Kim is keeping calm, cool and collected
Teen lone Canadian in field at Augusta National Women’s Amateur
If Lauren Kim is intimidated by storied Augusta National Golf Club, it doesn’t show.
The 19-year-old collegiate golfer from Surrey, B.C., is the lone Canadian in the field at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur this week. She said her strategy at the elite amateur event is to take the tournament one shot at a time, an approach that paid off during her even-par 72 in Wednesday’s opening round.
Kim was in an 11-way tie for 29th, six shots behind leader Hannah Darling of Scotland, after the first round at Champions Retreat Golf Club.
“The biggest thing is to try and get up in the top 30 and make it to the weekend,” said Kim, the reigning Canadian women’s amateur champion.
“But that’s not really going to be on my mind, I’m just going to focus on the shot ahead of me and try and stay present. That’s the most important thing.”
The second round is Thursday at Champions Retreat, with the top 30 and ties advancing to the final round at Augusta National on Saturday.
Kim got a chance to play both courses on a practice trip with her University of Texas teammates. She said that visit helped her determine what she had to work on ahead of the event.
“It’s quite important to obviously try and hit the green but when you don’t hit the greens out here, you’ve got to make sure that you try and make the up and downs,” said Kim. “And some shots around the trees and some of the fairways here are a little narrow with the trees and the branches.”
Salimah Mussani, Golf Canada’s women’s head coach, is in Georgia with Kim and helped her through her official practice round on Tuesday.
Mussani said that as good as Kim’s ball striking is, it’s her intellect that will see her through to the weekend.
“Her strength is her golf IQ,” said Mussani.
“I think on this golf course, it’s very challenging, it’s a tough golf course, but her level of thinking her way around the golf course and managing her golf ball is going to be a real asset, especially in these first two rounds before the cut.”
That cerebral approach is why it’s so important for Kim to remain unfazed by one of golf’s most famous courses.
“She loves the big stage,” said Mussani. “She thrives in these types of situations, the Canadian Am and earlier this season the college event.
“She’s cut out for these types of things and thrives in them and really looks forward to them and looks at them as opportunities. It’s the right mindset, for sure.”