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CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPNovember 19, 2014Christina KimNAPLES, FLORIDA Q.  Seven weeks on the road in a row. How did you finish it off with a win? CHRISTINA KIM: I couldn't tell you. I have no idea. I havejust been trying to consolidate the amount of time that I'm out on the course and really conserve my energy when I'm hitting balls and things like that. I've just been enjoying myself. I haven't had the opportunity to play seven, now eight, in a row in a number of years in seven different countries. So I just think there are a lot of positives to it and I've just been enjoying myself. Q. Probably one of more popular wins on tour maybe ever. How many text messages, messages, and how is that to see just the overwhelming support? CHRISTINA KIM: When I looked at my phone after the press conferences and signing autographs and things ‑‑I didn't look at my phone because I wanted to commit all of my time to the tournament. In my eyes I was still clocked in. But I had 131 text messages that never kind of went away, so I don't know how many that was collectively. About 25 e‑mails. And honestly, I can't count the hundreds the tweets that I got. Got point where I couldn't respond to everyone. I just kind of just sent a last thank you to everyone. Q. How good was that to see? CHRISTINA KIM: It was really heartwarming. I never really thought that it would be ‑‑ I didn't think people like watched my career enough or really cared enough to do something like that. You know, the amount of people that thanked me for what I came out with in my blog a couple years ago and the amount of people that kept pointing out it was nine years and three days. I didn't think people paid that much attention to it. Q. Michelle Wie said best story this year on tour was your win. What does that mean to you? CHRISTINA KIM: She's full of crap. There is no question her story is far more incredible and far more important to the game golf than some old 30‑year‑old lady winning for the first time in a decade. That's so sweet, but she's just saying that because she's my friend. Her U.S. Open win, it just transcended the entire sport. Q. How did ya'll get so close over the years? CHRISTINA KIM: I think it started when we were paired together at the Kraft the first time she played it when she was 13 years old. I was in my rookie year. I was 19. It was her, myself, and Natalie Gulbis, a s we just got along like three peas in a pod just kept in touch ever since. We're both Korean Americans. We have a lot of things in common. We both have somewhat unique stories, and there is so much more to life other than golf we can talk about. I think that's a huge part of it as well. Q. What do you two bond over? CHRISTINA KIM: A lot of food. Lots and lots of food. But we bond over everything: Movies, clothing, jewelry. We do bond over golf. The way she plays is something I can't really fathom. But we have a lot of times where we don't say anything as well just happy being together. Q. Who cried more, her or you? She said the tears were flowing for her when you won. CHRISTINA KIM: Honestly, I think the tears between her, myself ‑‑ and Jane Parker sent me a video message of her weeping ‑‑ we probably could have filled Lake Michigan. It was incredible. But I don't know. We're both suckers, though. We love to cry. We both shed a lot of tears. Q. After everything you went through, how much did that win mean to you? I know you said it was the most joyous moment moment of your career to this point. CHRISTINA KIM: Yeah, there is no doubt. I've been part of three Solheim Cups and had had two victories prior to the one this weekend, but it was one of the most incredible moments of my life. But I will say that it meant so much more to me just to be a part of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational than winning, because I wouldn't be able to win if I wasn't in that tournament. It showed that my season went from being in Q‑School in 2012 to making it into one of the most elite fields of the season. That tournament is harder to get into than any of the majors if you look at the criteria. Just being a part of that meant more to me than anything. It means more to me that I made my way back into that field than anything I've experienced on tour before that. Q. Is that why you played all six weeks in Asia, is that battle of being able to get into those good fields at the end of the year? CHRISTINA KIM: I was already in‑‑ I could have stopped playing after Korea, because that was a cutoff. No, I wanted to play all six events because I hadn't played them. Q. Yeah, that was what I was wondering, because it was such a good year for you that you just wanted to keep the momentum going. CHRISTINA KIM: Yeah, absolutely. I love coming overseas to play in those tournaments. I love experiencing ‑‑ it's not necessarily new every week, but reexperiencing all these things. I had a wonderful time. It was a nice way for me to sort of play and play. I was able to go around, and if I want to I could go visit some temples. I was having boba tea at least twice a day in Taiwan, got foot massages and was checking out the local scenery. There was all these wonderful things I was able to do. And IMG runs some pretty incredible events. There is no question about that. Everything was just so much fun. Q. What do you credit the turnaround this year to in your game? CHRISTINA KIM: So many things. Obviously the continued love and support from my parent and the love and supportive from my boyfriend, Duncan French; my caddie, T.J. Jones, who stuck it with me, and we played like crap for a good amount of the time we worked together. But being healthy. Dr. Bruce Thomas, he helped stitch me back up to be able to grip a golf club again and hit without any fear. Just turning 30 helped honestly. Q. Why is that? CHRISTINA KIM: When you're your 20s you feel like you know everything and you don't know anything. You hit 30 and you're like, No, I don't know anything. That's okay. It's great, because it means your entire body is a vessel for knowledge that you can fill up for the rest of your life, as opposed to being 20 and having everything shut off and thinking you know everything. You know, it's the start of my second act, and I just have a different perspective on life.  I see a lot more inspiration just in the small things in life. Q. Telling your story, do you think that helped your career, made you more free out here? CHRISTINA KIM: I think it ultimately did help my career just because it allowed me to say it's okay to not be okay, and it's okay to let people know how you're feeling. I had been so closed off and not wanting people to be hurt by the fact that I was hurting, because I didn't think other people were strong enough to take it. I didn't want to infect people with my pain because I didn't want anyone else to hurt. I didn't have enough faith in humanity is probably the best way to put it. Now I realize how strong and how close my friends really are and how their strength is something I've been able to build my strength upon. Q. How much will this help your golf game, battling back? When you were out there and you had the 5‑shot lead and you go to the playoff, were you thinking, Oh, crap? CHRISTINA KIM: There were a lot expletives, that's for sure. But, again, I was just so thrilled to be in that tournament. I knew that Shanshan was going to post a low number. I had said somewhere between 5‑ and 7‑under what was she was going to post; I thought Inbee was going to make a run for it. Considering how I played on Thursday I said, 10‑under is out there. People say it was a 5‑shot lead, but there were a lot of the people within 10 shots. It was a such a star‑studded field that I wouldn't have been surprised if I was in a playoff, if I lost the tournament, whatever it was. More than anything I was just thrilled to have the chance. Having known Lorena for half of my life, it was just wonderful, because without her being in my life I wouldn't have to the opportunity to play, let alone win another tournament. Q. Last question: Since you've been on tour, how good has this year been? You got the Vare Trophy up for grabs; Player of the Year up for grabs; season‑ending $1 million. Is this the perfect bang to end the year? CHRISTINA KIM: Absolutely. There is so much going on this year. The inclusion and the start of the Annika, there are so many incredible things that are taking place. The LPGA is in as wonderful place as I've seen it. It's a huge testament to how much work Mike Whan has put into the LPGA. But at the same time, when you have such incredible stories out here and such remarkable players‑‑ you know, 17 years old Lydia Ko clinching the Rookie of the Year Award like two months ago. Mirim Lee winning twice and still not being enough, I think it shows just how incredible this product is. It's only going to go up from here. Q. Thoughts on the ANA announcement? CHRISTINA KIM: That was awesome. When I read the press release I was just absolutely thrilled by. And just to know there is a company, not a U.S.‑based company, but a company out there that's such a strong business that supports the LPGA Tour I think is just wonderful. Q. Thank you, Christina. CHRISTINA KIM: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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