THE MODERATOR: We'll get started. Your impressions on representing China and being here at the Olympic games?
XIYU LIN: Yes, yes, of course. It's my second time playing in the Olympics and I had a little bump in my career after the last Olympic and I'm very glad I've been doing much better this two years and then at the end last couple tournaments I had a really good performance to get me in the Olympics.
THE MODERATOR: You made some comments about potentially this being your last event. But just returning as a medalist and the tee times are out and it's going to be the three medalists together. How proud are you to be back as a returning medalist.
SHANSHAN FENG: Well, yeah, I'm very happy to have Xiyu as my teammate again representing the Chinese team here and my goal is to get on the team and I took -- well because we were supposed to play a year ago and they pushed the date later, I mean it did change my plan, because I was thinking about maybe last year I would be my, maybe my last year and then after the Olympics maybe I would think about to retire or do something else. But I just had to wait for one more year, so, yeah, it was a tough decision because I'm already 32, I'm not 18 anymore, so that one year really makes a difference on the body, but I was thinking that I really wanted -- I really enjoyed the last time being in Rio, playing with all the best female golfers from all over the world, and I had the bronze medal, which I was very happy about it. But at the same time I thought that I didn't really enjoy the whole process, like I was so nervous because that was my first Olympic games and I thought maybe it would be my last. So other than practicing, going to the course, practicing, playing, I was just back in the village, eat and slept, didn't do anything else, didn't really enjoy the whole life being an Olympian. So I would say that this time I was really looking forward to coming to Tokyo and of course I will focus on my game first, but other than that I really want to meet some new friends, while it is a shame that we can't really go watch the other sports, but it's still very good to meet the different athletes from China and also from the other countries. Yeah, the three medalist, we actually played together at the U.S. Open this year already and that was our first time to play in the same group in a tournament after Rio. Well actually we didn't even play together in Rio, I was in the second to last group. Yeah, so it was very fun, I really enjoyed it and I believe that the first round, all three of us we are going to enjoy our time and hopefully all of us can bring our A games.
THE MODERATOR: Questions?
Q. Where does your medal rank on your list of accomplishments, where do you put your medal in your trophy room and is there anything that -- is it the kind of trophy that people like to see, friends that maybe visit you, do you pull it out for them or does it kind of stay in its place?
SHANSHAN FENG: Well, it's, well I guess because it's small enough so it's staying in a safe itself. It's not put with the other trophies together. But, yes, when I have friends coming over, if they want to take a look at it, yes, I would show them the medal. Yeah, but I would say out of all of my achievements I would say a medal at the Olympics is very special because even though I've been, I have been a major winner, but like think about it, we have five majors every year, we have in four years we have 20 chances to win a major. So I would say it's harder, much harder to get a medal at the Olympics. So it was, of course, my one of what do you call that? I mean, like the most important or memorized moment in my career, I would say that.
Q. You talked about the little bump in your career and how happy you are to get back to the Olympics. I would be curious, did the delay by playing this year instead of last year, if it had been last year would you have been eligible for the team? Did the delay help you?
XIYU LIN: I guess yes and no because if there is no COVID I mean last year I would have a full year of a schedule and I had been ready, like my game has been back. And then like I would say last two years that I really started to think about how to get my way back to Olympics again. So I was very ready last year, but unfortunately COVID happened, but I think there's one thing I got out of the COVID is when I was locked down myself in Orlando I have a lot of free time to think about my whole career, kind of look back a little bit, even though it's not a long one yet, but I had some, like some serious talks to myself and I definitely had my mind more clear. So this year, even though it's still with lots of unknowns, but when the tournament got started, I was very pumped to try my best on every tournament to get my World Ranking improved. So I'm very glad I end up making the team because, yeah, like I said, in 2017 I actually lost my Tour card, so, I mean, it's probably the biggest event ever in my career, so I had at one point that I'm thinking like, am I good enough to be like competing out on the Tour. Then I did a lot of changes and then I'm very glad that I'm seeing me myself like physically and mentally that it's both improved a lot. I feel like I'm a different player right now.
Q. Inbee spoke about the enormous pressure that she felt last year and how much different it is. She had her own set of pressure, but for the 20-plus players like yourself who played in Rio, having been through it once, whatever pressure or nerves of the first Olympics felt, how much more fun is it this time?
