MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 4, 2023

Tom Kim

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are pleased to be joined in the interview room by Tom Kim. Welcome to your first Masters. At 20 years old and the youngest professional in the field this week, you have already secured two wins on the PGA TOUR. As this is your first inaugural Masters appearance, and you're a real student of the game, perhaps you could talk about your round yesterday with Tiger, Rory and Freddie.

TOM KIM: Yeah it was a dream come true for me, really. I think my first memory of just watching golf was the Masters and Tiger winning it, and for me to be able to share my first official practice round with him was a dream come true, really. And to not just play with Tiger but to have Fred Couples and Rory join us, it was a dream.

Q. First, real quick, did you play the second nine twice yesterday or no?

TOM KIM: I did play the back and then I just walked the back nine again because I was going to -- I'm going to play the front nine today so I wanted to get some work done.

Q. I saw you with Scottie and Finau, right?

TOM KIM: I was going to walk down 10, Scottie was just teeing off, and I hanged around for a hole and I left after that.

Q. My actual question: What's the biggest thing you picked up from Tiger yesterday?

TOM KIM: Just the amount of work he does around the greens. It was really cool to see, to pick which chip shots he was hitting and stuff like that. The positions he put himself in after he holed out, it was really cool to pick and -- when I walked again, I got to kind of see where he pitched from. He has years and years of knowledge here, some success, so I'm pretty sure there's a reason why he's there.

Q. Curious about the first times you played Augusta, were you here at all this winter, or has this week been the first time? And talk about those experiences, if you would.

TOM KIM: No, I was here a few weeks ago for a few days, and it was really important for me because I got the bug out because of how much I'm -- I love Augusta National. To be able to experience it for the first time and just, oh, look at this shot, and oh, this is where Tiger hit his chip on 16, just got all that stuff out.

So I was able to come yesterday and play and just focus on my game and get my work done.

Q. How much time did the guys spend perhaps talking with you yesterday, and what was it like?

TOM KIM: Do you mean --

Q. Your practice round, with Rory, Tiger and Freddie?

TOM KIM: It was a long practice round. I realize we played for almost three hours. It was a long practice round, a lot of laughter. So it was really fun. But at the same time, the guys were pretty serious and they were getting work done. But it was just nice and enjoyable.

Q. How much influence has an Asian champion like Matsuyama given to Asian players like yourself who can do well this week?

TOM KIM: Obviously, in major championship history, we haven't had many Asian golfers win. I feel like right now on the PGA TOUR there are a lot more Asian golfers than there were. Hopefully, especially the Masters, every single golfer wants to win it, but for an Asian golfer to win the Masters is going to be a lot more impactful I feel like because of how far sometimes -- because I grew up in Asia and how far this tournament or this Tour feels like, how far it's away.

Hopefully this week, whether it's me or any Asian golfer will have a chance to win on Sunday and hopefully inspire the generations coming up.

Q. You're obviously a pretty quick study, and you've won a couple tournaments already on the PGA TOUR. Do you feel like you could win this week? Do you feel like you could learn this golf course quickly enough to win this week?

TOM KIM: I hope so. I got some really good work done, and this course actually does suit my eye a little bit. So I'm trying to prepare really well. Obviously some of the guys have been here a lot more than I have, but I have to adjust and adapt really quickly.

The weather, it looks kind of a little shaky on the weekend, so I mean, whoever has the best stuff kind of wins. Doesn't matter whether you're prepared or not. So just trying to get ready, and hopefully I'll have a chance to win on Sunday.

Q. When the LIV Golf announced its relationship with the Asian Tour, you were part of the initial press conference, and playing yesterday with staunch TOUR loyalists, like Tiger and Rory and Fred Couples, does that help bake in your allegiance to the PGA TOUR, being around those guys and hearing what they have to say?

TOM KIM: My whole goal was always to be on the PGA TOUR. That was always a dream. I grew up in Asia, so playing on the Asian Tour was a really good start for me to travel more and get the experience.

