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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIPMay 9, 2008Anthony KimPONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA DOUG MILNE: We would like to welcome back Anthony Kim, second round 2-under par 70 today, you obviously had to work for it with the wind conditions. Just a few opening comments on the round today. ANTHONY KIM: I think today was my best ball-striking round that I've had in the last six tournament days I've played. But the putter was a little bit cold. And did my best to stay down and to stay focused but the wind is playing havoc out there, and that's all you can do, and hopefully I can get some to fall on the weekend. DOUG MILNE: We just had Boo in here and he came off 18 frustrated obviously, bogey at the last was not the way he wanted to end but he did share one particular light-hearted moment with the turtle that got you. ANTHONY KIM: Yeah, he got me pretty good. I didn't know if it was a snap-in turtle or anything like that, and I don't know much about wildlife and I know he does, so when he yelled at me -- he scared me pretty good right there on that par 3. I think that's why we probably both missed those 5-footers on that hole. Q. You continue to keep playing like this, and you know, are you comfortable being known as the hottest golfer on the TOUR right now? Do you embrace that? ANTHONY KIM: I love anything good that's attached to my game right now because I feel like I'm doing the right things and making good decisions and doing my best to perform my best out here. I'm just taking it shot-by-shot, and that was hard for me last year, and even earlier this year. But I'm starting to get some bounces go my way and playing a little bit better. Q. A lot of people throw the names of 20-something golfers with all this potential in the world out there left and right, but what do you think makes you different? What do you think might put you over the top? ANTHONY KIM: I think playing other sports growing up. Winning was pretty big to me, and doing anything to win just when you're down 15 points in a basketball game or when things are going bad, I feel like I'm going to just keep fighting and fighting, and I know a lot of the guys, most of the guys are going to do that out there and not quit and I think if you don't quit, you're going to have a good opportunity to succeed out here. Q. Can you talk about, you said your putting was cold; but was the wind a factor? Talk about putting with those winds out there and those greens. ANTHONY KIM: It's hard to stay down and if you make a read and say the ball is out to the left and the wind is blowing to the right, you have to play it eight inches out to the left and it could be an 8-footer. So I hit one putt that was straight downwind on No. 14, I think it was, where I 3-putted. I had 20 feet and barely hit it and hit it eight feet by, so I mean, you get it going downwind, downgrain, you're in for some trouble. Q. How were the green speeds and the firmness today compared to yesterday? ANTHONY KIM: They are actually about the same I think. I don't think they are getting too much faster. I don't know what the TOUR is doing, but they are keeping them pretty much the same speed and they are not drying out too much. But the speed is good. If you get it started on-line, you're going to make some putts because these greens are pure, and just try to get it started on-line. Q. Can you just talk about playing with Boo; you played with him at the Verizon, and he's kind of a character out there. Just wondering from your standpoint, do you enjoy playing with him, and does he relax you more than maybe just playing with anybody else? ANTHONY KIM: I like Boo off the golf course as much as I do on. He's a great guy. He keeps me -- I mean, who does that, when we are all looking at a tournament and just yells during a golf tournament? (Laughter). He's a great guy and he's become a good friend and I enjoy playing with him very much. Q. You talked about being one of the younger players out here and having some expectations on you; have you spoken with guys like Adam Scott or Sergio about how do you deal with those expectations? ANTHONY KIM: No, I really haven't, and the reason being I think that all of us are so different. It's not about the age so much as it is the attitude that we have and the approach we have towards everything; not just golf, but in life. And I think I'm a little bit different from -- you know, everyone's different. I'm trying to figure it out my way, learning from the veterans and trying to listen to what they have to say and figure it out myself. Q. Who have you talked to? ANTHONY KIM: I can't even begin to tell you but you know, I think everybody knows that I talk to Mark O'Meara quite