Christina Kim, 32
United States
3 LPGA wins

Q: No. 1 golf tip for amateurs?

A: Keep your head down. Players tend to lift their heads up to see where the ball goes before they finish hitting it.

Q: Worst rule in golf?

A: When you hit yourself with a ball and you get a penalty for it. At the 2006 Lotte Championship on the third hole, I was trying to hit a punt shot and then I hit it too low. It hit a tree stump and it ricocheted at full power and hit me really hard on my left shin (and) I started crying. Then the officials told me I picked up two shots. After that incident, I try to hit my shots higher (laughs).

Q: Funniest thing you've seen on the Tour?

A: It was something embarrassing that happened to me at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in 2006.

I went to practise my putting by myself before my tee-off in the afternoon. I bent down to reach into my golf bag to get my golf balls and my pants ripped from the back. Thankfully, I was alone at the putting green and nobody saw me. I wrapped a towel around my waist and quickly went back to the on-site hotel to change.

Q: What did you buy with your first serious pay cheque?

A: At the end of 2003, I earned about US$54,000 (S$76,000). I bought a car, a powder-blue Honda Civic, which I named Vanessa, for about US$18,000.

Q: Who is your favourite male athlete?

A: Roger Federer. He is so classy and does everything right. He is cool as ice but friendly and kind to everyone. He's just like Amy Yang.

Q: Most underrated golfer?

A: Catriona Matthew. She is just so good at everything. Her swings are good, she is incredibly hard-working, and don't forget - she is 47.

Q: What is the hardest thing about golf?

A: Putting. You can hit three shots over (a total of) 600 yards and you can take the same number of shots to hit the ball in from five feet. Putting requires a lot of finesse.

Alvin Chia