But days like yesterday definitely makes me feel like, you know, dreams really do come true, especially for the guys back in Asia. You know, I had a goal, and I worked towards it, and it feels like days like yesterday definitely the hard work kind of pays off.

Q. What happened with the skip shot on 16?

TOM KIM: I wasn't thinking about it. I was walking down, I saw Tiger pick up a club and thought, oh, I'll skip it on 16. He was, "Okay, let's go on one, two, three." I didn't really realize how low and steep you had to hit it, and I just took a normal swing and just tried to hit it a little low and just airmailed the green. It didn't even come out low enough. I hit it pin-high, and I'm just glad I didn't hit anyone. Hopefully in the next attempt I'll be able to hit the water and at least skip it.

Q. What was the one thing you were hoping to see when you came out here for the first time?

TOM KIM: Not really what I wanted to see but what I didn't expect was how amazing the crowds were on a Monday. When you walk up to 12 from the 11th green, the players I played with yesterday definitely played an impact on it, but the standing ovations you get almost every tee, and like if you make a putt for birdie, they are clapping, and they are cheering for it to go in the hole and stuff like that. That really shook me a little bit, just realizing of how historic this place is.

Q. Two-part question. Is that true that it was the green jacket that actually got you starting golf?

TOM KIM: Yes, hundred percent. As long as I can remember, like I said before, I think my first memory was probably Tiger winning the Masters. It was probably my first time watching golf on TV. It was something I wanted to do, and I thought it was really cool. This event, the Masters, has always been my favorite event to watch, and was hopeful to play.

Q. And your rise has been so dramatic on the PGA TOUR that people tend to forget that you almost spent three, four years playing on The Asian Tour and doing so well in so many Asian tournaments, including winning in my country, your first professional event. Can you give us an idea of what those formative three, four years mean to you and what you have done now?

TOM KIM: Yeah, so I turned pro a lot earlier than what a lot of people do, but I didn't really have a plan to go to college, play college golf. I was like, I'll turn pro early, and obviously back in Asia it allows -- the age allows for it. I spent time there and I felt like it was a great time for me to adjust faster. I was hopeful that I can be on the PGA TOUR as early as I can.

Those times that I spent traveling and adjusting to the new courses, adjusting to new countries, eating different food definitely has helped me adjust quicker when I got here because I was so used to traveling a lot and adjusting.

Those three, four years, spending time on different tours definitely made my foundation really strong.

Q. What's the best piece of advice you've received about how to handle stardom in the modern age?

TOM KIM: Actually it was last year, Rory played a big role in it. I remember him saying when I just charged into his press conference, I remember him saying, "Don't forget what got you here." That was a big thing, not forgetting of the path of what got me here, because sometimes it is really easy to forget the road that you've come to get what you are because there's just a lot going on.

I always try to tell myself, just all the hard work that I've done, just as long as I don't forget it, it's really hard to lose your path. That's what I've been trying to tell myself.

Obviously I have a great team around me. They definitely help me humble and grounded, so I'm really fortunate for that.

Q. You've been building a lot of new game plans for golf courses that you were unfamiliar with last year; what are you doing this week to build a game plan this week and understand the things you need to do to execute it?

TOM KIM: I think the big role for me, as well, my caddie, Joe, has a lot of experience here. So I told him even before the week that a lot of my prep is going to be relying on him because I don't know all the shots and I'm not going to be able to hit every single shot on the golf course.

Him putting me in place, shots that I need to see, the most important ones, that's played a big role. I feel like I've watched a lot on TV as well, so I know what shots kind of do.

But, like, I've got to treat it as another event. That's the big thing. I've got to prep the same way. I've got to try to see the shots that I need to see. The big thing for me, I think, major championships that I've realized is just the mental aspect of it, just being fresh and ready because it is long weeks, long days. You know, the crowds are a lot bigger than you usually get. So just being able to be fresh and to be ready I think for me mentally is going to be play big.

Q. The biggest difference playing this golf course for the first time three weeks ago versus what you expected it to be like?

