Q. That was some clutch putt there at the last. Can you take us through it?
ANTHONY KIM: Yeah. Today was a rough day. Didn't get off to a great start. But after I made bogey on 17, I knew I needed to make birdie on 18. Gave myself a chance and felt good over the putt, and fortunately it fell.
Q. Was a bit of a roller coaster ride the last few holes starting with the clutch par.
ANTHONY KIM: Yeah. I've played in a few qualifiers. You've just got to stay patient. You never know what's going to happen. Even though I hit it in the water and then I chipped it over the green, I still felt like I had a chance if I made a few birdies at the end, and fortunately I got a few to fall.
Q. Obviously you've made some clutch putts in your career, but how satisfying is it at this stage of your career to stand over a putt that you know means something; you need to get it in the hole?
ANTHONY KIM: Yeah, I felt really good. I felt really calm. Whether it went in or not, I just wanted to give myself the best chance, go through my pre-shot routine. I've been putting in a lot of time.
I know that everyone does, but I've been very focused, especially on my putting. Felt good to get over it and make one.
Q. What's it been like to go through this Promotions event? Obviously you had the exemption yesterday, but trying to get back into the league, what's kind of been your mindset throughout all this?
ANTHONY KIM: Just keep doing what I'm doing. Today, I'll be honest, was about a 5. I thought I would be a little sharper after playing in Asia and Saudi. But not playing tournament golf, it definitely -- it's something that you have to get used to.
It's not nerves, but it's just different lines you're taking and how aggressive you want to be on certain holes. I didn't do a great job of it, but I stayed patient and made a putt when it mattered.
Q. Just the mindset going into this weekend, you've got two rounds now, three spots available. Obviously excited to have an opportunity to get back?
ANTHONY KIM: Yeah. Anything can happen in 36 holes. I also know that I can make a lot of birdies. I think I have as good a chance as anybody to make it through, and I'll get some good rest and I'll be ready for the weekend.
Q. Going back to the roller coaster, how would you compare what happened today to other rounds in your comeback, or do you have to go back before that to experience a roller coaster like you've had today?
ANTHONY KIM: Yeah, I think six, seven months ago, that would have been a 76, 75. I probably would have gotten super aggressive on holes I didn't need to and maybe got a little aggressive on the putts coming in.
But we can talk about roller coasters on the round today, but my life has been a pretty big roller coaster, so this is pretty smooth for me.
Q. Not that you're ever comfortable when you're right around that line, but were you reasonably comfortable after 12 and then all of a sudden that tee shot on 13 goes into the water, how much does that ramp things up?
ANTHONY KIM: I really didn't know where I was at, so I wouldn't say that I was comfortable. I just knew that if I made a few more birdies, I would get in pretty easily just because there's 20 spots in one day.
But I wasn't too worried about it. I realized after I missed that putt on 17 that I needed to make birdie to get in, and it felt nice to convert.
Q. You mentioned that six, seven, eight, nine months ago it could have been a 76 or a 77. Was there something that changed drastically in the way that you would have approached it, or has this been just part of the process to not be too aggressive, to stay within yourself?
ANTHONY KIM: I think it's all part of the process. I've gotten better. I've started to hit different shots as opposed to just always firing at the flag. Just been more strategic in planning to play for the golf course as opposed to just firing at every flag, which I'm used to doing.
But I'm 40 years old, feel 60, and I know that I don't overpower golf courses anymore, so I have to use my brain, or what's left of it, and just try to outsmart the course.
Q. When you first came back, did you go straight back to firing at flags, and when did that change?
ANTHONY KIM: I did. I think I fired at flags the first half of last season. But I just came to the realization that I'm not overpowering courses anymore, so I need to use my strengths, which is my short game and my iron game, and just put it in the fairway, and if I do that, I'll have a bunch of opportunities to make birdies.
Q. Was there a particular round or event where you came to that realization?
ANTHONY KIM: No, it just kind of slowly started coming. I started making one better decision after another, and I started to see it in Asia. Even on my bad rounds, they weren't terrible, so it's been a long process. I'll be honest with you; it's a lot. But this is what I signed up for.
I'm glad that I got to be in that position and have to make a birdie to get into the next two rounds. There's a long way to go, but I feel really good about it going into this weekend.
Q. Just in terms of assessing situations and making those good decisions, how far along are you?
ANTHONY KIM: I can't really calculate that. I'm definitely knowing where to miss the ball. My caddie has done a great job of telling me, this is a 3-wood off the tee, because every hole seemed like a driver to me, so matter how narrow it was. But working with him and just staying patient has changed my game.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports