JM EAGLE LA CHAMPIONSHIP

April 18, 2026

Sei Young Kim

Quick Quotes

Q. Joined by Sei Young Kim after her third round 71 at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro. Kind of a tale of two nines today. A 5-under on the front nine there, 4-over on the back. Can you talk about the rollercoaster of emotions over the last couple hours?

SEI YOUNG KIM: Oh, wow, it's feel like, yeah, rollercoaster, yeah. Front nine I played quite solid as much last two days, but especially back nine I was thinking when I walk hole nine last couple holes will be downwind so it's not going to easy.

But then I starting hole 10 I had a good chance for the birdie 11; but 14 I miss -- a little bit of pull there. I didn't know like my ball hit the trees and got in the bunker, but it was in the bunker, so it's not easy from the get out from the 14, the bunker.

But 15 is like par-3, downwind, strong downwind. Every hole is downwind starting 15 until the 18. Feel like, yeah, really tough. I was struggle with, yeah, downwind today.

Q. And you mentioned with Karen after the round maybe a little bit of strategy coming that with the wind wasn't there. What do you think played into that and what do you feel like maybe you could have changed coming in?

SEI YOUNG KIM: I mean, I need listen to my caddie, what he saying. I was like, I had a good condition so sometimes I too trust my feeling, but depend what the condition. Sometime I need to listen to what my people are saying.

So that's why I play in the water hole 16. He told me you have to go right. You have to avoid the pin. I was like, okay, and then my heart going to the pin.

So I was like, oh, yeah, maybe tomorrow. It's good lesson from there and maybe tomorrow I'm going like better than today hopefully.

Q. And then you had another tricky up and down on 18 as well on that downhill slope there. Talk about how important it was to get up and down for that par.

SEI YOUNG KIM: Yeah, I had a couple bunker shot so I had good confidence from the bunker getting out. I was thinking about from the bunker second shot, cut shot or normal shot. If I cut shot could be pull or it's in the water. It's good chance to go the water, so I was like just normal shot from there.

It's just miss like this much. This much right it'll come back it's a good birdie chance. But, yeah, I made a good up and down from there. A little long the second shot.

I didn't know still two-shot lead until the last hole. Yeah, after finish I look at the scoreboard and I still two-shot lead. Okay, one more days. Yeah, I'm going better tomorrow.

Q. And then there are some pretty exciting news announced on the golf course today. JM Eagle and Plastpro and the Wang family upped the purse by $1 million, making it 4.7 million, making it the largest no-major purse or Tour Championship purse. Can you explain what they've done with this event and what it means for women's golf, what that he been doing?

SEI YOUNG KIM: Oh, wow, it means a lot because it's women golf average very elevation, which is means thank you to our sponsor. Always thank you to the who is the sponsor LPGA, especially JM Eagle. They big sponsor for the LPGA.

So, yeah, it's we got the good motivation for that. So, yeah, it's more -- everybody, all the player, everybody, yeah, good motivation, yeah, feels good, yeah.

Q. You mentioned you can learn a lesson.

SEI YOUNG KIM: Yeah.

Q. What specifically can you take into tomorrow that you say, okay, I feel better about this?

SEI YOUNG KIM: I mean, not going follow what I feel a lot when the downwind. Yeah, I have to the patience some hole, because some hole too patient is not good for make a lot of birdie. Some holes really need the patient.

So I learn from that today. A lot of bogey, yeah.

Q. Are you one to wake up in the morning and just say, forget about what happened late in the day and you just -- it's a new day?

SEI YOUNG KIM: I don't know forget about it because I want to keep thinking and then I want to why, why, why, why. I don't want to make happen again.

But it's golf. It can be happen again. It's learn and then learn and learn. Mistake and then learn, yeah. Hopefully success end of the day tomorrow.

Q. Anyway you look at it, you've got a big smile because you're still leading.

SEI YOUNG KIM: Yeah, but -- yeah, but I want to keep the move forward until tomorrow end of the whole, yeah.

Q. Give me the range of emotions from the front nine to the back nine? You played so well on the front. Not that you played badly but things changed so quickly.

SEI YOUNG KIM: Yeah, it's very dramatic. So it's sport. Sport sometimes really good. Sometimes really bad. It's story. One of the story.

But I waste my energy today from that, so I try to positive think and then I'm going practice, keep the practice after the interview. Then hopefully better tomorrow and then fresher the wake up and then ready for tomorrow, huh?

Q. Was there one aspect of your game that -- I mean, you missed a few putts. Was it that or the golf course maybe firming up a little bit or...

SEI YOUNG KIM: After couple miss shot and then my mentally, emotionally, like up and down, it's not calm, so it's make my putting a little bit, yeah, mistake. So I try to calm come down last putt when I on the 18th hole.

But I made it. Okay, it's finish today. Starting again tomorrow. Yeah, it'll be better, yeah.

Q. And I guess the good news is in your history when you had the 54-hole lead you've proven to be a very good closer.

SEI YOUNG KIM: Yeah, one more day. I kind of -- I don't like -- I'm not, oh, yeah I'm very confident, but I just keep doing what I'm doing the last couple days. That's what I can do the best. So we'll see tomorrow.

Yeah, thank you for that.