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MICHELOB ULTRA OPEN AT KINGSMILL

May 8, 2004

Christina Kim

WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA

PAUL ROVNAK: Thanks for coming in and joining us. Right now you are two back off the lead. You will be playing in the final group tomorrow.

CHRISTINA KIM: Whoo-whoo.

PAUL ROVNAK: We'll go ahead and start and we'll take some questions.

CHRISTINA KIM: Okay, well, today was considering everything like the weather and everything, I actually feel satisfied with how I played. I didn't shoot too many under par. I didn't even shoot even, but I just played my heart out and just tried to stay patient and just tried to keep a smile on my face because I have come to realize if I enjoy myself I tend to play a lot better. Just went out there and just tried to enjoy myself. I had a great day playing with my group, put me in a good mood even if I wasn't hitting stellar shots. I enjoyed myself out there a lot today.

Q. You seem to have those kind of rock star look, those bad four ladies, all that stuff. You just seem to be kind of, what the hell, man, you seem real relaxed and just kind of having a great time?

CHRISTINA KIM: Well, I guess you can say so. I know deep down inside I am not relaxed. I have got just so much going on in my head, but you know, I just try and you know, like you said, just try and be relaxed. That's the key thing that I try and do because beginning of the year I was stressing really bad, I was just trying to push myself to the max, you know you can win, you know up can beat some of these girls, you know you can beat all of them, let's just see if you can do it. Right now I am just we're in gorgeous Virginia and it's just everyone out here is amazing and so I think that I have been able to feed off a little bit of the crowds because they have been -- this is probably the best crowd I have seen all year, minus the Nabisco earlier in year, so got all these people cheering for you, it's kind of hard not to the put a smile on your face. It's been sort of helping I guess.

Q. When you were walking -- those four ladies were yelling at you. Is that a good little break between holes or is that -- some people that would knock them off their game?

CHRISTINA KIM: As long as they don't run up and tackle me, that's fine. They were -- I met them yesterday and they were just really sweet supportive ladies. I think it's awesome, I love being able to come out here and see people that are not typical spectators just go out and do a little golf clap. I like people who make themselves known, helps me to remember them. If I can remember them later on, say, years to come and everything like that, just makes me remember there are people that are rooting for me in every city that I go to which will then again relax me a little bit and make me play better hopefully.

Q. Could you tell when Kim Williams started to lose it? She said she played -- hit the ball great the first six holes and then after that rather quickly it sort of fell apart. Could you tell that was happening to her?

CHRISTINA KIM: Well, it's kind of hard to say because nobody in our group played stellar golf today. We all struggled. There were so many factors, coming -- at the halfway point we were the leaders in the tournament, we're trying to, you know, keep our composure, and the wind is whipping around, I mean, there were times when the wind would, you know, when I am setting up to the ball blowing one way, take it back on my backswing and it was blowing the other way. There were just a lot different factors that we had to deal with including kind of chilly and everything, so I can't -- I don't know, I --we all struggled a little bit so I don't want to focus on one of the players and say anything about her because I like her. (Laughs) .

Q. How does it work with your father, do you think it's good having him there or is it a bit difficult at times?

CHRISTINA KIM: We have a roller-coaster relationship which is, I don't know, very fitting for being right next to Busch Gardens. I think there are times when it can be a little stressful, you are out there, you are missing putts, miss-hiting shots, you are just trying to figure out what is going on with -- you might have someone in the background nagging a little bit. I know everything that my dad does is to benefit me just so that I can learn to play my best and he's trying -- he thinks that if he presses me a little bit, you know, we'll be able to breakthrough and figure out what is going on. Other times when I am playing great golf he's just there, he just "whooo" and he's just -- he's the happiest kid in the world. So it's bit of a rollercoaster. So it is comforting knowing that I have my dad with me because I know that he's there rooting for me and only me. There's nothing no side bets or anything like that. Not that there would be any, you know, but it's just sort of comforting to know.

Q. What do we got going here?

CHRISTINA KIM: Necklaces. This one I have got this is a CueLink, Ernie Els and Charles HOwell III wear them, some sort of -- it's supposed to quote and quote help you stay in the zone longer and to help you focus or something like that. Ernie Els wears it. Charles Howell III wears it. Rosie wears it. A lot of girls out here this season have started to wear it. Normally they tell you try and wear it around the heart level. I am a big fan of chokers. I actually made this myself with a bit of string of hemp and weaved that up, and this one here, some little shells I got from a friend of mine for a birthday present which was really sweet and this I don't know what it is. My friend's mother who is a Buddhist gave it to me so I am going to make some assumption that it is a Buddhist one and it's going to help me find my chi or something.

Q. Tied for third -- did you play in the final group on Sunday?

CHRISTINA KIM: Yes, I played in the final group with Lorie Kane. I had to know idea what I was getting into.

Q. Do you know what you are getting into tomorrow now with Lorena and Cristie, how much do you think that will help you?

CHRISTINA KIM: I think partly the fact that I have already got one year of experience under my belt that's definitely going to help me a lot. Being able to say that I am going to play the final group with Cristie Kerr and Lorena is going to be awesome. They are two of my favorite players out here they are wonderful people and we're all good friends and so I think it's going to help me out a lot. Just to be able to keep myself in a happy mindset anyway so hard to say coming down to the final group in the final round, you know, what is to come, but just hoping for the best.

