LOTTE CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY HOAKALEI

April 16, 2022

Hyo Joo Kim

Hoakalei Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, everyone, happy to be here with our 2022 LOTTE Championship winner, Hyo Joo Kim. Congratulations, Hyo Joo. I know this is a very special week for you.

Tell us your thoughts, how proud you are to be the champion.

HYO JOO KIM: I have been playing LOTTE Championship since the inaugural championship, and then because of this (indiscernible) my sponsor I always wanted to win and do well.

I guess so far the records are not as I expected, as I would expect, so -- and it was a little sad personally for me.

However, I prepared a lot for this year's championship so it's all the more meaningful and special for me to win this championship this year.

Q. It was a battle all day between and you Hinako. You had several birdies early but only a one-stroke lead going into the final hole. What was going through your mind today as you battled with Hinako?

HYO JOO KIM: So one-stroke lead is not much; however, I had my personal goal for today and so I was focused on meeting that goal.

So I guess whoever was playing with me or very close to me did not really matter.

Q. What was your goal?

HYO JOO KIM: 3-under par. So I did not get to meet that goal; however, it was all in all a great round.

Q. It was a great round; you won. Were you nervous at all with your chip up on the 18th green and then the putt to take the win?

HYO JOO KIM: Not really nervous on the 18th hole because -- I may have if I made a par on the 17th hole, but I did not. I made a bogey so that made me a little irritated, so I didn't think about the 18th hole. I was not really nervous.

Q. What was it like when your friends and family came out to dump water on you and the champagne? You're still sticky. That had to feel good. Tell us how that felt.

HYO JOO KIM: Felt cool, as if I was in the ocean. I know I'm still sticky. I may smell like alcohol a little bit right now.

But I liked the feeling.

Q. So overall, what was the experience like this week being in Hawaii, playing for LOTTE, getting to eat all the Hawaiian food you want and see the ocean? How special was that week for you?

HYO JOO KIM: It was great. So far this was the first time that I got to go to the ocean, have my feet in the ocean, and I could not believe this was the first time. Felt great. The ocean was beautiful.

It just felt like I was on vacation with my friends and family.

Q. Did that help keep you relaxed this week, keep you calm?

HYO JOO KIM: Yes, it did.

Q. Congratulations. Just talk a little bit about that pitch on the 18th. Obviously it was a great shot. Just talk about how that kind of took all the drama out of the tournament.

HYO JOO KIM: I overall felt great about that shot, and maybe hope that somebody went first, right? And then I'm proud of that shot. Maybe I made a lot of people like sit on the edge of their chairs, so I felt great about it.

Q. I guess you're going to the beach every time now. The weather was a little bit different today than the previous days. How much of a difference, if any, did it play in your round today?

HYO JOO KIM: The round was the same. No big difference because it was final round. Today it just felt the same.

Q. Talk about how high expectations were for you after you won the Evian in 2014.

HYO JOO KIM: Yes, there were a lot of expectations, but there was a lot of support coming from friends and family and fans as well. There have been up and downs. I think I am at the up part right now.

I feel very proud, a little confident about the future, and the outlook looks great for me and I feel like I can do better moving forward.

Q. On the 12th th hole you almost had a hole-in-one. Were you aware that you would've won a car if that would've gone in?

HYO JOO KIM: I didn't really think about making the hole-in-one because the ball hit the pin, and that's why it landed on the green. So it was a full (indiscernible) shot.

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations.