hurricane just came through, looking around, obviously you can see all the damage.
I feel like everybody who is in that place or in that situation can understand how much is going on. In the end, obviously like golf is just a part of our jobs, right? It's important to us, but to see that the people are very welcoming to us is just -- I think it's very special.
Like I said, Daytona and LPGA International is such a special place. To be able to come back and to be very welcome, I think it just shows to the extent how much support that we have from the outside of our tour really.
So I think, I mean, I hope that it recovers quickly and that everyone can go back to their normal routine. But, yeah, I just feel they appreciative of all the hard working of like grounds repairs and grounds staff at the LPGA International to be able to put themselves out there and help us compete and complete our season there.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports