PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 16, 2024

Tom Kim

Valhalla Golf Club

Flash Quotes

THE MODERATOR: Tom Kim is with us at the 106th PGA Championship.

Tom, 5-under 66 for you today. How do you feel about your opening round?

TOM KIM: Great. I played really nice, really solid. Just to kind of get things going, second major championship of the year, and definitely put myself in a good position and just going through the same game plan for tomorrow.

Q. So tell us a little bit about those birdies, especially making the turn there, 10, 12, 13?

TOM KIM: Just I played really solid on the front nine, and that's -- I was just going into the back nine with the same game plan and gave myself some good opportunities. Made some good putts coming in. Just overall today has been really, really solid.

Q. So take a quick look at this, so you see, best finish, cut, and a picture of you, so I ask you two questions.

TOM KIM: Okay.

Q. First is, what an improvement. So what happened today?

TOM KIM: Just softer greens definitely helped. More experience. More scar tissues definitely gets you a tougher player, and I've been playing really good golf. Just haven't really seemed to get things going, but to do this in a major championship shows me a lot more about myself and gives me more confidence.

Q. And I was telling about the picture because I mean, I've seen you unhappy a lot of times but this week you're getting happier and happier. How much do you enjoy being here?

TOM KIM: It's not always smiles. A lot of people see me smiling a lot but it's not always smiles, trust me.

But you know, I just try to put on a good face and just try the best I can.

Q. The scores were pretty low in the morning, soft course. Did you sense the course changing over the course of your round today?

TOM KIM: I mean, just playing in the afternoon with a packed field, the greens just get beat up. That's one of, I think, the advantages that the morning has with soft greens, especially when they're rolling really good.

I don't know if it was windy in the morning but obviously really low scores. When you've got soft greens, guys just tear it up and it just happens.

Q. When someone goes out and shoots 9-under in the morning, for the afternoon guys, are you guys seeing that going, look, we have to take advantage of what's out there?

TOM KIM: Well, when you see a 9-under in a major championship, you know it's out there. You know it's definitely gettable. Obviously Xander played really, really well to shoot 9-under par.

But when you see a score like that, you go, okay, I guess it's playing pretty gettable and there's going to be a lot of opportunities out there. I think the guys who did shoot under par in the afternoon did a really good job of going after it.