KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 20, 2025

Auston Kim

Fields Ranch East

Quick Quotes

Q. Auston Kim is with us at the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Auston, 1-under through the first two wounds. Outside you feeling heading into the weekend?

AUSTON KIM: Feeling pretty good. Feel like my game today was a lot steadier. Definitely hit again a couple bad shots today, but feel like I was playing pretty smart.

I played the my percentage plays over and over again. I had a lot of lag putts, but I feel like I gave myself good chances to make par.

Again, like my mindset today was just staying in it. I didn't really feel like I had hit any superhuman shots. I didn't want to.

I didn't have to chop it out of the rough today like I did yesterday. I think that's just a testament to how smart I was playing.

Q. How would you compare the conditions today to yesterday?

AUSTON KIM: A lot harder. It was a quick turnaround for us. I think just not getting enough sleep unfortunately and then the heat, waking up super early and dealing with twice as much wind and firmer greens and longer rough was just a really big challenge today.

And I mean, it felt just as hot even though we tee'd off earlier. Yeah, a lot of tough things to deal with today, but I knew that if I just stayed patient and tried to take it one shot at a time, I know the round was over five hours, I knew we were just going to be here all morning, so just one shot at a time and stay patient.

Q. What time did the alarm go off this morning?

AUSTON KIM: 4:30.

Q. What time do you think you managed to shut it down last night?

AUSTON KIM: I think like closer to 10:00. I had to sit down and eat dinner. Didn't really pick anything up. Yeah, I was like six and a half hours of sleep. I woke up ready to go. I suppose it's all mental.

Q. In connection with that, we all talk about adjusting to the conditions on the course. What do you do for recovery? What kind of recovery do you need for these conditions?

AUSTON KIM: Yeah, I think today especially probably getting a cold shower, cold plunge to bring the base temperature down; making sure I'm eating and drinking well. Probably get a nap in this afternoon, especially after not getting enough sleep last night.

I think I'll be a little bit later tomorrow so that will definitely help. Just trying to be horizontal for as long as I possibly can.

Q. I understand. You finished with a bogey. Tough finish. At the same time realizing that 1-under total is a really good score here this week. Do you embrace that?

AUSTON KIM: Yeah, I think I'm definitely a little upset about that bogey on the last. Just bad chip and unfortunately three-putted. But I'm not going to let that bogey take away from what I've been doing really well.

I didn't really feel that great during my warm up this morning, scraping it everywhere. Still managed to hit a lot of good shots, shots that were good enough, so I'm proud of my performance today.

Q. Erin Hills presented a unique test compared to what you normally see week to week. What did you learn that week that might be helping you this week?

AUSTON KIM: Yeah, I think, again, not having to hit the superhuman shot. Like there is no need to play shots that will only work out three out of ten times if you hit them, or even one out of ten times.

I know I've been facing a lot of those shots. Couple of the pins today were really, really sucker pins, and they just want us to go for them and have them bound off the green and get short-sided in a bunker that doesn't have enough sand.

It's playing for par. Of course we want to make birdies and push, but like one of the main things today was not pushing because of how windy was out there. If I managed to hit a shot that was a bit more aggressive line-wise than I may have wanted and ends up 12 feet and in from the hole, that's a really good shot for today's condition.

Just managed to stay patient and be aggressive to my spots. If it worked out, great. I found myself short-sided a handful of times but managed to recover.

Q. We were just talking on the way over, when I looked on the broadcast I really noticed your magenta shirt. I feel like you normally wear some more even colored shirts and you said you wanted a pop the color this week. Why? Any reason?

AUSTON KIM: It's major week. Just wanted some excitement. Wanted something to switch it up.

I've never worn purple on the golf course so there is a first forever I think.

Q. What's your color tomorrow?

AUSTON KIM: Tomorrow? I don't know. I'm in such a daze right now. I haven't even thought about dinner yet.

Q. Alongside Auston Kim with a steady start to this championship; rounds of 71, 72. You said yesterday you were happy with your putting but not happy with the number of bogeys you made out there. How would you assess your round today?

AUSTON KIM: Kind of the same thing. Not really happy with the number of bogeys I made today. Definitely very steady. I had a lot of really good lag putts. Feel like my speed was good.

I made an unfortunate bogey on the last, but overall some pretty solid golf today.

Q. The heat, you said that's the biggest challenge out here this week. How well did you manage that during this round?

AUSTON KIM: I'm pretty sweaty right now. Even though we tee'd off around 7:40 it was still really hot from the start. Just a lot of liquid, trying to stay focus, locking being every in single shot and just trying to relax whenever I'm walking practice.

But I feel like I handled it pretty well today.

Q. How would you describe the conditions today, how they were compared to the first round yesterday?

AUSTON KIM: A lot more challenging. Wind was definitely stronger. Feel like it was blowing probably twice as strong as yesterday and a lot of the spots where you're supposed to land the ball is pretty shiny and the greens have gotten a lot firmer, rough is getting thicker, so the course is just overall being really challenging.