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LPGA STATE FARM CLASSICJune 10, 2011Mindy KimSPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome our leader, Mindy Kim, into the interview room. Congratulations on another great round today. After yesterday's round, did you feel like you were able to just build off what you were doing yesterday into today? MINDY KIM: Yes. I mean, like I just, when I started out the day today, I just felt like, you know, it's a brand new day. The 8-under never happened and just, you know, play my game out there today. MODERATOR: You've had success prior to coming on the LPGA Tour on the Futures Tour. You had a great year in 2008: three wins. What did that experience teach you now or help you I guess now on the LPGA Tour? MINDY KIM: It just helped me to -- I mean, it helped me -- hmmm, I have to think about this a little bit. Yikes. MODERATOR: Did you learn a lot about yourself as a golfer by playing in all of those events? MINDY KIM: Yes, definitely. Yes. And I was also very young at that time, so I didn't really know what was going on. I mean, of course right now I have a lot of things in my head. You know, if haunts me sometimes, but I just try to stay positive and keep going forward. MODERATOR: Do you think it just takes some time, too? I know you had that great year in 2008 on the Futures Tour and it's taken you a few years to get your game where you'd probably want it on this tour? Does it just take time - like you said, you were very young when you first came out - to kind of build up that confidence and maturity and knowing how to compete at this level? MINDY KIM: Yes. I think it definitely helped me. And, you know, I mean, I haven't been really working -- I wasn't necessarily working that hard the last two years. I was kind of going through some personal issues, so wasn't really into it. But this off-season I practiced really hard, worked hard, and I think I'm getting all the results now. MODERATOR: I know you were born in South Korea, but you've lived in the U.S. since you were six and you've spent a lot of time in California. Do you associate yourself as a full-blooded American? How do you think of yourself, I guess? MINDY KIM: That's a tough question, because I don't want to, you know -- I don't really want to, you know, just -- I guess I'm Korean-American. I mean, I think more as an American in the culture sense, because my parents always nag on me saying, You're not Korean enough. I try to think what my parents think, but it's kind of hard. So I think as an American but I look Korean. MODERATOR: Yeah, you've got the Californian flair. MINDY KIM: Yeah, I guess. MODERATOR: Questions. Q. Yesterday you talked about you had the bogey out here on No. 9, the kind of tough break. MINDY KIM: Uh-huh. Q. You kind of just moved on from that, you know, and today it was kind of similar. You had a bogey on your first hole; on No. 1, you know, the par-5, you had a delay I think because Grace Park, she had to come back. MINDY KIM: Right. Q. When you're playing well, some people say, Boy, you had a delay and it kind of breaks your momentum. Again, maybe compared to a few years ago in terms of your patience and stuff, I mean, in dealing with a delay or an early bogey, has that changed for you? Is that maybe why you're doing so well? MINDY KIM: Yes, I would just get angry, I mean, if I made a stupid bogey, which I mean, you know, on No. 10, my first hole, it really was. Because I had a 9-iron and I had a bug right here. The bug was right there in the middle of my backswing so I couldn't really stop, so I think I kind of lost my focus there. But it was my fault. I mean, I couldn't get up-and-down, but it is what it is. If I made bogey, I can't go back and make par, right? Just have to get over it. Q. You had a little birdie streak yesterday and a mere four birdies in a row today. That birdie stretch today, I mean, were they all a little bit different, or were you hitting them in really close every time or... MINDY KIM: Yeah, all those four birdies I made wasn't long putts. It was all inside maybe 15, 20 feet. I just hit good putts and it just went into the hole. Q. Who is your caddie? Who caddies for you? MINDY KIM: His name is Jerry Woodard. He's known as Woody. Everyone calls him Woody out here. He's been caddying for over 30 years, so way before I was born. Q. I'm sure he's caddied for a lot of players. Who are some of the other players? MINDY KIM: He's caddied for Pat Bradley when she was playing really well. I mean, I think he had a couple different players, like Karen Stupples and stuff. Q. You're a young player and he's been out here for a long time. In terms of chemistry or whatever, obviously it's working for you. MINDY KIM: Yeah. Um, I've -- I mean, during the past, you know, couple of years -- last year I had about nine caddies and I played maybe 13 events, so basically that means I changed caddies every week. This year, I mean, he's really quiet. He gets me the yardages and he's just quiet, you know. He keeps up, so it's good. Q. You said yesterday the first two days were maybe the first time you've played in an A group, so to speak. You're certainly going to be in A groups the next two days. I mean, like you said, this is part of an ongoing process. That has to be exciting. I mean, you and Yani today, a lot birdies, and you have to expect the same thing the next couple days regardless of who you play with. MINDY KIM: Yeah, definitely. If the wind doesn't pick up here then it's just going to be a birdiefest here. Like I said, I'm just going to play my own game and just play the golf course, just myself and the golf course. Q. You talked a little bit about your off-season, working hard. What specifically were the differences between a couple years ago and this off-season? MINDY KIM: Honestly, I just didn't practice on my off-season. I would just hang out with my friends, and I think I did a little too much of that, so I couldn't get in good practices in my off-season. So this off-season, I mean, of course I went to church and everything, but I just cut out a lot of time for golf. So I spent a lot of time on the golf course preparing myself mentally with my new coach and stuff. Q. A lot of the players come in here and talk about, I hit 3-woods to within 122 yards and all this kind of stuff. You don't talk like that. You don't go into great details. Are you kind of a loose golfer, do you think? MINDY KIM: Apparently I am since you spotted that out. I haven't noticed. But, um, I think I'm just laid back. I don't think I'm -- I don't think I'm stuck up or anything. I'm just pretty loose out there. Q. California cool? MINDY KIM: Basically, yeah. Q. Yesterday you mentioned your instructor or whatever. Is he or she here this week? MINDY KIM: Yeah, he's here. One of my coaches are here this week. I have two coaches. I work with Don Brown, and I also work with Ron Stockton, Dave Stockton's son. Q. Who is here this week? MINDY KIM: Ron Stockton is here this week. Q. And is one of them more of a short game guy and the other -- I mean, do they have certain specialities or... MINDY KIM: Yeah, Ron is more -- well, he watches -- he oversees my whole game. I work with him with everything. And Don Brown, I work with him specifically with my swing, so... MODERATOR: Thank you very much. MINDY KIM: Thanks, Kelly. Thanks everybody. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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