a bit. He actually sent me a text a couple of days ago. We talk pretty regularly. And Todd Hamilton and I are pretty good friends. There's so many guys, I can't even start to name them. Q. What's your relationship with K.J.? Is he one of the guys? ANTHONY KIM: Absolutely. I talked to him this morning for 20 minutes when we ate breakfast together. He's a great guy. He's been very helpful and been very supportive of what I'm doing, but I think he appreciates the fact that I'm working a lot harder than I was last year not taking it for granted; because I don't know if there's too many guys that work harder than him out here. Just trying to do pick my own way but do what the veterans say in a sense and keep working hard. Q. Was that conversation in English? ANTHONY KIM: No, it was not. (Laughing). Q. On a similar front, do you have any idea whether you're getting any love in Korea? I know you're not technically -- you were born here in the U.S., but back home, Michelle Wie in Korea is still a rock star. Do you have any idea? ANTHONY KIM: Well, I played in a tournament in Korea, was it two, three months ago. It was a co-sanctioned event with the European Tour. K.J. and I played together, so it's hard to tell if there was some people coming out for me. But there was a ton of people that came over, and we obviously didn't play together the last two days and I still had some people behind me, so it was a lot of fun to go out there. Q. If I could follow up, I mean this in a teasing fashion, but I've heard every word out of your mouth the last two weeks, and I'm still waiting for to you say something that's suppoedly cocky or edgy or annoying, which is everything I've ever read about you; what's going on there? Are you now humble suddenly? ANTHONY KIM: It's not suddenly. I'm just not mouthing off. (Laughter). Q. Lesson learned? ANTHONY KIM: A lot of lessons learned. Q. Can you talk about 18; you're not in the fairway, you're not in a bad spot, not a good second shot, not a about third, not a real will fourth, but you walked away with a pretty good five, all things considered. ANTHONY KIM: Staying focused on every shot has been my goal, and the reason I was frustrated with 18 was because if I stayed focused on that second shot, it would have been on the green and had a chance to be close from the angle that I had. I was thinking about the wind and what I was probably going to eat for lunch and I just -- I didn't even know what I was doing when I got over the ball. I did that all last year, so I hate that feeling. I just came up on it a little bit, and the third shot was actually a really good shot. I was just trying to keep it dry, because it looked like if I just missed it a little bit, it could go in the water. So I'm very happy walking out of there with five, but also a little bit disappointed that I didn't stay focused on the last hole. Q. During your maturation process, we've all kind of gotten to know you, and I think the golfing public is still getting to know you, so if you're asked the question, who is Anthony Kim, what's your answer? ANTHONY KIM: It's changed a lot in the last couple months. I'd say that I'm a hard-working person, and I think the people that know me the closest know I'm a humble person. Sometimes I have that -- sometimes I have been known to mouth off, and I'm learning how to control what I want to say, even if I think it's right; sometimes I just need to know when not to say it. You know, I think being No. 1 is a goal of mine, and I'm going to work my hardest to get there. Q. Share your affection for the Lakers Kobe Bryant and modeling your winning attitude after him. ANTHONY KIM: I mean, he's my favorite player in the League. He's been since he came out of draft, and I was hoping the Lakers would get him. To watch him play, it's not even close to how I play. He just dominates. And watching him and the Lakers right now inspires me. I'm glad we got some of the trades that we got, and hopefully they can keep playing well and I can keep doing the same. Q. What kind of basketball player were you, and how much hoops do you get to play now? ANTHONY KIM: I play zero hoops now. I used to play a little bit with the guys at Oklahoma on the basketball team, and I still work out with the trainer there when I go back to OU. It's my passion; and some people like fish fishing, but you can get hurt playing basketball and yet it's hard to get hurt going fishing. I just like to watch it now on TV. Q. Were you an outside shooter? Do you like to penetrate to the basket? What do you like to do? ANTHONY KIM: I was a point guard but I like to do everything. Unfortunately, I got banged up pretty good, because I thought I was big enough to go in there with the big guys, and obviously I'm not. Q. But you played in