Q. You talked to yourself a lot during the round just about your?

CHRISTINA KIM: I talk to myself all the time. Oh my God, no. I have started to as of late. I have tried -- just trying to pump myself up and like on number the par 5, No. 15 I was like all right, you haven't made a birdie all day. What is wrong with you green-side with your second shot, blast your chip, you lip out for an eagle with your chip shot, you have got like eight foot putt coming back, I was like if you don't make this putt, I am walking off this course right now. I try and put a little pressure on myself try and pump myself up a little bit. I do talk to myself a little bit, but the way I see the less I think the better. I have been taught to be a lot more just let it come mechanically, let the muscles do what they have known to do because I, God knows, how many swings I have taken, you know, so I just try to I guess play a -- play the mental part a little down just because you know, maybe I am not as strong as some people are, I don't know, or that's just not the type of player I am.

PAUL ROVNAK: Let's go over your score card.

CHRISTINA KIM: Today was so long first couple of rounds were like -- okay. No. 5 I bogeyed, we were 166 into the hole. And we were going into the wind and so I took 5-iron to try and knock it down under the wind just sort of scoot it up there, good shot, just watched it land pin-high and scoot off to the back of the green. So from the first cut of rough I was using my putter and I hit gosh, probably hit it about ten feet past I don't know how. I just tapped in. Then just hit it ten feet past missed the cut coming back.

No. 8, I made a damn good bogey on 8. I hit my tee shot well left, left of the hill. That has a long rough into the hazard left of the hill, that has the long rough, and had to take a drop from there and so from there I hit my third shot about 50 yards short of the flag because I was standing almost straight up. And then from there I think I was like 53 yards to the flag and I could barely see even the top of the flag stick and pitched it with my lob wedge to about a foot and so it made a great up-and-down for bogey on that hole.

No. 15, the par 5, I thought I hit a good tee shot seemed to squirl a little bit to the right. Wind started to just make it drift a little bit but I was just barely off the fairway by probably about inch or something I was in the first cut and I was 209 to the flag, and I didn't really put into consideration the wind that we were going to be playing into, and so I took a 5-wood and hit it kind of funny. But still I managed to be able to be like 5, 10 yards short of the front edge of the green. And then lob wedge, pitched it up lipped out for my eagle and ran off about eight feet past the hole, I guess. Made my putt for birdie on that hole.

And then No. 18, I hit a beautiful drive, gorgeous drive 139 to the flag. Pin was all the way in the back. I took 8-iron and was unable to get it past the ridge, just in front of the flag stick, and so I hit it and I guess I hit up on top then it came back down and then just managed to 3-putt from there.

PAUL ROVNAK: How far was that 3-putt?

CHRISTINA KIM: I think I started off about 35 feet maybe from the hole. Then my par-putt was like eight feet or something. Missed it.

Q. Any great par saves?

CHRISTINA KIM: I am sure there were. I can't really think. No. 17 I am going to go backwards because I can't remember from the very beginning. No. 17 I pulled my tee shot well left of the green. Was able to manage to kick it back right and then I was about 15 yards to the left of the flag and -- pulled it left. So I had a squirly little lie, tried to pitch it up there, I just dribbled it barely on the green, I made probably about 15-foot putt for par.

No. 16 I hit my second shot into the fairway bunker to the right of the flag. And from the bunker I managed to hit it to about two feet or so, made my par-putt there. Those were nice though.

Q. 16 were you glad the ball --

CHRISTINA KIM: I was glad the ball was in the bunker because I was walking up to the green, I saw there were patches of grass that were basically swirled up and going into different directions, I couldn't see my ball immediately. I knew if it was in the rough it would be barely visible. Especially considering because from the right side to the left side it slopes down dramatically and so from the bunker I was able to manage manipulate the amount of spin that I was able to put on it because I'd like to think that I am pretty good out of bunkers. So it's a lot easier to hit through sand than it is to hit through grass, you have know idea which way it's going.

Q. Players talk about being ready to win. You are still pretty new to this. Do you even think in those terms or is it just kind of like getting the experience and if it happens, it happens, but you are not stressing on it yet?

CHRISTINA KIM: Well, I want to win. I don't know if -- I don't want to necessarily use the term I am ready to win because I think that I have learned how to win at the junior level, the Amateur level, the Futures Tour at that level and this is the next level. I just like -- I really want to win. I have worked my tail off during the off-season and I have put a lot of pressure on myself and stress on myself in excess proportions actually, so I think that -- I'd like to think that I have got enough game to be out here to compete with the best in the world. I am out here every week but that doesn't necessarily mean -- I'd like to be at the very top level.

Q. You parred No. 10 today; correct?

CHRISTINA KIM: Yes.

Q. A lot of your peers didn't. I wonder if you could tell me did that hole play particularly difficult today if so, why?

CHRISTINA KIM: Well, the winds have switched around so No. 1, No. 10, they tend to be playing a little bit more into the wind than they are downwind and the pin, if I am not mistaken the pin is all the way in the back. I think there's maybe eight or nine paces behind the flag to the back edge of the green and it's just -- a tricky green, there's a lot of factors. You have the James River and then you have got a lot of subtle breaks on those greens. It's a pretty long hole as it is, so if it's going into the wind it's playing that much longer.

Q. You went red white and blue today. Got any ideas what you are going to do tomorrow?

CHRISTINA KIM: I know what I am wearing. (Laughs). You are just going to have to wait and see. I like to think that come around the weekend I do tend to try and dress a little bit in the red white and blue because I am an American and damn proud, and so I am just trying put a little patriotism in it, might get you a little extra TV coverage who knows. Might get you a few more fans out there which I think is great because people out here have just been awesome. Everyone here has just been oh, my God, you guys are so amazing. I am like, you guys are so amazing. They are like, no you are so amazing. I am like, No, you guys are so amazing. Because the people out here, everyone is just so professional and just huge crowds it's just awesome to be able to be out here and be at the top of the leaderboard as well.

Q. Did you decide to go with the flowers and the jewelry for Mother's Day or did you send a plane ticket?

CHRISTINA KIM: I will surprise everyone.

End of FastScripts.

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