Kim Joo-hyung, who changed his putter, seems to win Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Feb 01, 2025
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Kim Joo-hyung will try to win his first championship of the season.
Kim Joo-hyung made a total of 10 under par in the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California on the 1st (Korea time). Kim Joo-hyung, who was tied for 36th in the first round, jumped to fourth place. a four-shot gap from the lead. It is a performance that can challenge for the third and fourth rounds.
Kim Joo-hyung succeeded in birdie hunting with a new putter different from the previous tournament. The following is a Q&A with Kim Joo-hyung after the second round.
Q: I heard you used a new putter this week.
Kim Joo-hyung: That's right.
Q: Is this the first putter you used in a match?
Kim Joo-hyung: That's right.
Q: How is it different from the old putter? And why did you replace the putter?
Kim Joo-hyung: I just changed it to a blade type putter. I tried it again because I handled the blade type well in the past. Each mallet or blade has its advantages and disadvantages. First of all, I changed it because I thought it could give me a little more consistency and give me the feeling of winning the championship before. It's not exactly the same model I used before.
I changed the type of putter from mallet to blade, so I see the putt line differently than before. Some adjustments were needed. The new putt face is very cool, and I think it fits me well.
Q: Did you choose it for the Sentry competition?
Kim Joo-hyung: No. I didn't choose it then, but I think I ordered it while watching American Express.
Q: How is it different from a regular competition to play with amateurs in a group? (The Pebble Pitch Pro-Am will be joined by two professionals and two amateurs in the first and second rounds.)
Kim Joo-hyung: I think it depends on the situation. Even during professional competitions, the game situation varies depending on the partner. All the amateurs I played with this time were great partners. One was the former president of Augusta National, and the other was my former representative. I had a pleasant round. If you have a partner who plays with you, it also helps my game. I think everyone would have had a great round. It was also good to play with Colin.
Q: I'm ranked 7th in driver distance this week. Are you turning into a long hitter?
Kim Joo-hyung: It's not like that. I think I catch more drivers than other players. That's why I think it's ranked high.
Q: Has there been any change in swing speed or driver shots during the offseason?
Kim Joo-hyung: I don't think there's been any change. There were just a few times in the middle of the round where I was a little surprised to go further than I thought.
Q: Played at TGL on Tuesday, back in the field. How does playing putts and approaches on artificial turf affect playing on real grass?
Kim Joo-hyung: I don't think anything is affected so much. Played happily at TGL on Monday night. Of course, you have to fly long distances after the game and return to the tour, but it seems like it's the same time as Jaejoongcheon, who plays as a team and relieves some tension in the middle of a highly tense tour competition.
Q: When you play, what do you focus more on, skills and persimmons?
Kim Joo-hyung: I think it's different then. Sometimes I feel like I'm playing very technical golf, and sometimes I feel like I'm playing golf that depends on my feelings. I think I have a good balance of skills and senses. For example, if about 70% of the players played technical golf today, and 30% played with their senses, they hit 60% with their senses tomorrow, and the rest are technically played. I don't set this up beforehand and play, I adjust the balance according to how I feel every round. It seems that they understand these parts well by themselves.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
