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U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

May 30, 2019

Gina Kim

Charleston, South Carolina

THE MODERATOR: Gina Kim, minus 5.

Q. Let's start at the beginning. Could you tell us about the hole-out on 8?
GINA KIM: Oh, yeah. I was talking about it with my caddie, and he was -- we were actually in between clubs, and he was like maybe you should muscle a 9. I had like -- I think it was 141 to the hole, and it was 128 to carry the small little ridge to get to the hole.

So I said, how about we try an 8 iron, grip down on it, kind of hit in like a chippy shot. And so I hit it, and I felt solid. I didn't even realize it went into the hole until people started screaming at the green. So I think that was just a blessing. It just came out of nowhere, and I'm very grateful for it.

Q. How long did you have on 9? Because you almost jarred that one.
GINA KIM: Oh, really?

Q. Went right over the hole.
GINA KIM: Oh, I had 241 to the hole, and the wind was helping me a bit, so I took out a 3 wood. It felt really solid to me. I knew it was going to end up on the green. I didn't realize it was that close.

Q. Birdied to finish your first round in the Open. What does that feel like?
GINA KIM: It feels amazing. This is something I dreamed of as a little girl. So being able to finish out strong like that really shows me that I'm ready to be here and I'm definitely ready to do whatever I can to keep myself in it.

So I'm proud of what I've been able to do, but I'm also proud of my caddie as well, who has really worked hard with me out there on the course.

Q. Who is your caddie?
GINA KIM: Ben Sorrells. He's actually a caddie at Augusta National. I first met him at the Augusta National Women's Amateur. But he's also a Web.com Tour caddie as well. We've kept in contact since that tournament, and I knew he was a really great caddie, and he said the right things at the right time. So I asked if he could come over here and caddie for me this one time, and he said sure. So very grateful that he accepted.

Q. Morning scores were a bit better than the afternoon. How did you feel about what you encountered in the afternoon?
GINA KIM: You know, I didn't really pay attention much to the scores in the morning. I think it was just probably better for my sake and my sanity. So I just, you know, I knew it was definitely going to be windy out there.

I came from last week from Arkansas, which over there was very gusty, had over 20 mile per hour winds. So I knew I was definitely prepared for this type of conditions. So I wasn't really that worried about it at all.

I was just more focused on my game and doing the right things at the right time.

Q. How much adrenaline are you riding from last week's victory?
GINA KIM: A lot. I've been trying to calm myself down, just get myself together, get ready for this tournament. But obviously, winning a national title with my team was amazing. And being at the seventh one as well is even more -- a bigger testament to what my team has been able to do.

So I've definitely heard some comments here and there, go Duke, or congrats on your Nationals. So I know it probably is going to stick with me for a little while. But I've kind of absorbed it all in and just understood that, you know, I'm definitely ready to be out here.

Q. How much did the pressure shots that you hit last week and what you felt, how much does that help you this week on the stage?
GINA KIM: It's definitely helped me a lot more than I thought it would. Just being able to hit that bunker shot out on 18 to be able to get my team into the finals, it really just helped me understand that, you know, I'm definitely ready and I'm -- I have all the skills I need to do what I need to do and just pull through.

So I still have that video on my phone, and I watched it a couple of times. I actually watched it before I teed off today, just to remind myself that I was definitely ready to be able to do what I wanted to do.

Q. Is this as locked in as you've ever been, this round today?
GINA KIM: I would say so, yes.

Q. Didn't you hole a bunker shot today too? Did you do that?
GINA KIM: Yes, I did. I know, I know.

Q. So many highlights.
GINA KIM: Yeah, I mean, I've just been blessed with this round. It was -- I wasn't expecting much, to be honest. My goal was just to play, have some fun, you know, just stay happy out there. But being able to come out like this, it's definitely more than what I asked for so I'm definitely grateful to the people who supported me and just to my caddie.

Q. Where did you hole out the bunker shot?
GINA KIM: It was hole 17, the par 3. It was in the left bunker.

Q. You didn't see it go in?
GINA KIM: Oh, no, I didn't see it go in. I just saw people jumping and screaming, and that's when I knew.

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