AUSTON KIM: ...it got really tough in the back. I got off to a really hot start. Made a lot of good shots and really good putts on the front nine. Putter got a little cold after the 9th hole.
Just kept telling myself, like you're hitting really good shots. You're visualizing while you're feeling everything very well. Just keep giving yourself chances. I made a lot of really good par saves on the back. I could count on my putter today and it was a great feeling.
But, yeah, I'm pretty proud of myself for the way their handled everything today.
Q. You talked with Golf Channel about the fact that you knew you got off to that hot start but weren't looking at leaderboards. Why not look at the leaderboard? Are you one of those players that's zoned in on the golf?
AUSTON KIM: I think I wanted to be more zoned in on the golf. Was just trying to go as low as I possibly could today. You know, it gets a little exciting. I didn't want to get too excited and jump to the future too much.
So I just tried to lock in as best I could, and I'll probably credit not looking at leaderboards as to why I made all those really good par saves on the back today.
Q. Which par save stands out the most when it came to continuing the momentum you had?
AUSTON KIM: Well, I can't remember the number of the hole, but I made two really good sand saves today. I missed a couple greens and ran my first putts by a couple times just because I was trying to make something happen.
Made those par putts coming back and I made a really, really good par save on 16. I just chipped out of the hazard and had about 103 yard wedge in and managed to put it to two and a half feet and save par.
Pretty proud of that.
Q. Looking like a Top 3 finish for you, your career-best on the LPGA Tour. Looking like a projected No. 64 in the Race to the CME Globe. How much will that be on your mind come Annika?
AUSTON KIM: It is what it is. It's a fact. I can't ignore the fact that I'll be 64th. This week is probably the first week in a very long time where I've played golf with 100% belief in myself and my skills.
I mean, the result speaks for itself. I can't control the result, but I could control the way that I played golf and the way that I spoke to myself, the way that I believed in myself.
So I got a good thing going and I really like Pelican. It's the place where I played my first LPGA event ever. I have a lot of good memories there.
I'm really excited to tee it up next week.
Q. When you think about your rookie year and this event in that context, you're a reflective person about rounds, and how you play in general. What will you reflect on in your rookie year and this event in general?
AUSTON KIM: There were a lot of tough weeks, a lot of weeks where I questioned myself and my ability and if I could really do what I knew I was capable of doing.
This week was a really good reminder as to what I can do. I can look back to specific weeks this year. Like KPMG, God that was such a hard week for me, and to be able to get past that point and get to here, feel like I could completely believe in myself and my ability and the hard work their put in. It's very cathartic and I'm very proud.
Q. What was it about this week with the conversation? Was it something about just a reframing of the mindset?
AUSTON KIM: Yeah, I think after playing in -- having two good events in China and Korea, knowing that my game was there but feeling like the mind wasn't all the way there and that kind of held me back both weeks.
Just before I started this tournament I asked myself, like what if you just played golf believing that you could succeed every single shot, putting in 100% effort and believing that you can do it and pull it off.
I had a lot more fun. I enjoyed it a lot more. It was really good lesson this week too, I'm very happy with how I handled myself.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports