	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

WGC HSBC CHAMPIONS

November 5, 2009

Anthony Kim

SHANGHAI, CHINA

LAURA HILL: We would like to welcome Anthony Kim into the media centre, 67, 5-under, he had a good week last week and it seems the momentum is just continuing here at the HSBC Champions.
ANTHONY KIM: Yeah, I played well last week, and it's been some hard work, but it's paid off the last couple of weeks and I feel like my good play from last week has turned into good play this week.
LAURA HILL: Talk about your round a little bit, just what was working for you out there.
ANTHONY KIM: I would say I played very smart instead of being so aggressive. I think the hole on 8 pretty much was the way I played golf today, and I hit 3-wood off a par 5, which I normally never do. And hit a 4-iron in there and to lay up and hit a sand wedge to ten feet and make the putt.
So I'm playing a lot smarter and I'm just trying to play the percentages because I didn't get a practice round in, and I don't know exactly what the ball is going to do once it hits the green.

Q. Why didn't you get a practise round in?
ANTHONY KIM: I had Visa trouble just getting into the country. I actually got in on Wednesday morning at 1:30 and just tried to get as much rest as I could and woke up at about three and practised for an hour or two, and then I was just getting ready for today.

Q. Could you talk about your decision, obviously disappointed that you're not playing in The Race to Dubai finale?
ANTHONY KIM: Well, you know, I think I learned a lot from last year. I wasn't quite physically ready to play, and mentally either, at the beginning of the PGA TOUR season. I feel like part of the reason was because I did waste all of my energy playing in the off-season last year, and didn't feel like I had time to recover, and I think that's why I was getting injured a lot more, because I wasn't taking care of my body as well, because I was obviously playing internationally.

Q. Will you be back to play in Europe next year?
ANTHONY KIM: I will. I spoke with my management team about that. I'd like to play more in Europe. Maybe more than I did this year. Hopefully I can play a little bit better.

Q. Were you at all worried that you wouldn't be able to play here because of the Visa problems, and how did you sort of spend that extra time, when I'm sure you would have rather been here playing a practise round?
ANTHONY KIM: Well, I went to Hong Kong for, I don't know, I landed at 8.00 and stayed there till 10.05. So that's a lot of time to spend. IMG had me taken care of pretty well out there, and you know -- Guy Kinnings just walked in the room, but I knew he was going to get the job done and Robbie Henchman obviously helped out on the Asian side.
I feel fortunate to have those guys on my side, because obviously they have all of the connections and told me that I was -- I was pretty assured that I was going to get into the country and be able to play. Unfortunately I wasn't able to come and practise before, but that may have been the best thing for me. I played 100-plus holes of golf last week and I needed that rest. I'm kind of glad that I'm rested up and now I'm ready to go play these next three days.

Q. In China, a lot of people take you as an idol, a lot of the action that you do, like reversing the cap and everything, how do you think about these actions?
ANTHONY KIM: I'm not understanding the question.

Q. The way you flip the cap to the side and to the back.
ANTHONY KIM: Oh, I don't do that anymore. (Laughter).
You know, it's just whatever emotion I felt, I was just being myself. That's just the way I am. I guess when I'm having a bad day, I'm not afraid to show it, and I'm just learning different ways to channel it and not get so angry and not put my hat on and mope around all day. I'm trying to be more professional and I'm learning from a lot of the guys how to do it.

Q. Both you and Camilo Villegas, we consider you guys as new stars, but you guys are not doing quite well this year. Is it because of the media pressure or the public pressure?
ANTHONY KIM: Well, I can't speak on behalf of Camilo at all. But I know that I haven't played my best this year. It has nothing to do with other people's expectations of what I can do, because when I play well, I know I'm going to have a chance to win any golf tournament I play in.
So I'm not too worried about what this person thinks or this person thinks. I'm just going out there and trying to play my game. Unfortunately the ball has not lipped in as much as it did last year, and I haven't been fully healthy, and I think part of that was because last off-season, I didn't have a month or two to just relax and get my body right before the season started.
So that's something that changed this off-season, and hopefully I'll get off to a better start next year.

Q. Did you learn more about your disqualification last year, about the clubs?
ANTHONY KIM: (Laughing) I know I don't want to do that again. I want to play all four rounds this year. That's a goal of mine is to complete four rounds.
I'm not banging my clubs around as much as I did last year, so I shouldn't have to worry about that.
LAURA HILL: Anthony great round. Good luck.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297