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VERIZON HERITAGE

April 17, 2008

Anthony Kim

HILTON HEAD, SOUTH CAROLINA

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: We'd like to thank Anthony Kim for joining us here in the media center at the Verizon Heritage. Nice start to the week. 4-under par and nice birdie there on 18 to finish the day. You go practice some more and go work out. Just talk about your day, what you're doing well right now.
ANTHONY KIM: Well, I haven't played very well this year, besides the Bob Hope. I've been looking forward to getting my season started with a couple of birdies. I was fortunate enough to make a couple of birdies early and I kept that going, tried to make a couple on the back and had a couple of lip-outs, but feels good to finish with a birdie on 18.

Q. Did you get a little frustrated around 14, 15?
ANTHONY KIM: I got a little frustrated from 10 to 15, or 10 to 17 when I couldn't get a birdie to drop.
Even though the wind was calm, it still swirls out there. So you have to stay patient. And I feel like I did a pretty good job.

Q. What got you back in the groove? Did you make some changes? What got you back playing Anthony Kim golf?
ANTHONY KIM: I took 10 or 11 days off. And the first time I hit was yesterday or on Tuesday, actually. So I just needed a break. I was grinding. I've been working really hard and not seeing the results. So it's been tough and very frustrating. But obviously with a round like today and hopefully a couple more, I'll be rewarded for all the hard work.

Q. How long has it been since you had a break that long before?
ANTHONY KIM: Well, I like to take a lot of breaks (laughter). I guess for the last probably three and a half months, four months I've been grinding pretty hard. So at the end of the year last year I took about two months off where I didn't touch a club. And obviously that didn't help me get off to a fast start this year.

Q. So what kind of fun stuff did you do during your 11 days off here?
ANTHONY KIM: I went and bought a house in California. I went furniture shopping for three days with some good family friends. I pretty much laid around and played with the dogs all day.

Q. Where in California did you buy?
ANTHONY KIM: Back in La Quinta, California, where I grew up.
JOAN vT ALEXANDER: You made a birdie on 2.
ANTHONY KIM: I hit driver, 4-iron just short left of the green, and chipped it up to about two feet and made that.
JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Birdie on 4, par-3.
ANTHONY KIM: I was aiming at the middle of the green, the pin is tucked left, over the water and pulled it and it almost went in. I had ten feet and made that.
The next hole I hit a great drive and a great 2-iron and almost made eagle, two-putted from about 25 feet.
9, I hit 2-iron off the tee, sand wedge to about two feet and made that for birdie.
Bogey on 11. I hit 2-iron off that tee, deciding whether to hit 3-wood or 2-iron. I hit 2-iron right in the middle of the fairway and was in a huge divot. And no excuse, but I pulled it about 20 yards left of the green, and in the middle of the bunker and didn't get up and down.
JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Birdie on 18.
ANTHONY KIM: Hit a solid drive down the middle and 7-iron to the right edge of the green, and made about a 25-footer.

Q. How close were you on 14?
ANTHONY KIM: About 12 feet.

Q. You talked about all the close calls, kind of give us the down and dirty on that?
ANTHONY KIM: Well, starting on 12 I left it short from about 15 feet, probably short right in the middle.
13, I had a 10-footer or 8-footer that lipped out.
14, I had about a 12-footer that I missed a little bit right, about an inch right.
The par-5, I had a sand wedge in. Usually you're trying to hit it inside ten feet and I didn't even get it on the green. So that was pretty frustrating.
On 17, I wouldn't say it was an easy putt, but it was within 15 feet, maybe 14, 15 feet, and I felt like I should give that a roll. Didn't hit a great putt and I was fortunate to get out of there with two putts.

Q. You said you were fortunate to get out with a two-putt?
ANTHONY KIM: I only went two and a half feet by, but I felt like I killed it. It was a nice surprise to see it by the hole.

Q. The scoring conditions, do you feel like they were great scoring conditions?
ANTHONY KIM: Absolutely. There were still some shots where you had to worry about the wind. Like I said, it swirled out there. So for instance the shot on 15, on that par-5, about a hundred yards in, I hit my sand wedge about 112, 115, hit a full one, and it was downwind. And it ended up short of the green because it came back. We were playing the back edge of the green. So it still swirled but it was definitely easier conditions than last year.

Q. A check of the stats showed you're a long hitter, does this course still set up pretty well for you?
ANTHONY KIM: It definitely takes your driver out of play a little bit more. I feel pretty confident with my driver right now. I haven't felt this confident with it this whole year, really. Even at the Bob Hope I felt like I was hitting it everywhere. And finally got a new driver in the bag. I was using the 2003 head that Nike had. I just switched to the 2008 Sumo. And I've been hitting that great ever since. I'm looking forward to the next three days.

Q. How often did you hit it today?
ANTHONY KIM: What's that?

Q. The driver, how many times did you hit it today?
ANTHONY KIM: Probably only five or six times.

Q. When you first got out here, people expected you to win pretty quickly. Are you surprised you haven't earned the win yet?
ANTHONY KIM: I'm surprised I haven't given myself more chances. It's tough to win out here. I have to realize that. I expected to win out here real early. I definitely feel like I've gotten a little beaten up out here. But it's definitely to my benefit. It's going to help me in the future. I'm learning as I go, and I'm still learning every day. Every round I get under my belt is going to be a benefit. Hopefully it will lead to some wins.

End of FastScripts

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