|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
LPGA KEB HANABANK CHAMPIONSHIPOctober 21, 2012Mi Hyun KimMike WhanINCHEON, SOUTH KOREA THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome into the interview room eight‑time LPGA winner and South Korean native Mi Hyun Kim. Great week this week. Talk about just dealing with the emotions of this week, trying to get through three rounds and having all this crowd, all this pressure. MI HYUN KIM: I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to play today. I was hurting this morning. But quite nice that I was able to finish the round. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank both KEB and Hana Bank for inviting me to be able to finish my round today in front of the people at home, so thank you very much. THE MODERATOR: Has it hit you yet that it's done, that that was your last round? MI HYUN KIM: Even until the last putt dropped, it didn't really hit me that this was my last round. But after turning in my last scorecard and seeing the other players coming up to me and crying with me and for me and just seeing all you guys in the press conference, it is hitting me now. THE MODERATOR: I'd like to pass it over to Commissioner Whan to talk about the legacy Mi Hyun Kim leaves here on the LPGA Tour. MIKE WHAN: First of all, on behalf of literally millions of young women, not only in Korea but around the world, thank you for being the role model that you've been for the last 10 years. To the fans here in Korea, we want to say thank you for letting us borrow her since 1999 and really change the LPGA while she was changing women's golf. I've heard that here in Korea you're known as Super Peanut, but back in the States we know her as Kimmy, and America fell in love with you on the course and even how much you've given back. Every time you've won, what you did back in Kansas I think changed women's golf forever with that donation. You're setting a pretty high bar not only for the game but how to handle yourself outside the game. When players who represent the Tour, their first day in rookie orientation, I always tell them there's only one thing they have to do, and that's leave the game better than they found it. I think I can say here today that nobody in the game of women's professional golf has done more; you, SeRi, Grace, you've changed the game forever, and I think if all of the young rookies can live up to that, we're going to have a lot of great women's golf for the next few decades. If you get bored, come back. THE MODERATOR: Mike, you talked about changing the game pretty much forever since she started and her entire career. Talk about creating more opportunities for players, specifically South Korean young women. MIKE WHAN: Well, Kimmy said it, too. On behalf of all of us, thank you, KEB and thank you, Hana Bank and thank you J Golf for this great challenge. It's really a phenomenal concept brought to life. I had a chance to meet Bo Yeon on the first tee and ask her if she was nervous, and she said, not really, and I was nervous asking her if she was nervous. Really it's such a great thing. Really it's good timing. Meghan asked the question, I think we were sitting with Kimmy and talking about changing the dreams, the dream challenge takes on a whole new level. What a great idea, and it's driven by players like you. THE MODERATOR: To close off at our end, obviously you've had an influence on so many players. What's one lasting piece of advice you'd like to give the younger generation moving forward that's hoping to have a long, successful career like yours? MI HYUN KIM: When I first came to America to join the LPGA Tour, all I wanted to do was play golf. I didn't know that I had to be able to speak the language, do the interviews and do all those things. And that's what I want to try to do with the players that's going to come after me. I want to try to help those players and help those players really understand that being able to speak the language and understand the culture, it's been beneficial for me as a player. I want to relay the message to all of the players that's coming after me, and I think that's going to have an impact on the players going forward to the future. THE MODERATOR: Mike, I think you got a glimpse of the banner, sign on the side of the media center. I think that kind of said it all. Coming from great partners like KEB and Hana Bank, how perfect was the setting at this event in South Korea to have Kimmy finish up her career here? MIKE WHAN: Yeah, thank you, Paul Park. It's been a phenomenal week. This tournament just continues to get better. I don't know how you're going to beat this next year, but it just keeps getting better and better. What a fitting tribute to our friend and yours. Thank you for letting us be part of your tournament, as well. Thank you, Paul. We don't know that this doesn't happen without superstar effort, and you have given superstar effort. This doesn't happen, truly global golf, truly young girls believing they can grow up anywhere in the world and be without leaders, and so Paul, you led this event. Kimmy, you led a wave of the future. So we're just lucky. The three of us on the stage are lucky to be able to bask in what the two of you have done not just this weekend but for the last decade. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|