Christina Kim: The Seoul Sisters Magazine
Exclusive Interview

SS: I've been curious. How much do you think it helps you to play a course in two feet of snow or whatever? (Supposedly, some of the courses Christina played were buried in snow at the time she played them).

CK: IT WAS THREE INCHES! THREE INCHES! (laughs)

SS: Well, you're a California girl, right? You're not used to snow...

CK: No, I'm not used to snow... But I was in the area, might as well, you know? Just get a feel for the course... If you can't really see the grass that's beneath the snow, just try to get a feel of the atmosphere of the entire course, you know? Get a visual layout if you can. I guess it didn't really hurt me, because I saw a few patches of grass out there (laughs).

SS: You aimed for those!

CK: Yeah... (laughs)

SS: Did you ever have a shot come up in one of these tournaments this year where you thought, 'I remember this from last year! I remember being here' ?

CK: You know... Going back to when I said I never looked at the future?

SS: Yeah?

CK: I can hardly remember the past as well! (laughs)

SS: (laughs) Wow, you're in trouble!

CK: There are times when it's like, I sit there... More than anything else just oftentimes I'll just feel comfortable sitting over a shot. Especially if it's like over water to a tough pin or something like that. I'd get over a shot and I'd be like, you know, I've played this course before. I'm sure sometime in my life I've hit this shot before. So I can't really recall any specific shot, but I'm sure there are a few out there, cause I hit quite a few balls around those courses that I played at.

SS: When you came into this year, were you thinking 'Rookie of the Year'? Or did you think, God, Lorena Ochoa... (Suzann) Pettersen... This is really tough.

CK: I actually had no idea who Suzann Pettersen was. Just because I never focused on...

SS: You knew who Lorena was...

CK: Oh, yeah, we've played together. I've known her since I was about 15 years old. But I only focused on the Futures Tour. When I was out there I could care less who was winning how many tournaments on the LPGA tour. Just because I couldn't start thinking ahead of myself. And the European Tour, I had no idea how to even find the website! (laughs)

SS: I still don't...

CK: (laughs). No, I didn't even really pay attention to that. Everyone was saying, 'Wow, you know, Lorena Ochoa, Suzann Pettersen... You've got a tough lineup'. And I was like, mmm, OK... Let them play their game, let me play mine.

SS: That's right...

CK: I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be Rookie of the Year, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be in the top 15 on the money list, but more than anything else I just wanted to know, looking back on December 31st, from the beginning of the year 'til the end of the year I tried my hardest in everything I did. And up until this point I have. There are some times where you're trying your hardest and nothing's working and everyone's just lapping you over and over and over. But as long as you know you tried your hardest, that's all you can really ask for.

Christina hits a tee shot on Friday, the first day
of the Safeway tournament
SeoulSisters.com photo

SS: Because you don't look at the future, maybe you never thought of this, but... do you feel what you've done this year exceeded your expectations? About what you expected? Are you frustrated?

CK: Well... It's hard to say. In one sense, I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect to play well this whole season; and in another sense, I'd be lying if I said... well, I forget what I just said, like I said my memory is just horrible... I'd be lying if I said I expected to play well, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect to play well... Like I said before, just try your hardest, that's all you can do. You know, I've had a top 5 showing... So there's one good one, you know!

SS: Yeah... Speaking of which, that was the very first LPGA tournament you ever played!

CK: That's because I had no idea what the hell I was getting myself into, that's why! (laughs) I just sat there, starry eyed, (affects spacey voice) 'Wow, I'm playing in the final group with Lorie Kane in the final round, wow'!

SS: That was amazing! That was a tournament that people were shooting low right and left.

CK: Oh, yeah! yeah...

SS: You really managed to mentally hang in there, but I thought you were going to win!

SS: Sounds that way!

CK: It was my first event, what can you expect? I had no idea what I was doing.

SS: Well, yeah, as I say... I guess I underestimated you. Because I thought, 'well, you know, she's...' I guess you were 18 still at that point?

CK: I was 18 for half the event, and 19 for the other half.

SS: Right. I'm thinking, '18 year olds don't come out here and in their first event, contend.' I'm not expecting it. And wow! Pretty good! Impressive!

CK: (laughs) Thank you.

SS: It seems like you get miked for play a lot on the Golf Channel...

CK: They've got me on their list! They said there's me and one of the guys on tour, who are always... we don't mind being miked. Personally, I love it. If any time they need someone to be miked, and my tee time happens to fall in that certain area, go ahead, don't even ask, just come up to me when I'm on the range, clip it on and I'm good to go.

Another shot by Christina on Friday
SeoulSisters.com photo

CK: Yeah, ever since the first event, the girls, they came up to me, there are the last couple of groups coming down, there are only a couple of people on the range, they are asking the veterans, 'do you want to be miked?' And they were like, 'oh, it's the final round, I'm in contention, I don't want you guys... I don't want to have to think about what I'm going to have to say or this and that'. And I'm down there, and I'm like, 'Sure!' More TV coverage. Why not? (laughs) I'll be honest with you, it ended up helping me, because it got me comfortable being under the camera. On the Futures Tour they televise maybe two shots all year. One of them is you holding your LPGA card, the other one might be something from the first couple of events. You've got to get used to being under the camera. You go out there and you see these huuuge TV towers, see these humongous cameras looking down at you; sometimes it's a little... you get in awe of that. Now I'm comfortable with it. I'm the youngest of three children, and so I always expect to have attention and things like that. I guess it's been sort of put into me. Now I'm really comfortable under the cameras. It's just fun (laughs).