high school? ANTHONY KIM: Yes. Q. Did you think at one point you were going to play in college and be a basketball star? ANTHONY KIM: I thought I was going to play college basketball, college football and college golf when I was six. (Laughter). Q. Out at La Quinta, did you play the Stadium Course out there or the Mountain Course? ANTHONY KIM: I did. My parents bought me a condo there on the first hole and I've got to play there quite a bit. It's pretty similar to this. Q. And the greens are probably not as severe there. ANTHONY KIM: I think they are more severe there to be honest with you. But they are not rolling at 13. So I guess it evens out at the end. Q. Do you think that helps on this course? ANTHONY KIM: Absolutely. I mean, it helps me at Q-School get through. All the Dye designs are pretty similar, so it does help me quite a bit. Q. I know people in the valley claim you and people in the desert claim you; how old were you when you actually came from Korea, where did you live, when did you move and when did you pick up a golf club for the first time? ANTHONY KIM: Okay. Well, I was born in Los Angeles. My parents I think came over about maybe 12, 13 years before I was born, and I started playing golf when I was about two. I mean, I don't remember but that's what my parents say. We lived in L.A. downtown pretty close to 6th and Kingsley for a while and then we moved to Northridge, and then we moved to -- I don't know where. And then we moved to north Hollywood for two years, and then I moved out to Palm Springs when I was 15. Q. Do you think you'll be leading this tournament by the time the day's over? ANTHONY KIM: No idea. I haven't even seen the scores. Q. With the wind the way it is -- ANTHONY KIM: It's playing tough, but I'm just hoping I stay inside the Top-10. Q. Were you watching scoreboards while you were out today? ANTHONY KIM: A little bit, not much. Usually when I'm looking at the scoreboards on Friday, it's because that cut line keeps moving around. I was pretty safe away from that, after I was dry on 17, so I wasn't watching it too much. Q. The scoreboard stared you in the face on 13, I saw you look at it, you were one shot down at the time. ANTHONY KIM: Right. I try not to look at it but these things have got so big, you can't not look. Q. What hooked you to give up your final year in college? ANTHONY KIM: Well, I wanted to leave after my freshman year, and my mom convinced me to stay another year. I played pretty well my sophomore year, and she somehow convinced me to stay another year. So I stayed another year, and she finally said, okay, if you want to go that bad, you can go after your junior year. She didn't hold me back, and my dad was obviously behind me turning pro. That was that. Q. How much credit do you give to your parents for where you are right now? ANTHONY KIM: Most of it. Without their sacrifices, I wouldn't be here, and they have given up everything; their time, their money, their friendships, they have given up all of it for me. Every time I play a good round, I get to come in here and talk to you guys; I feel lucky and I feel very thankful that they gave me this opportunity. Q. What was the best or coolest wind-cheating shot today; anything you really held against the wind? ANTHONY KIM: It was 16, but it didn't end up so good. I think we had 212 or 215 on my second shot, and I started out -- the pin is front left, and I started it out in the water. I think it was about a yard from being perfect but I ended up making par on the hole. Q. Do you consider yourself to be superstitious, because your choice of Mark O'Meara as a mentor is pretty good, given his track record with Tiger Woods. ANTHONY KIM: Yeah, I was lucky to meet Mark and I was lucky that I got paired with him in the Shark Shootout, because without that, I don't know if we would have met and hit it off like we did. I guess it was just fate that somebody, you know, somebody could help me out and somebody that has won so many tournaments is Mark. Q. Are you superstitious? ANTHONY KIM: I try not to be but I mean, I've been using the same coin for a little bit now. DOUG MILNE: In closing if you wouldn't mind just running us through your birdies, just give us some clubs and a description. ANTHONY KIM: 1, I hit driver, sand wedge to about two feet and made that for birdie. No. 3, I hit a 6-iron to six feet and made that for birdie. No. 10, I hit driver, pitching wedge to about 15 feet and made that for birdie. No. 12, I hit 3-wood, lob-wedge to 15 feet and made that for birdie. No. 15, I hit driver, pitching wedge to six feet and made that for birdie. DOUG MILNE: Anthony Kim, thanks for your time, we appreciate it, and best of luck on the weekend. End of FastScripts |
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