Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Quick Bites from the Wegmans/LPGA Championship: Mi Hyun Kim, In-Kyung Kim, Louise Friberg

Every second I'm here in the media tent, I'm not observing players, so I'll keep this quick. Just wanted to share a few bites from quick conversations I had with Mi Hyun Kim, In-Kyung Kim, and Louise Friberg. I was able to walk with Peanut from the putting/chipping area near the clubhouse to the driving range across the street, so I had more time with her than with Inky and Friberg.

Unlike Hee-Won Han after she had her son Dale, Mi Hyun Kim has decided to travel with her 7-month-old son Ye Sung as she's coming back to LPGA competition. I don't have too much to add to Beth Ann Baldry's profile from March, but I did find out that Ye Sung isn't sleeping through the night. He wakes up every 4 hours. Healthy and hungry baby = tired and sleepy mama. At the same time, when I sasaw Kimmie at the putting green an hour or so after our interview, she was busy checking out a bunch of putters, giving Song-Hee Kim a lesson, chatting with Jeong Jang, and, oh, making 2 curling downhill 50-footers across a crowded putting green--in a row!

Ran into Inky and Friberg around the putting green later in the day. Inky characterized her season thus far as "on and off" but has seen "great progress" with her game and skipped the ShopRite to better prepare for Locust Hill's tight fairways and thick rough. I threw her a curveball at the end, asking if she had thought about filling out her schedule with events on the KLPGA. She said that she had thought about it, but decided to focus on the LPGA, as she can still get in 20-plus events this season. She understands why some Korean players play both tours, but right now she's hoping to see more U.S. events. The conversation with Friberg was even shorter, with me basically thanking her for being so open on her blog, checking to see if she was following Hound Dog LPGA or had run into Ken Hartis at any events, and asking about the state of her game, and her telling me she was seeing good signs.

Yeah, I know, I got to work on my interviewing technique, eh? Anyway, it's been an amazing opportunity to chat with players, who have been very generous with their time. Off to follow Inbee Park now!

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