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THE EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIPSeptember 13, 2013Christina KimEVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Christina Kim into the interview room. Congratulations. Great 4‑under par round for you today. CHRISTINA KIM: Thank you very much. MODERATOR: Take me through the day. What were some of the highlights from your round? CHRISTINA KIM: Well, one, it's just great to be back here at Evian. It's a breathtaking, very dramatic setting. It's just good to be back. I missed out on one major this year, one last year, so it's kind of nice to be able to come back. This week the golf course is really proving to be major status because it's kicking a lot of tail out there and not really yielding very many birdies. Obviously Se Ri Pak and Sandra Gal both shooting 5‑under in the morning, I honestly didn't think that I was going to have to try and go too low, but seeing that that was even out there kind of made me turn it into slightly higher gear. But the longest putt that I made out there was probably on hole No. 7. I pushed my third shot on the par‑5 to about 23, 24 feet. I was striking it fairly decently into the greens today, so, I mean, I didn't really have very many putts outside of 20 feet. You know, I mean, I didn't hit it very well. It just kind of ended up near‑ish the hole and then‑‑ you know, I've been out here many years. You know about the whole topography of the mountain. Everything kind of follows gravity and goes towards the lake a little bit extra when you look at the putts. That still holds true, which is one of the traditions I loved about the course before they made the renovations. MODERATOR: Having played here so many times before, with the new greens is it still an adjustment? Having known them so well before, is it taking time to read the new putts? CHRISTINA KIM: Oh, definitely. It's definitely different. The greens are‑‑ gosh, they've got to be at least 50% larger than they were back in the day. Like hole No. 13, I think, is at a par‑5 now; it was a par‑4. I mean the green was maybe‑‑ or I think from the very front to the back it was 21 feet, but it never played more than 16 feet because there was (indiscernible) on the left‑hand side where the back of the green was and a very short back of the green on the right. And then No.6, I remember amount of times I've been chipping between the crabapples that they have to the right of the old greens that aren't there anymore. So being actually on grass is kind of nice again on this hole instead of being in the foliage. But, no, I really, really enjoy the golf course. I always have, whether it was prior to it having been announced as a major or this week. It's been just gorgeous. We've had some very frustrating issues with the weather obviously, but you can tell with our agronomist, John Miller, and the golf course staff and just the will of the players and everyone just really trying make the best out of it, and you can see it is just absolutely gorgeous today. I mean, I didn't really think a day like this was in the forecast for us. We've been very fortunate. MODERATOR: Looking at your game overall coming into this week, did you feel things were starting to coming to? Did you see a round coming like this? CHRISTINA KIM: Well, I shot 81 in Sweden on Friday last week, so I hope no, to be honest. No, I have some incredible memories at this golf course. I've almost won it a couple of times. Came relatively close, within a couple shots, so I have some wonderful, wonderful memories. Just being in the city of Evian, and yesterday during the break Yvoire, which is like half an hour down the road, a medieval city from like the 12th, 13th century. Just there are things that you cannot do in the States that are readily at your fingertips. I just figured I would make the best out of it. It's the last relatively full field event of the year, the last one with a cut. I figured there was a lot at stake right now, whether it's people getting into the tournaments in Asia which are closing on Tuesday, followed by ‑‑ you know, there are maybe a dozen players that might put into play whether or not they have to go to the final stage of Q‑School because it's gone outside the top 100 in terms of priority. So there are a lot of dynamics. I think they're things that people don't really think about. I think about the random stuff like that. It only helps magnify the importance of this tournament. MODERATOR: Questions for Christina. Q. What was the major I didn't see you at? CHRISTINA KIM: Kraft. Q. Kraft, okay. What did you do that week? How did it affect you not being there? CHRISTINA KIM: I burrowed myself in a hole in my bedroom. I wept for about two days. Last year the Ricoh Women's British Open was the first major I had missed since my rookie year. My rookie year I got into the Kraft by virtue of how I played in every major, so it was kind of a little jarring to not be there. But no, the Kraft is also such a special tournament. I've also had a lot of success over there. The crowd, the people, you know, just everything, the entire atmosphere. It's very similar to here where it's very, very special, but just obviously Americanized as opposed to French. I hunkered down and wept for a little while. I didn't watch a whole lot. I don't because you ideally would be playing or on the TV yourself. Actually, no, I did watch a little bit because that was Inbee's ‑‑ that run that started that week. I just hunkered down and practiced a little bit. I did get to watch a little bit of it coming down the stretch. It drove me to want to come back and not miss any more, you know. This year was the first year I had to go to final qualifying for the U.S. Open. That sucks; 36 holes in one day. It was kind of like how the weather was yesterday, but we managed to play through it all. There was a lot of‑‑ I don't know. It was weird. I'm back here, and that's all that really matters. Everything I went through just really helps me relish where I am now. Q. You feel like you're desire is back to what it once was? CHRISTINA KIM: My desire is different. My game plan is different. Everything is