THE G4D OPEN

May 9, 2023

Kim Moore

Mixed Zone

KIM MOORE: My name is Kim Moore. I'm from Michigan in the United States. I live in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Q. How did you start in golf? Can you tell us just how you got started?

KIM MOORE: Yeah, I've been an amputee all my life, at birth. So I started because I was born in a sports-oriented family and played basketball all my life. As I grew up in that game, you know, it became a little faster.

I'm not the fastest runner in the world, so I decided to try something I'd be a little more competitive in going into my freshman year of high school, and so I decided to try to give golf a chance. I had some friends that was going to play on the team as well, so I decided to try out, and kind of went from there. But yeah, played. Barely made the team my freshman year and kind of went from there and played college golf and now it's part of my life, my career.

Q. How did you find learning the game and playing the game? Did you find that you adapted to it quickly?

KIM MOORE: Yeah, with my sports background, I'm used to being somewhat athletic, and so it was just something I had to learn a little bit. A few adaptations, especially with timing and getting through the golf ball. But I worked with a golf profession until my area, and yeah, it just grew on me, and kept practising and working hard and playing in golf tournaments and yeah, that's kind of how it grew to blossom into the game I have now.

Q. How does it feel coming over to the U.K. and playing in your very first G4D Open?

KIM MOORE: Very exciting. It should be a great field. Looking forward to the event and hopefully the weather holds and we have good playing condition. Yeah, the golf course is great, and just really excited to be part of the first and the history behind it, and playing in the USGA event last summer, being in the first of that event, it's just really nice to be part of history in another event.

Q. What's it like meeting sort of fellow EDGA golfers for the first time?

KIM MOORE: I've met a few but there's quite a few new names that I haven't. So looking forward to meeting new friends, too. So far I played with a few new players yesterday, so that was cool. Played with some players I never played with today.

I'll be playing with a player that I played with before, Jeff Nichols, on the first round tomorrow, so that will be familiar. But no, it's always great to meet new people. That's kind of what this is all about.

Q. And is winning the top women's position, is that in your sights?

KIM MOORE: Always. I come to win any tournament I play in. Yeah, definitely part of the plan.

Q. And tell us, you actually won the U.S. Adaptive Open at Pinehurst last year. What was that like?

KIM MOORE: Such a great experience. Just the prestige behind the event. It was really, really a great experience just being the first, having my name put on the trophy first. Hopefully with this event, it can be very similar.

Q. Have you been invited to the G4D scan did a open in Sweden in June? Are you looking forward to that as well?

KIM MOORE: That will be a fun experience. That will be my first time playing in an event like that. We'll see how that goes. I guess I've become a jet setter, and it's pretty exciting, a great experience. I mean, golf has taken me all over this great planet, this world and I've met so many new people just playing the game. Just another check off the bucket list.

Q. Would you recommend golf to other women and girls with disabilities, and why? What's so great about the game?

KIM MOORE: The game is so adaptable. I would recommend it to anybody just to get them out, playing. They may not be the best golfer but they can be out here enjoying themselves and they can play as many holes as they want or they can just hit the driving range or putting green. You can still enjoy yourself and have fun, and if it takes you to places that I've been, that's great.

But if it doesn't, it's a lifelong game that you can play and again with any disability, it's very adaptable. You can play at your level and still enjoy the game.

Q. Who are your big inspirations in terms of golfers, either people you know personally or stars that you follow?

KIM MOORE: Well, obviously, I mean, kind of my generation, you had the Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam. Those are always some great role models and great players that you look up to.

Just a lot of my college competitors and college athletes that I've played against on my team. You know, their ability to be so inclusive with me is just something that I never felt outcasted or felt part of the team and that always is a great inspiration to others, too.

But yeah, I mean, parents are always a great inspiration as well, but they are not necessarily the golf inspiration.

Q. What do you think of the course and the condition? Are you familiar with it?

KIM MOORE: This is my first time playing here. But yeah, I played a practice round yesterday. It's going to be a challenging golf course. It's very tight. It's playing a little longer for most women, so that will be interesting as well. If you can just keep it to bogeys I think you'll be okay, try to eliminate some big numbers. You've got to keep it straight, and just have good course management. Placing the ball well I think is going to be important on this course.

Q. I know you helped EDGA today in doing some research with players, how they hit the ball and how they swing. Tell us shortly about what that experience was like today?

KIM MOORE: It's great for them to be out here just to get more information to spread a little more awareness for others. It was interesting just hitting, you know, ten shots with each of the clubs they wanted me to hit. You know, a little nerve-wracking, hopefully I hit it okay but I think it went well.

But hopefully it gives them information they need and they can spread that, and again, drive more awareness to the sport.