SHANSHAN FENG: Yeah, actually I figured it out, like I'm not as nervous as last time, for sure. I was really nervous like on that first tee, I felt like I was, it was like my rookie year, reminded me about my first tournament on the LPGA, teeing off on the first tee. It was like I didn't remember anything, like what I did, I was like the time that I realized I like I was already walking down the fairway on the first hole, so I didn't remember anything about the tee shot. It was almost the same thing in Rio, I was super nervous and actually I think I got a lucky start because I actually hit the ball, my drive was towards going towards the bunker and there was a rake in front of the bunker and it stopped my ball on the fairway for me. If not, it would be in the bunker for my first shot. So I think that was maybe a some kind of good luck. Then after that I, on the second hole I started to hit the ball a little straighter and I was like, oh, okay, maybe time to relax. Then I got better and better. And I really enjoyed the whole time on the final day, which I had no clue about where I was at the whole time. I was really enjoying the whole round. And I just want to have the same mindset this time. I know that last time it was maybe at the peak of my career, I would say that. This time maybe it's not. I wouldn't say I'm in my best shape in my career, but I was very happy to come back this year as starting at a major, getting a top-3 finish and a couple more top-5 finishes after that. So I'm very confident about my game also, I just really want to enjoy and relax the whole day and the whole week. And, yeah, I'm pretty sure this is my last Olympic games though. So, yeah, well, yeah, this is. I don't think I will play in another Olympic games. So I better enjoy it, yeah.
Q. It's very rare to finish, to have a 1, 2, 3 finish with no ties. We had it in Rio for men and women. What did you think of yesterday with the men and how weird do you think or how difficult maybe it would be to be in a playoff for any color medal?
SHANSHAN FENG: I know because in Rio, actually the last hole I didn't know. I had like kind of like a tap-in par putt and I didn't know how important it was, I just made it. But after I finished, actually I looked at the scoreboard, there were like four more people was one stroke behind me. So if I miss that small putt, maybe if I knew that I had to make that putt, maybe I would miss it (laughing), because it would be a lot of pressure. Like thinking about five people trying to play in a playoff together to get a bronze medal, that would be very stressful. But good thing I didn't know anything, so I made that putt.
And yeah, I think, I mean yesterday it was crazy. Seven people in a playoff, I think that's maybe the most ever? Is that the most ever? I don't know. But it sounds crazy. I mean have you seven players, plus seven caddies, walking on the same hole playing together. Yeah, I didn't know if I was in that situation how I would handle it. So all I wanted to say was CT Pan yesterday did a great job handling the pressure and competing with all the players like were ranked actually higher than he was. So I was very proud of him yesterday. And, yeah, as a Chinese, I think like that gives us good luck, so maybe we can get something, make something happen this week. Hopefully not seven people in a playoff.
Q. This time you stay in the Olympic village. Do you plan anything to, want to try any good Japanese food, do you do any like nails? Do you have anything fun?
SHANSHAN FENG: Well after the first day we arrived at the village we did walk around a little. But actually I think yesterday was actually my fifth day in the village already and I just knew that there was a Japanese restaurant in the village. I didn't know, I was just going to the cafeteria where everybody was going to. And I thought the food was very good, I mean, lots of choices. Yeah, but I went to the Japanese restaurant yesterday and they had authentic Japanese food and I really enjoyed it. I mean, we had like Wagyu, we had tempura, yeah, everything was very fresh, just reminding me about when I came to Japan a few years ago or like every year, except for last year.
And I haven't done my nails yet because I am assuming that there would be a long queue, just like at the haircut store there was -- the salon -- like every day, like my caddie wanted to have a haircut done, but he said like every day there would be a long line waiting, so he hasn't done it. Yeah, but you know, it's good to see all the other athletes, yeah, and I think everybody's enjoying our time in the village.
Q. Have you ever been to a native (phonetic) in players village?
SHANSHAN FENG: No, not yet.
Q. Are you not interested in it?
SHANSHAN FENG: I don't know, I think it's just like I'm kind of tired every day after I get back to the village, so maybe after eating I just go to bed early.
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