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MICHELOB ULTRA OPEN AT KINGSMILL

May 11, 2006

Jimin Kang

WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA

DANA GROSS RHODE: Jimin, this ties your season low for 2006. You want to talk about the 67 today?

JIMIN KANG: What did I shoot today?

DANA GROSS RHODE: 67 today.

JIMIN KANG: Good. I just wanted to know if it was a par 71. They wrote down 67, I shot like 4 under.

DANA GRASSRHODE: That's good, it's a great score. Obviously you're in second.

JIMIN KANG: Yes, I had a lot of fortune today obviously. I made two chip ins on No. 6 and No. 10, which I think it's a tricky hole since the weather, the strong wind on the back nine. And I made a birdie

DANA GROSS RHODE: You chipped in from how far out?

JIMIN KANG: Not far, about 13 yards.

DANA GRASSRHODE: What club?

JIMIN KANG: Sand wedge.

7, I hit a driver really good. I hit driver and hit a solid 5 wood, knocked it on about 15 footer, lipped out towards the right and tapped in for the birdie.

8, I hit a really solid drive down the middle and I have to grip an 8 iron and landed on right at the front of the green. I think it rolled up towards the hole and lipped out, so I just had to tap that in. So that is fortune.

Q. So you almost chipped in, almost hit your approach in?

JIMIN KANG: Almost I guess. I couldn't see it though.

DANA GROSS RHODE: How far out were you on that?

JIMIN KANG: I think about 137.

9, I hit my driver to the right. I struggled with my driver today a little bit but it cost me strokes. Chipping in, those are bonuses, so not complaining.

DANA GROSS RHODE: What club did you use for your approach shot?

JIMIN KANG: No. 9 I hit my driver on the right side. Have you guys seen how thick the roughs are? I thought I was going to break my arm. So I hit it, I hit it out on the left center of the fairway and I hit approach shot about 45 but I missed it, 12 foot putt.

DANA GROSS RHODE: What club did you hit out of the fairway?

JIMIN KANG: Gripped a 5 wood.

DANA GROSS RHODE: No. 10, you had the chip in from how far out?

JIMIN KANG: About eight yards, 24 footer, sand wedge. That was fortune, too.

11, I hit my driver on the right side and it went down in the bottom so I had to hit like about a 55 yard shot with a sand wedge.

DANA GROSS RHODE: What club did you hit?

JIMIN KANG: Come on, it's 55 yards, sand wedge. I'm not going to hit 5 wood. (Laughing.) I knocked it on about 10 footer, it's more like 9 footer, so I knocked it in.

DANA GROSS RHODE: Bogey on 14.

JIMIN KANG: That cost me another stroke. My driver went to the right side. Hit it out, hit it on the green, rolled all the way to the back, hit in another rough, hit it back, hit it well coming back to the hole, but I missed the putt. It was a long putt, an 18 footer putt.

DANA GROSS RHODE: What did you use on your approach shot to the green?

JIMIN KANG: Hit a driver, gripped a 5 wood from the rough and hit a sand wedge coming back on the green. That was Army golf right there.

DANA GROSS RHODE: Then your final birdie on 16.

JIMIN KANG: 16, the par 4, that was a really good one. Were you guys out there? It started pouring out there. And I was hoping that they would blow the horn or something. They didn't, I'm like, oh, great. (Laughter).

Hit my driver solid right down the middle. I gripped a 4 iron, tried to land on the front of the green so let it roll up, but the pin was on the front right side, and it rolled all the way back. So I think I made about a 55,60 footer. Yeah, it was a miracle. I was like jumping up and down. Can't help it, the reaction for it, happy.

Q. When you saw that there were not a lot of low numbers on the board, is that like, wow, it must be really hard out here before you start playing, or are you thinking, well, why not me?

JIMIN KANG: Well, it was only halfway, half of the groups were out, so half of the rest of the groups are not started yet. So, who knows. So I was like, maybe, maybe some of the girls will shoot low. I didn't know it would be me.

Q. Do you play with contact lenses on?

JIMIN KANG: No. It's all glasses. Every single thing that I wear is prescription.

Q. But I didn't see you wearing them at 18 as you were coming down the fairway?

JIMIN KANG: You didn't?

Q. I didn't see you wear them. Maybe I need new glasses.

JIMIN KANG: Maybe you need to see the eye doctor. I'm playing golf, I have to wear it so I can see the golf ball. (Laughter).

Q. How are the greens?

JIMIN KANG: Really, good, yeah, it's really good. I love the golf course. Golf course is in great shape. I think it was great shape last year, too, but I think this is even better.

Q. How long did it rain for out there, about 15 minutes?

JIMIN KANG: I have no idea. I wasn't counting. I was too busy. I'm not going to watch, now it's range.

Q. Can you estimate?

JIMIN KANG: I think it rained about a hole, one hole, on No. 16.

DANA GROSS RHODE: Like 15, 20 minutes about.

Q. Did it soften the greens up the all?

JIMIN KANG: It did a little bit. And No. 17, there was a big tree, so we have to all pick up these little I was hoping they would bring the vacuum for it.

Q. How have you played here previous to this year have you had good experiences here, played well?

JIMIN KANG: I played well last year. I can't remember, I think you guys can look it up.

Q. I guess the point is you have a good feeling coming back here because you have a good past experience?

JIMIN KANG: I love the golf course, I love the food here, and the people, they are nice, like usual. So, yeah.

Q. Does it affect you at all when you're on the leaderboard after the first round, does that get you too excited, does it make it hard to sleep, anything like that?

JIMIN KANG: We'll find out tomorrow. (Laughter).

Q. Do you think it will have any effect?

JIMIN KANG: Well, it's golf. You know, I could be playing like solid through this week, that would be great, but I may not. So who knows. All I can do is just do my best every single shot, see what happens by the end of the week.

Q. When was the last time you would say you had a round that was either this fortunate, this lucky, this miraculous?

JIMIN KANG: I'm just saying fortune, come on. I played like my butt off. I've been playing solid, I just haven't been making any putts. If you see my stats I have a lot of birdie bogey birdie, birdie, bogey, bogey; I didn't make much bogey today. I'm excited.

Any other questions, gentlemen? Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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