HSBC WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

February 26, 2026

Auston Kim

Sentosa Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Joining me today after the first round of the HSBC Women's World Championship is Auston Kim, our clubhouse leader. What went well for you out there?

AUSTON KIM: I hit a lot of good shots today and then every single time I hit a bad one I was able to recover. I made three really big par saves today, s that kind of pulled my round together to go super low. Overall, I've hit a lot of good shots and every single time I hit a bad one I was able to recover.

Q. A pretty grouped together leaderboard. Do you think there's something specific about this course that might play similar for everyone?

AUSTON KIM: I think it's a pretty challenging course in that there are a couple of holes that are really wonkey. You have to be in a good position off the tee in order to have a chance to convert for a birdie even par. If you hit in the wrong spots, you just don't really have a chance. A lot of these holes you just really have to be in a good position to make par and if you make birdie, it's a bonus.

Q. How does it feel to be leading the first day?

AUSTON KIM: I mean, mission accomplished today. I feel like I won the day today. But there are still three more rounds. I really enjoyed playing today. I had a lot of fun and I felt like I stuck to my process really well.

So it's just three more days of golf and try my best and try to win each day.

Q. Last year at KPMG you talked about mental coaching. Can you share about that and what you work on?

AUSTON KIM: Yeah, when I think about my game and myself as a golfer since last year, I think I opened last year's tournament with a 78, and I mean it obviously feels great to score well. But I just I feel like I can handle things a lot better and I've been talking with my mental coach, as well.

There are a lot of things that I've changed and a lot of things I feel like I'm doing better. Today was a testament to what we've been working on, and I'm working hard on what I can control.

Obviously one of the things that we talked about this past week was trying to win each day, win each shot, and I feel like I did a really good job of it.