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VOLVO WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

October 31, 2009

Anthony Kim

CASARES, SPAIN

GORDON SIMPSON: Well, congratulations, Anthony, to the Pub Links final, you can now add the Volvo World Match Play final. It was quite a battle out there today, wasn't it.
ANTHONY KIM: It was. Robert and I both played pretty well for the most part. And I just turned it on on the second 18 and felt like some putts were falling and a couple breaks were going my way.
So I feel very fortunate to come out of here. I know my parents were tuned in all morning, at 3 o'clock when the coverage came on, to now. So I'm excited for them and I'm really excited to be in The Match Play final.
GORDON SIMPSON: There seemed to be two pivotal holes: The 8th where you made a remarkable par, and the 9th where you knocked your second shot in for an eagle.
ANTHONY KIM: 8 I think was the hole that really sealed it for me. And 9, it was a little bit extra.
But what happened on 8 was pretty crucial, because on the hole before, he gave me a pretty big gift there. Didn't get it up-and-down from just right of the green. I think we had 86 yards in for our fourth shot there and hit it to four feet and I think he just miss-hit his chip a little bit and made par.
So those string of holes really helped me out today.

Q. What were your thoughts going into the final tomorrow?
ANTHONY KIM: Get some rest. I need to get these legs in the water and some hot water and just relax tonight.
I'll just go out there and do what I've been doing. I've been playing great. I've been swinging great and fortunately I'm making some putts. So if I can keep that up, I'll have fun tomorrow, as well.
GORDON SIMPSON: Presumably winning can keep the fatigue at bay a little longer.
ANTHONY KIM: Absolutely it can. I can play 18 more days on this golf course if I win the tournament. So I'm just excited to be in this position and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Q. Is it more mental fatigue than physical, or is this one physical?
ANTHONY KIM: No. It's a bit of both. Usually it's more mental, but this golf course, it's just as physical as it is mental. I feel like I've been backpacking for the last ten days, and now it's time to just go out there and have one more big day tomorrow, and hopefully it will end up bouncing my way.

Q. Your level of play is so high this week, kind of came off a week of pretty strenuous practise; does it give you faith in the effect of practise, so to speak?
ANTHONY KIM: It sure does. My coach and I, we had worked, but really we were just trying to keep my golf swing under control. And because of my injuries, I wasn't able to make the turn, I wasn't able to pivot the way I wanted to. Now that that's getting taken care of, and my body is in better shape and better condition, we were able to work.
So when he came, it wasn't just to get rid of a hook, but it was to actually work on the fade. That's a huge difference when you're playing away from bad shots or trying to hit good shots.
So I do know if I play well, that I've got a good shot at winning any golf tournament. So I'm excited to see that the hard work has paid off.

Q. What was the injury that kept you from making the swing you wanted to make?
ANTHONY KIM: My thumb. I had about -- I've had trouble with my thumb and my shoulder. So when I took it back, I could never bring it down with any speed. So I was hitting it 25 yards shorter, and by trying to add more distance, I would hit a hook. So you can't mix those two together.

Q. You still feel your thumb quite a bit, don't you?
ANTHONY KIM: It's just a little tender, but I'm a lot better. I was having trouble holding on to the club for four or five months this year, where my thumb was actually off the grip.
But I tried to play through it and didn't listen and take a month and a half off and just relax, and tried to play through it.
Unfortunately it caught up to me, but I'm better now. I know what to look for next time if I ever do get injured. I'll take time off and get ready for the next couple of tournaments after that.

Q. You said yesterday some veterans told you to take some time off. Who in particular advised that?
ANTHONY KIM: You know, Mark O'Meara and I have spoken when I got injured, and I didn't really know what to do. He's told me so much over the last couple years, just if you get injured, you take time off. There's been quite a few others. I'm sure I'm going to miss a couple people.
But the overall point was when you get injured, you have to make sure your body is good, or you're not looking for the future, you're just looking for the here and now.

Q. I wondered what you really feel about that win, because it clearly wasn't just another match: There wasn't a word spoken, you took your time conceding putts that you wouldn't normally even think about, whether you were going to concede them or not. There was an edge out there, wasn't there?
ANTHONY KIM: I don't know. It was such a big match for me. It was a semi-final much. Like I told you before, I wasn't getting even close to the final group of anything.
It was important for me to win this. I wanted to play well. It was important for myself and my family to play well, and I feel like I did a good job of getting the ball in the hole today.

Q. We have been talking about you and Allenby since The Presidents Cup the past few days, was there any tension, or was it all good or did you feel something extra in the air?
ANTHONY KIM: No, I didn't feel any tension. Golf is an intense sport, so you have to be focused on your game and be in the zone.
So the only feelings I had were that my caddie and I had awesome chemistry out there. It was like we were in college again and just going out and playing golf and having fun.
So that was really the only feeling I had.

Q. Great achievement getting to the final, can you talk about the role of your caddie (Brodie Flanders) this week, how much help he's been out there?
ANTHONY KIM: He's been huge. I think that whoever has watched us play has seen that there's been a lot of interaction, help reading putts. We have gotten some great yardages, and that makes a difference out there. One or two bad yardages can really throw a round off. My caddie previously, Eric Larson, did a tremendous job of getting great numbers, and we worked well out there together.
But Brodie and I just had a different chemistry, and we have known each other for so long that he knows what I'm feeling when I make a bogey or when I make a birdie. And after eagle, we got a little -- we messed it up, but we have a high-five for that.
You know, it's just we have a great chemistry out there.

Q. Are you surprised so many higher-ranked players turned this down to give you your chance?
ANTHONY KIM: I am. But I'm so thankful. This is a very big tournament for me, because like I said, it's been a very tough year, mentally, physically, all of the above. It's very rewarding to come out here in front of the Spanish fans and put on a good show, because that's what we are here for.
At the end of the day, as long as my golf game is moving forward, whether it's this week or a month, whatever, I know that that's what I've been working for my whole life. So it's very gratifying to be in this position and be sitting up in front of you guys today.

Q. Have your parents taken a special interest in the tournament this week? You said they were getting up at 3.00 in the morning or something?
ANTHONY KIM: My mom, if it's not on TV, is on the computer watching every shot that I play. She can be at a spa somewhere with her friends, and she'll still be tuned in to what I'm doing and miss a couple appointments.
So I think my parents will enjoy watching this tournament very much.
GORDON SIMPSON: Will she get up in the middle of the night just to look at a computer?
ANTHONY KIM: You know, I don't think she goes to sleep because she might miss a shot. (Laughter).

Q. Presumably perfectly happy for the other game to go about 45 holes tonight?
ANTHONY KIM: If they want to keep playing, if they want to play 16 extra holes, that's okay with me. Obviously they are having a good match out there, and hopefully I can get some rest.
GORDON SIMPSON: Well played again today, and good luck in the final tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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