Q. Oh, really? So you are native and then moved over?
MIN-G KIM: Yes, yes.
Q. So how long have you been over?
MIN-G KIM: Since I was a rookie, so 2016.
Q. Okay. Wow. Okay.
MIN-G KIM: Uh-huh.
Q. And when you moved over, did you move to Vegas?
MIN-G KIM: No, I moved originally to San Diego, Chula Vista area, and relocated over to Bullhead City area, which is the club where the golf course is located.
Q. In Nevada?
MIN-G KIM: It's in the tri-state area, so right on the border of Bullhead City, and if you go like I would say three minutes you cross the river and it's Nevada, is Laughlin, Nevada.
Q. Oh, Laughlin, I know Laughlin. Now, why there?
MIN-G KIM: Why there? It was peak COVID and everything was shut down over in California. My landlord was like, Hey, I have a house over in Arizona, and it was the one place that COVID kind of avoided, I guess, so everything was open.
Golf course is in peak shape all the time, so kind of relocated there.
Q. Oh, okay.
MIN-G KIM: Uh-huh.
Q. All right. So tell me about your relationship with this club and what is the club again.
MIN-G KIM: Laughlin Ranch Golf Club.
Q. Okay.
MIN-G KIM: So basically 2020 I moved over there, and it was during the end of 2020 that they were going through a lot of changes, new ownership, and got to talk with the, at that time head pro, and he was like, yeah, we should have you over, and it kind of led to me doing junior clinics and ladies clinics over there.
I ended up practicing over a lot there because it's a really nice golf course.
Q. Uh-huh.
MIN-G KIM: They were like, Hey, let me get you a couple bags, and I played 2021 with them. I reached out to them and I was like, I just wanted to thank you so much for letting me be out there and practice so much.
During the LPGA event I played in I asked them, Hey, do you want me to put your logo on my bag. They loved the idea. I did really well there, and when I came back the GM was like, Hey, our club kind of wants to sponsor you. What do you feel about that?
I of course immediately said, that sounds amazing. So I've been practicing there all winter and it's my home course now, so...
Q. So what's the arrangement with them? Do they pay you? Do you just get to play out there? What's the deal?
MIN-G KIM: As of now, I have just signed a contract as of March 1st, so yesterday, and they will be paying me a certain amount of money.
Q. That's fantastic. It's so unusual.
MIN-G KIM: Yeah. It is, especially out here. Like most of us who do have sponsors, it's from our own community of our native countries and stuff.
Q. Yeah.
MIN-G KIM: And it's really rare to find a sponsorship out here, especially on the mini tour, so I'm really grateful for that.
Yeah, so everything basically. I have full reign over the golf course, the practice facilities, all else, and they have just to pay me until the end of this year. They are very open to renewing it, and basically what the GM told me and the owner told me was, Hey, we want to see you succeed.
It just really is touching. I mean, some of members there actually pulled the hat on me and kind of paid for my first entry fee, and that was before the sponsorship was fully arranged. They were like, Hey, we want to help you.
The ladies in my ladies clinic did the same thing. They all wrote me little letters. They were like, Hey, we want to see you succeed. You deserve it. Thank you for teaching the game to us.
I've been really involved with the ladies clinics, the men's club, and the junior clinics over there as well, so it's really nice.
Q. I mean, that's really touching.
MIN-G KIM: Uh-huh.
Q. It's fantastic.
MIN-G KIM: I have photos. I'm going to send it over to you.
Q. Please do. You got Zach's contact, right?
MIN-G KIM: Yes.
Q. Yeah, send them to him. I would love to do this. That would be a great story.
MIN-G KIM: Yeah.
Q. Now you didn't move here until your rookie year?
MIN-G KIM: Yes.
Q. I got to tell you, there are Korean players who have been here 15 years who do not speak as well as you.
MIN-G KIM: Oh, thank you.
Q. You sound like you grew up in San Diego.
MIN-G KIM: I grew up in the Philippines, so that is a major advantage.
Q. That helps.
MIN-G KIM: Yes. I grew up there. I was living there until I would say fifth grade. Then I moved back to Korea and did my junior schooling as well as my high school over in Korea.
Yeah, it's really great, because I get to see a lot of the junior golfers that I've been playing with since I was five and I'm meeting them out here on this tour, so it's really fun.
Q. Now, where did you live in Korea?
MIN-G KIM: Chungju. It's smack middle of the country in the Chungbuk Province.
Q. Is golf as big there as it is in Seoul or Bucheon?
MIN-G KIM: Oh, yes. So where I'm born at, where I'm born, the city that I'm born in is the home place of our greatest Se Ri Pak, as well as MJ Hur. I was born in that same area, and then I kind of -- my family moved over to Chungbuk. So it's all within -- Korea is such a small country that it's always nearby.
Birdie Kim is also in my Village.
Q. How about that. Sweet. That's great.
MIN-G KIM: Yeah, she's a Chungju girl.
Q. Hey, thank you for all this.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports