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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 7, 2008

Anthony Kim

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN

Q. How frustrating is it to put together such a good round and for it to end that way?
ANTHONY KIM: It's a little frustrating but I've learned a lot from today. That's probably a hole I shouldn't be firing at anyway, and for some reason I thought I could get there. I just needed to take my medicine, hit in the middle of the green, 2-putt and get out of there. It was just a poor decision. You can't rely on hitting 3-irons, 2-irons 25 yards every time.

Q. But to go a full round and learn those lessons and still be there where you are, how do you feel?
ANTHONY KIM: I'm very excited to play these next three days.
My game is really turning around, and my coach and I actually worked the last two days, and it has not been going that well, but I knew that if I just kept my head up that it was going to start turning around, and it sure did on the back nine.

Q. What are you learning on each major that you can't know unless you go through?
ANTHONY KIM: Just like on 9, my 18th hole, you cannot fire at the flags. It's so weird, because I know that, and I just can't not fire at it for some reason and it's 225 yards away. So I'm still trying to be patient. I need to be more patient and not give away strokes to the field, because that's exactly what I did. I think if I can just eliminate those mistakes, I'll be just fine starting tomorrow.

Q. What did you learn at the British, let's say, Sunday?
ANTHONY KIM: What did I learn? I learned to stay a little bit more patient. Every time I play a major, they set these pins more from the side, five from the back. There's hills running away to every cup, and you just have to play to the middle of the green and you have to try to 2-putt. I'm trying to get that through my head but sometimes my body doesn't listen.

Q. The 3-Jack on 18, how long did it take to you get over that?
ANTHONY KIM: Took me that walk over to 1. I know if I am mad and frustrated and don't think clearly, that you can make three or four bogeys out here in a heartbeat.
So to be able to make par and then eagle on the next hole obviously showed that I stayed patient and I got through it.

Q. How surprised were you to hit the ball into the creek on No. 5, and how were you able to regroup so quickly?
ANTHONY KIM: It's 365 yards through, and there's rough in front of that creek. So I hit a perfect drive and I didn't see how it bounced, but I'm sure it bounced pretty firm. Obviously that's just a bad break. I hit a great shot and couldn't do anything about it and moved on and had about 150 yards in and tried to play it like I didn't play it in the water which is hard to do sometimes but I made a great up-and-down.

Q. There are not many 64s and 65s out on this course; does it make it that much more meaningful to be patient?
ANTHONY KIM: Absolutely. If you fall too far behind, it's going to be hard to catch up. I mean, there is a 65, 66 out there maybe this morning, or maybe early tomorrow, but as the course gets firmer and the rough gets longer, it's going to be harder to shoot lower scores.
So if you stay patient, play to the middle of the greens, make a lot of pars -- that's the way I need to start playing.

Q. Is that the first time you've played with Sergio?
ANTHONY KIM: It was the first tournament round. We've played a couple practice rounds together but the first tournament round.

Q. What's that like playing with him?
ANTHONY KIM: It's fun. Sergio and I are friends and Camilo and I are friends and obviously Camilo and Sergio are friends. It was a good time. It was pretty relaxed and we just tried to play some good golf.

Q. Good reaction from the galleries?
ANTHONY KIM: You know, it was a big gallery for a Thursday tee time.

Q. On that stretch from 14 to 18, those five holes, how tough are those holes?
ANTHONY KIM: They are pretty tough. I mean, I think I made bogey on 15, dog-leg par 4, and laid up with a 3-iron and hit a pure 5-iron in there and didn't even come close to getting it up there on the green. Obviously the wind picked up a little more than I thought but ended up making a great shot and making bogey.
Obviously 16 speaks for itself, 3-footer for par, but it's a tough stretch coming down and I just have to try to make pars.

Q. A lot of highs and lows today; how would you characterize the round for you?
ANTHONY KIM: I wouldn't say there were a lot of highs and lows. I didn't make enough birdies to get high. I'm trying to think clearly with every decision I make out there and obviously my decision on 18, my ninth hole, I didn't do a good job of that but I'll start on that tomorrow.

Q. You had an eagle on 2; correct?
ANTHONY KIM: Yeah, the wind was coming off the left a little bit and I hit a drive about 350, 360 or maybe further and hit an 8-iron from 180 and a 10-footer and rolled it in.

Q. How easy is No. 2? It looks like people are just chewing it up.
ANTHONY KIM: They are chewing it up, but 18 is a par 4, and it's playing more like a par 5 than No. 2. I think it gives us a chance to make a birdie and get our rhythm back, especially for me when I was 2-over par going for that side. So you know, they are certainly not gimmies if you hit it in the rough.

Q. Did you see what you hit into it?
ANTHONY KIM: 8-iron.

Q. Your ninth hole, No. 18, 3-putts, how frustrating was that?
ANTHONY KIM: It's frustrating whenever you 3-putt but especially from three feet. My second putt was six feet or five feet, and, you know, it's just -- I don't know what happened there. But just hit a bad putt and it rolled too far by and missed the next one coming back and it happens and hopefully I won't make those mistakes tomorrow.

Q. What did you hit in on 8?
ANTHONY KIM: 3-iron.

End of FastScripts

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