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U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 2, 2001

Joo-Mi Kim

ANDOVER, KANSAS

RHONDA GLEN: Kim won her match over Nirapathpongporn 4 and 3. I will open up the floor for questions.
Q. Are you at all surprised you are in the final 4 of the Women's Amateur?

JOO-MI KIM: I am not really surprised but I am just happy and lucky.

Q. Is yellow your lucky color because I noticed you wear yellow a lot.

JOO-MI KIM: No, it is just what I chose. I like yellow.

Q. How did you play today and do you feel good about the way you are playing at this point?

JOO-MI KIM: Yeah, I feel very comfortable with my swing right now and everything about it.

Q. What do you consider the best part of your game?

JOO-MI KIM: I feel good about my putting right now. I feel solid with my irons and my driver.

Q. That doesn't leave much. She didn't say "caddie", did she?

ANDY SONG: No, caddie doesn't get nothing here.

Q. Are you starting to thin about winning this tournament here?

JOO-MI KIM: I am not really playing against other people. I am just playing against the course. I am just trying to do well, so I don't really feel like winning the tournament or anything.

Q. How are you affected by the heat? Is there temperature back in Korea at all like this and do you play in hot weather at all often?

JOO-MI KIM: It is a little bit hotter down here. I am used to playing in hot weather. They are in Korea but it's a little hotter here, the wind is a lot hotter, I guess.

Q. Is this your first time to America?

JOO-MI KIM: Yes.

Q. What do you think about?

JOO-MI KIM: Besides the food I like everything else.

Q. What could you not like about the food and what food do you not like?

JOO-MI KIM: I just used to home cooking and only American food I know is hamburgers.

Q. Have you eaten a lot of hamburgers this week?

JOO-MI KIM: Actually, I have not eaten any hamburgers. That's the only thing she likes.

Q. How did you learn the game and how long have you been playing?

JOO-MI KIM: I used to follow my dad around the golf course and I just picked up a club and started looking it.

Q. How old were you?

JOO-MI KIM: It has been six years since I started.

Q. So you started when you were around 10 or 11?

JOO-MI KIM: 10 or 11.

Q. Your sister plays -- or your sister?

ANDY SONG: My sister plays and that is how I know her.

Q. Are you planning other trips over here playing amateur events?

JOO-MI KIM: If I could play well enough to play over here with the amateurs I will come over here.

Q. Don't you think based on what you have done so well you can play well enough?

ANDY SONG: I think so but she wants to keep playing well if she runs into a bad streak I am pretty sure she doesn't want to come, actually.

Q. Can you tell us something about your match today, were there any pivotal parts where you got up against Virada and took the lead or you were never down?

ANDY SONG: She was down for maybe a couple of holes or so, maybe one down. There was a time where she couldn't breathe actually and she was having a tough time breathing on the course.

Q. Why?

ANDY SONG: I have no idea, I was trying to ask her, but she just felt like something was getting caught in her throat so she just trying to just walk it off.

Q. About what hole was that?

ANDY SONG: It was about 6 through 8, then she drank some Coke and she was all right.

Q. The time that you are here, earlier than the tournament qualifying, has that helped you acclimate, time changes, golf course?

JOO-MI KIM: It did help me because there's a 14-hour difference between Korea and America so it helped me adjust to the time and waking up and get used to the schedule.

Q. Do you know anything about your opponent tomorrow?

ANDY SONG: I have no idea. I have no idea about any of the girls down here, except for what everybody else tells her, but we don't pay attention.

Q. Is that a good thing, it's better not to know?

ANDY SONG: I find out earlier and I don't tell her on purpose because most of these girls are pretty good.

Q. What kind of expectations did you have at the start of the week coming in here?

JOO-MI KIM: I was trying to make it to the top 4, that was my expectations. That's all I wanted to do. And now I am here.

Q. Mission accomplished.
RHONDA GLENN: You will get a medal for being a semifinalist.
Q. Aspirations for the future. Do you want to take the game professionally?

ANDY SONG: She's trying to turn pro the following year, by next year hopefully, that's her plans right now.

Q. In Asia or America?

ANDY SONG: In America.

Q. Se Ri have anything to do with that?

JOO-MI KIM: What was the question?

Q. Does Se Ri's success have anything to do with that decision?

JOO-MI KIM: I just want to become pro here because if you are professional, if you play sports professionally in the United States it's the best in the world so I just want to become pro here instead of Korea.

Q. I was wondering if Se Ri Pak had any influence?

JOO-MI KIM: No.

Q. Do you have any golfing idols?

JOO-MI KIM: Karrie Webb.

Q. Do you know Se Ri Pak or Grace Park and have you ever played with either of those players?

JOO-MI KIM: I know Se Ri but I don't know any of the girls in America.

End of FastScripts....

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