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BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC

January 15, 2008

Anthony Kim

LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA

JOHN BUSH: We had like to welcome Anthony Kim into the interview room here at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Anthony, thanks for coming buy, spending a few minutes with us. Obviously playing here in an area of the country that you love, having attended La Quinta High School, so just talk a little bit about playing here in an area that you know so well.
ANTHONY KIM: It's always special to come back because I see so many familiar faces. I enjoy playing in this weather and playing on these courses. So I'm really excited to get back and have this as my start to the season.
JOHN BUSH: Looking back at last year you had an outstanding rookie season, finished 43rd in the FedExCup points standings, so take us back to last year, how you reflect on last year and then also on your preparations for this year's tournament.
ANTHONY KIM: Last year to sum it all up it was a great learning experience and I can't say enough about how much I learned last year and how to be a professional golfer instead of just somebody who plays golf and makes money doing it.
This off season was great. I worked pretty hard on my game for the last month. I'm sure I'm still going to be a little rusty, but I've been practicing out for about 33 days, but I'm not counting. And it's really been fun. I've been -- I've gotten a new team around me and have some good people that I've added that's going to -- that really is going to help me move along in my career and where I want to go.
So I'm excited to start the season here.
JOHN BUSH: Let's take questions.

Q. When I talked to you in September you said you were fried, basically. That you hadn't played as much golf ever as you had played last year. Was this off season just about trying to regenerate yourself?
ANTHONY KIM: It was. I took, I played probably 10 days of golf in four and a half months. So I guess I took quite a bit of time off and it was the best thing I could have done for myself. It mentally I was fried, physically I wasn't in good shape and I wasn't giving myself an opportunity to play good golf.
So I needed to take that break and the last month I've been working really hard on my game, so I'm just trying to be fresh for the season and get in as good a shape as possible so I can maintain my play throughout the year.

Q. You mentioned learning a lot about professional golf as opposed to just playing golf, is pacing yourself one of the things that you I think you learned about?
ANTHONY KIM: Scheduling was one of the biggest concerns of mine to be better at this year. Because I played so many events early that I didn't save myself for the end of the year where the fall finish was kind of easy way to move up the Money List and get in the Masters and finish in the Top-30. And I didn't really do that. So definitely a good learning experience.

Q. You mentioned a new team around you, who is on the new team?
ANTHONY KIM: I got one guy right there sitting behind Larry. Sterling Ball. He actually lives around here. And he wasn't in the golf business, but he's been successful at what he does and just trying to learn from everybody around me. I've had guys, some guys I can bounce information off of. I played obviously in the Shark Shootout with Mark O'Meara and guys like Jeff Sluman and Ben Crane, there's been a number of guys that I've gotten some great advice from and I'm looking forward to talking to them further.

Q. Kind of a good support system you're building here, right?
ANTHONY KIM: It's a good support system and I like having a different view on things, not just about golf, but everything to help my career and move along the right direction.

Q. Last year you seemed a lot about you wanting to prove yourself. Do you feel like you got to this point where you don't have to do that any more, you can just go play?
ANTHONY KIM: Last year was so bitter sweet because I did have some good events, but at the same time I didn't win and I didn't give myself very many chances to win.
I didn't prepare the right way. So obviously I think preparation was what I needed to do for this year to have some chances to win. And I've been doing the right things and hopefully I'll have more chances to win this year.

Q. You put yourself in contention several times, how disappointing was it to not close the door and get one of those?
ANTHONY KIM: I really didn't have that many chances to win, because I played a really good Sunday or a really good to finish third or fifth or 10th or whatever I finished. But I'm looking forward to getting out there and getting started well early to give myself a chance coming down the stretch on Sunday instead of having to chase the last 36 holes because that gets pretty hard out there.

Q. As far as Rookie of the Year, were you disappointed you didn't win that?
ANTHONY KIM: It was disappointing, but Brandt Snedeker deserved it. He played an unbelievable season and I didn't do what I needed, what I felt like I was capable of doing.
But at the end of the day I kept my card, I learned a lot. So I'm not going to take anything away from that year and hopefully this year will be a much better year.

Q. Obviously winning is a goal of everybody who sits in that chair. Are there other things you are thinking about right now? Masters, Ryder Cup, or do you put those things away and figure they will take care of themselves?
ANTHONY KIM: One of the things I learned last year was that I can't think about the Masters. I can't think about the TOUR Championship. I need to focus on the shot at hand and I didn't do that as well as I wanted to last year. So right now I'm thinking about the Palmer Course and the Bob Hope tomorrow and hopefully I can take care of that.

Q. There's been a couple of polls last couple of months come out best American under 25, and suddenly Anthony Kim's name seems to be there. Do you pay any attention to that, are you happy that people are noticing you?
ANTHONY KIM: It's definitely, it's nice to hear, but at the same time if I don't put in work I'm not going to get reap the benefits. So I'm glad that people think that I have a little bit of potential, so I need to go out there and work and prove myself.

Q. Can you be more specific on your team? What does Sterling do and do you have a new swing coach or something?
ANTHONY KIM: You know, I don't, I got back with the swing coach, Adam and I just kind of went on the outs for a little bit because I wasn't playing much golf at the time and I wasn't practicing, so there was no reason to get lessons. And so we just took a little break. And Sterling's really helping me look at life a little bit differently and one bad shot or one bad round's not the end of the world and just move on and have a positive attitude towards the whole thing and I'm still going to, whether I shoot 85 tomorrow or whether I shoot 62, I'm still the same person. So I'm learning a lot about life and golf at the same time.

Q. I heard you were out at SilverRock last week with the senior guy, O'Meara.
ANTHONY KIM: Oh, yeah.

Q. And obviously it's a new course in the rotation, have you seen much of it other than that round? What do you think of it?
ANTHONY KIM: It's fine. Personally, if it was up to me, the Bob Hope would be played on the La Quinta Country Club, Bermuda Dunes, Indian Wells or Tamarisk, and the Palmer Course at PGA West. That's what I grew up watching and it's nice to look in the backyards and see all the parties going on. And there's just a different feel when you go out to SilverRock, even though nothing against the course or anything, because they're taking care of us out there and it's awesome to have a place to play, but that's what I always remember the Bob Hope as.

Q. So the idea of the Classic Club and SilverRock are longer golf courses, certainly than Indian Wells or Tamarisk were and you're a big hitter, that would seem to play more maybe towards your favor than a guy whose averaging 275 off the tee. But you still pine for the old days?
ANTHONY KIM: I'm getting old now, so that was last year.

Q. I don't ever want to hear you say that again.
ANTHONY KIM: Yeah.

Q. Have you played this course much lately and what do you make of some of the changes they have done here?
ANTHONY KIM: I played here yesterday with Todd Hamilton and I guess they just rerouted some holes and took out some bunkers and it looks good. I'm looking forward to playing this year. Obviously they can't get the green speeds to what they want because there's a chance there could be some wind. But overall, the course looks in great shape and we're looking forward to playing it.
JOHN BUSH: Anthony, thank you, play well this week.
ANTHONY KIM: Thanks a lot.

End of FastScripts

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