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HSBC WOMEN'S WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP


July 21, 2007


Mi Hyun Kim


NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK

DANA GROSS-RHODE: Thank you all for coming in. You had a close match out there, what were you thinking as you were approaching 18 and not wanting to possibly go into a playoff? This has been almost 36 holes for you today.
MI HYUN KIM: It was a good match. In the morning, I played with Rachel. She has a good short game and it was harder to beat her because, you know, when I made putts, she made putts, too. It was tough.
The last match, I played with Jee Young Lee, and she is a long hitter, very far. At the par 5, No. 6, when I tried to make like -- trying to make my third shot, kind of a birdie chance, but she made it with two shots on the green with her iron and with a 30- -foot putt, she made eagle. So I don't have a chance to play almost every par 5.
At the 18th hole, I just worried about -- I'm still 1-up, but still, she easily can get two shots on the green, so I was just a little bit worried about that. But she kind of -- her tee shot was a little mistake and then a little bit lucky for me.

Q. Do you make any changes to your swing recently or have you done something different now?
MI HYUN KIM: Yeah, I changed my swing to a little compact. My swing, my backswing was like I almost hit on the ground. So I tried to change the swing to a little more compact, a little shorter. But people are saying it's almost the same.
But you know, if I can change my swing I'll have more distance and I'll have more confidence.

Q. Why did you change it?
MI HYUN KIM: Because -- I don't know why, but when I get -- it's my first time working with an American coach here. So when I met him, he said I need to have a little bit compact on the backswing, and that will help for a little more speed at impact and that will make me longer. So that's why.

Q. Have you ever faced Seon Hwa Lee before in a match-play scenario? And tell me about your thoughts going into tomorrow, is it easy or difficult not to look ahead past the semi final match? How easy is it to focus on that one match?
MI HYUN KIM: I like match play because you know, because like normally when I play stroke play, when I play like -- when I read the putt, I have like more break and then a little speed at the last. But when I play match play, I play less break and hit it more solid. That is helping for a better stroke and better play.
I play with Seon Hwa Lee tomorrow; she's a good driver and also good short game player. Always in match play, we need to have a little bit of luck, too. So I'm just praying.

Q. Have you ever faced her in match play before?
MI HYUN KIM: No match play.

Q. I know you've been on Tour for a while and have had a lot of success. I just wonder do you feel like you're kind of setting an example for some of the younger Korean players coming up? There have been a lot coming behind you; does that make you happy to see so many coming?
MI HYUN KIM: You know, the most important thing for me is like last year, before the ADT tournament, I was like -- my money ranking is like six, something like that. And then after the ADT, (Julieta) Granada, she won the tournament and she made a million dollars, and she passed me. So want to make that happen again this week.
So right now, I'm pretty sure I'm like six or something like that in the money ranking, so I want to maybe pass somebody and then I don't want somebody to pass me. So I want to keep trying to do my best.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Even though you're doing your best, do you feel like you're a role model to some of the other Koreans to show them that they can do it, too?
MI HYUN KIM: You know, young players, they hit way far than me, so maybe -- sometimes they come up to me and they want to learn from my putting stroke, but not my (long) shot.

Q. Have you ever done match play with Ai Miyazato?
MI HYUN KIM: Not match play with her.

Q. Between the Korea and Japan tournament, have you played with her?
MI HYUN KIM: No, maybe not. I just play with Akiko. But I play with her at the Ginn Open last year, no match play.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Good luck tomorrow. Thank you.

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