Q. You're at stage 2; kind of talk about your experience so far. You've put together two solid rounds, at the top of the leaderboard. Obviously that Top 40 is the big number for everybody. Talk about your experience so far.
CHRISTINA KIM: Well, this is my first time ever competing in second stage in my entire career. I first got my Tour card by way of what's now the Epson Tour back in the Mesozoic era when they only gave out three cards, and then I've been a tournament winner, always kept my card for various reasons, and this last year at the end of '22, I didn't realize I failed to sign up for second stage because I didn't know when the cutoff was, nor did I realize I needed to.
This year in '23 I was sort of forced to find out what it was like to not feel like you were in control of your season and which events you were going to get into and things like that. I did not enjoy it very much, especially since it was the first time I've ever had to experience that.
So when I found out that I was going to most likely going to have to go to second stage, I just signed up immediately, and here we are.
It's been great. I mean, it's a new experience for me, which is kind of fun to be able to come across something new, considering I'm 111 out here, and I've got players that are out here -- I've been on Tour longer than they've been alive. That's kind of fun.
At the end of the day, it's just golf, and I'm out here to enjoy myself. I'm out here to do my best, try and make some putts. They go in or they don't. There's no gray area. That's the beauty of golf. There's no gray area. It allows for any level of creativity that you want, and then sometimes you still are going to be at the mercy of breaks, be they good or not good.
It's just golf, at the end of the day.
Q. You mentioned you've been through almost everything there is to do in women's professional golf. You've won tournaments, obviously. How does all that experience tie into this week? Is it a new experience or do you just take it as it comes?
CHRISTINA KIM: That's a really good question. I think I would be lying if I said that I don't see any benefit to me having been on Tour longer than some of these girls have been alive. I've seen a lot of golf shots. I've hit a lot of golf shots. I know that the little girl that first shot 62 when she was 17 is still in here, and I think it allows me to have a little perspective. I don't live or die off of every shot. You can mis-hit a shot, end up completely boned and chip in. That's just how it is.
I do my best to continually stay in the present and just focus on the opportunity in front of me now. Yeah, I might be completely stymied sitting down in the rough with no green to work with. It's the sickest up-and-down anyone is going to see.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports