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ANA INSPIRATION

April 4, 2015

Sei Young Kim

RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: I'd like to welcome in our third round leader, Sei Young Kim, into the interview room. Great round today.

SEI YOUNG KIM: Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: You have a three-shot lead going into Sunday. Does that feel good, or is that a position you want to be in, or is that a tough position?

SEI YOUNG KIM: Yeah, I feel a little bit pressured right now. Back in Korea when I was playing on the Korean Tour, I was known for coming from behind and winning tournaments. But to be in the lead going into the final round on the LPGA is fairly new for me. So yeah, I feel some pressure there.

THE MODERATOR: Now, I know in the Bahamas you said a win so early was a dream come true, you couldn't believe it. Have you even thought about winning a major in your first year? Would that be a dream come true, too?

SEI YOUNG KIM: Yeah, definitely if I were to win it tomorrow, it would be the biggest dream ever to come true for me. You know, just because, and I've watched this tournament since I was young. That's why I feel I want it so much more, and I think the opportunity is there in front of me, and if I can, I definitely want to get my hand on it, and for sure it won't be bad jumping into that pond tomorrow.

Q. What memories do you have of watching this event when you were younger? Do you remember anything specifically?
SEI YOUNG KIM: Yeah, when Grace Park and Stacy Lewis won it, I remember them jumping into the pond.

Q. You'll be paired with Stacy tomorrow. Will you tell her, I watched you win this when I was so young, even though you're still young?
SEI YOUNG KIM: You know, it'll just be -- she's just a dominating force out there. I'd probably even chicken out in starting a conversation. But you know, just to be able to play with her on the final day, it's an honor.

Q. How many of your victories have been from the lead, and what were they?
SEI YOUNG KIM: I don't think I've ever won a tournament leading the final round.

Q. How much does watching what the other Koreans have done, how much does that push you and the other South Korean rookies?
SEI YOUNG KIM: Yeah, Hyo Joo and Ha Na, they're all players that I've played with, competed in Korea. The media sort of portrayed us as fierce rivals. So I'm used to playing them. Seeing them playing well definitely motivates me, so it's very, very motivating.

Q. Apparently the course is playing very difficult. Would you agree with that, and if so, in what ways is it playing so difficult?
SEI YOUNG KIM: You know, the roughs are really deep here, so you have to be precise with your tee shots. You want to minimize your mistakes out of the rough. So I've really prepared for that, and it's probably something that I need to do, prepare even more. But this course, there's a lot of doglegs, so you need to fade your shots, you need to draw them. The pin positions are very difficult, so you have to have your A game, basically be able to draw the ball and cut the ball.

Q. Were any of your victories in Korea majors?
SEI YOUNG KIM: I won one major tournament on the KLPGA Tour called the MetLife KLPGA Championship, and the other one wasn't a major, but it was the biggest purse in terms of prize money. It was the Hanwha Financial Championship.

Q. What year was the MetLife?
SEI YOUNG KIM: 2013 was the MetLife.

Q. What made you decide that now was the time to come compete on the LPGA?
SEI YOUNG KIM: Because of the Olympics.

Q. How much confidence did your win in the Bahamas give you just throughout the rest of the season? Does that give you so much confidence knowing that you belonged here?
SEI YOUNG KIM: Yeah, it gave me the confidence, the possibility that I could win out here, amongst the best.

Q. How big were the final two birdies in your round? How important were those for momentum going into tomorrow?
SEI YOUNG KIM: You know, obviously those two birdies, it gives me a wider lead going into tomorrow, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it gives me less pressure or gives me more confidence. I think I'll probably be nervous going into tomorrow, and I think the key thing for me right now is to try to keep -- try to not make it such a big issue and kind of sleep on it. I'll have to figure out tonight what my strategy is for tomorrow.

Q. You mentioned that you grew up watching this tournament. What was it like playing out there with having all these former champions chasing you on the leaderboard?
SEI YOUNG KIM: I'm really having fun. I'm getting a kick out of it because this is a tournament that I've watched since I was young. To be here playing against the players that I've watched, I mean, I can't believe it. Fun is really the word that I can describe. It's really fun being out here and playing with them. It's like a dream come true, really.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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