MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 14, 2024

Tom Kim

Quick Quotes

Q. What made today so much more scorable than the first three days? We had a mix of conditions and a mix of difficult pins, but what made today scorable?

TOM KIM: I think the wind dying is such a big difference here because we play golf courses that blow harder than this and are easy to score, but it's just hard whether it's blowing 10 or 20 and just switching all the time. I think that's where it gets really difficult. Having the wind down and having definitely pins where you can kind of attack holes, that makes a big difference.

For me, I made the cut on the number. I didn't really have a good moving day. I just came out here just trying to make it as stress-free as possible, and I did, and just got lucky with a good round there.

Q. Play analyst for a bit: Second nine, walk me through places you can attack on the second nine if you're going out later in the day trying to win a golf tournament.

TOM KIM: I hit a really good drive on 10 which got me on an upslope to having a really good number to that front left pin. Obviously you don't want to go short there. That's not really a pin you want to go for. But if you have a really good number and the wind is in your favor, it's a pin you can go at.

11, not really.

12, no, not really.

13, it's the first pin I've ever seen that's more back and it's pretty tricky because I hit on the green short and left, but that putt could go either way. It could go short right or long six feet like I did, and when you hit it past six feet like I did, you don't have any chance.

I think 15 is a good pin.

Obviously 16, I think those two holes coming down are going to be holes where you can kind of take advantage. When you have guys playing if they have a good lead on the back nine, you're just steering the ship and trying to hit a lot of greens.

Q. Did you notice a big difference in the clubs you were hitting into greens today?

TOM KIM: Oh, yeah. I hit 3-wood on 11 on Friday and I hit 6-iron today, and I hit a better drive on Friday, too. No, it definitely played a big difference, and I think because of how penalizing they made Augusta when the wind is up like that, it's just really hard. I've played a few majors, and as much as I like Augusta and I finished 16th last year, it played one of the hardest majors I've played so far.

Q. Anything you can take from this week into next week?

TOM KIM: Yeah, I'll be less tired for sure. It's a lot flatter over there. Good shots might get rewarded, so that's definitely a good momentum thing that I can go into next week, and to kind of see a good round like this in a major and at Augusta, I haven't really had the best of starts, and to see this round and see the hard work pay off, it's good.

Q. Talk about men's golf in Korea right now.

TOM KIM: Yeah, I think a lot of us are playing really consistent. I think with how good the Korean players are, I think all four could have made the cut easily. We've got a lot of good players, and I think it's definitely getting a lot more competitive. I think us playing well is definitely inspiring the next generation to come to the PGA TOUR and to play events like this because no matter what tour comes along, you can't beat traditions like the Masters and the four major championships.

I think it's been really good.

Q. Scottie is going for his second green jacket. What's something that the world might not know about Scottie Scheffler?

TOM KIM: He's very real. Like what you see is what you get. I think being in the position that he is, he's a very low-key guy. He's made a lot of money this year, and he still hasn't changed his lifestyle one bit. Family is the most important thing to him. He loves golf so much. He gets really competitive. Really what you see on camera is really what you get.

Q. What are your favorite memories of him from maybe off the golf course?

TOM KIM: That he used to be nice to me before. That was a nice time. Now he just gives me a hard time literally every time. He doesn't really pick and choose moments. He's just consistently that way.

No, but for me, I think it's actually -- I'm looking ahead because he's going to be a dad soon, and I've seen him before that, and to be able to kind of see a guy who is where he's at and with how close I am to him, I'm really curious to see how his life is going to be like when he becomes a dad.