just different. I've gotten a lot of perspective through a lot of things that have taken place with not just myself, but very close friends out here on tour. Even seeing players like Stacy Prammanasudh and Amy Hung and Amanda Blumenherst ending their careers this week and I've known them forever. Them not being here in tournaments this time next year brings a lot of perspective. Yeah, I went through a period of time where I was trying to avoid emoting too much because you always hear, you know, paraphrasing, things called Ochocinco complex or what have you. I said, You know what? To hell it with. This is who I am and I'm going to play the way that I play. Today I really tried to play with a little bit of wisdom, but still being able to enjoy myself. Had a couple stupid bogeys, but was really just able to relish the fact that‑‑ I missed one, two fairways all day today and only missed maybe a pawful of greens. No, the desire is definitely back. It's just different. I'm almost 30. I can't wait to get to 30. All the crap you learn in your 20s. If I could just get the Cliffsnotes version and just skip ‑‑like if I could just cryogenically freeze myself for ten years and then just be at 30, I would have been‑‑ I would've taken that route in a heartbeat. No, I'm a little wiser. Maybe a little bit more not scar tissue, but just toughness out there I think I didn't have back in the day. Q. Can you just talk us through your round today? Sorry if you've already done that. CHRISTINA KIM: No, I haven't because I don't remember what happened. Six birdies and two bogeys. I birdied my first hole, the 10th hole today, from like 164 yards; I hot a 6‑iron to about five feet and then made the putt. I was like, Wow. A lot of times when we're out there if you birdie the first hole we say it's either a 59 watch or the kiss of death. That's what a lot of people say. If you don't birdie within the next three holes coming in, you kind of‑‑ I don't know, a lot of times the amount of time you finish under par when you bogey the first hole versus birdieing it, it's an interesting number. But birdied No. 10, and then, gosh, I'm so sorry. I don't remember. I birdied 14‑‑ 13, excuse me, the par‑5. I hit a wedge shot to about three feet or so. No, no, no. That was 15. I guess it was 14. Which one is 14? I'm so out of it right now. It's just‑‑ um, 14 is‑‑ no, I parred that one. 10, 11, 12, I parred. 13, 14. Yeah, I guess my next birdie was on 15. Yeah, the par‑5. I hit it to about three feet from 105 yards or so and then tapped that in. Then just played really steadily throughout day. Birdied No. 1. They pushed us up a little bit on the tee, which was kind of nice because then you didn't have to think about playing a 5‑iron to the front edge. I had 148 yards and hit a 7 iron to about eight, nine feet or so straight down the fall line. I was pin high with the flag, so just going straight toward the like lake. Then No. 2 I hit it to about two and a half feet with an 8‑iron from a 141 yards it was playing. Then I birdied‑‑ excuse me, bogeyed No. 6. I went from fairway bunker to greenside bunker and then just ‑‑ just wasn't the best effort with my putt. It was the afternoon. The greens were starting to get a little bit‑‑ just because the sheer amount of moisture that they've somehow been able to‑‑ I don't know. It's probably down at the lake right now. Just the fact that the course is as dry as it is is amazing. The greens were starting to get a little bit bumpy as the day was progressing. But then followed it up with a birdie on 7, which was, again, like 23 feet or so. A poor third shot, but was able to really utilize my putter. Then 3‑putted on 8. Silly bogey. It was like 20 feet or something like that, and then three‑whacked that. Then played a fun little shot on 9, which was my finishing ing hole. There was a big nodule thing? That popped onto the green that wasn't there last year. Didn't realize I was going to have to contend with that. Hit this kind of weird, duffy, floppy shot that just carried past it and trickled to about five and a half, six feet. It was just straight up the chute from there. It was just a matter of making sure I got the pace to get it to the hole. Yeah, that was about it. Not a lot happened. Hit almost every fairway and green and just plugged along. When I saw that I was on hole 4, which was my 13th hole, the last stretch, I got a little bit of a second wind just to be able to make it through the round. Q. How would you say the new course is for your game in particular? CHRISTINA KIM: I've had a lot of success here. I've almost won this tournament twice. I'm a dual member of the LPGA and the Ladies European Tour. I am a proud member of both. I love going around and traveling. I took one year of French in high school, but have probably learned ten times as a much by coming here and trying to speak like a stupid American. But just trying to learn the different languages. The course, it's beautiful. People were saying, Is it going to play easier or harder err because it's so soft? So your ball is not going to trickle into the rough, which is very, very deep here, but you're also going to have a longer iron into the green. Even though they're more receptive, you still have to hit them. It's got 18 tee boxes and 18 cups, so I think it suits my game quite well. Q. How are feeling about tomorrow now? CHRISTINA KIM: You know, I'm really not focused on tomorrow. At this point, I'm just focused on right now and making sure I do the right thing to prepare myself for tomorrow in terms of going out, making sure I get enough rest. First off tomorrow at 7:45, which is going to be not hot. Need to make sure that I've got layers. Going and make sure that I give myself a good meal tonight. We spend every night at Pizza Rapido down in town. There is just a line of players coming in. They must make a killing every year this week. So we'll just see how it goes and get some really good rest. This course can tear you a new one if you're not watching. MODERATOR: Thank you very much. CHRISTINA KIM: Thank you guys very much. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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