TOM KIM: The speed of the greens were a little different. But the firmness of the fairways, I was really shocked. We just came from a lot of rain, and when I first came here, it was playing a little softer. The firmness of the fairways, I was completely shocked with the chip shots that I was hitting in a few weeks earlier because they were going through the turf really nicely and I was able to spin it.

Monday comes along and it's firm and I can't get the ground sometimes and it's bouncing off and stuff like that was really shocking for me.

Q. Just to clarify, what year would that have been watching Tiger Woods at the Masters? What year was that?

TOM KIM: I watched all of it, but I think the first one was probably 2005. That was -- as long as I can remember, that was the big thing, 2005 when he chipped in on 16. That was probably my first memory.

Q. And then yesterday playing with that group, I guess what was the genesis of getting included with that crew, and who reached out to you? Did you put the group together, or how did that come together?

TOM KIM: I did not put the group together. That's impossible probably for me.

But Fred was telling me, I think ever since the Presidents Cup, like let's play a practice round and let's go out. Just a few weeks, talking to him, and obviously Joe as well, my caddie, talking to him as well. Got a text, hey, it's going to be you, me, Tiger, Rory. I'm like, okay, cool.

Q. Just want to ask you, is there any interesting story behind you choosing an English first name? And have you had occasion to speak with Hideki and borrow some notes for the Masters?

TOM KIM: No, I did not have a chance to talk to Hideki about the Masters, but I did ask him, I think it was the first time I played with him, about the experience of what it's like coming down the stretch of the Masters.

Q. And any story about your first name?

TOM KIM: Yes, my first name, obviously in English it was Tom, but it was originally Thomas, and it came from me just loving the show Thomas and the train. As a kid, for some reason, maybe one summer, I told my parents, I'm going to name myself Thomas, it is what it is, went with it. As I got older, a lot of friends just started to call me Tom and just kind of went that way.

Q. You're a young guy but you've been around longer than people realize. Do you feel older and more experienced than your age suggests?

TOM KIM: I think so. I am 20 but I don't really feel like I'm 20. Sometimes I feel like --

Q. How old do you feel?

TOM KIM: I feel like -- I can't say it, I feel like it's going to be very rude. But I do feel like my elder years, like Clooney years, I would say, that's what I feel like.

I do feel a lot more -- I'm still maturing, that's my big thing, but I do feel a lot older than I am because sometimes I do see friends or guys I don't know or guys around my age, they, like -- just because of my environment, like, when I play the PGA TOUR, these guys of how they handle themselves and stuff like that, I learned a lot and I kind of tend to play that way more than the other way.

Q. Experience is obviously one of the most important factors at Augusta. Do you feel like you've picked enough brains by now, particularly yesterday, that you've gleaned enough information to really give yourself a good chance?

TOM KIM: Yeah, for sure. But it's almost to that group, you don't really need to talk to them about it. You can just see it and think to yourself, okay, why are they hitting those shots to those pins and the spots they chip from, I guess they leave themselves that.

Obviously game plans are different because games are different, but you can have an idea of how the course plays during tournament weeks and why they are chipping or putting.

Q. If you win, you will be the youngest winner of the Masters. How do you feel about that?

TOM KIM: That would exceed expectations for sure. But I mean, I think everyone wants to win the Masters. Everyone wants to park in the champions parking lot. Everyone wants to go to the Champions Dinner. Everyone wants to fight for it. And I'm the same way, and hopefully I'll just be able to have a chance on Sunday. That would be a dream.

Q. This is a challenging course and definitely course history, your personal history on this course can be a huge factor during this tournament. What are you looking for in the practice rounds?

TOM KIM: I think biggest thing is putts. Because sometimes big greens are a lot more slopey than you think. The speeds are a lot different. There's some putts where I thought wouldn't be as fast but were just lightning-quick. So stuff like that, and sometimes there's some shots where normally you don't -- stats-wise you don't want to short-side yourself.

But there are some holes, like back of 17, if it's a back left pin, it's almost better to be chipping a few yards past the pin than putting short of it because it's straight uphill. So seeing stuff like that, picking, just seeing where you want to leave it, picking and choosing your spots, those are the things I'm trying to pay attention to.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you for your time today and all the best for this week.