Ziemer's B.C. Golf Notes: Lauren Kim has Georgia on her mind after receiving Augusta invite; Taylor repeats tie for seventh performance in Hawaii; Sloan set for PGA Tour return in La Quinta
Lauren Kim With Her Augusta National Women’s Amateur Invite - (X-Formerly Twitter pic) / Augusta 16th Redbud credit Ryan Schreiber
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
Lauren Kim was just 13 years old when she watched the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur back in the spring of 2019.
The Surrey native was just beginning a promising junior golf career back then and as she sat in front of her television and watched Jennifer Kupcho, now a LPGA Tour regular, win that event at Augusta National Golf Club, Kim allowed herself to dream about one day playing in the tournament.
That dream got real last week when Kim, now a freshman at the University of Texas and the reigning Canadian Women’s Amateur champion, received her invitation to this year’s event.
“I did watch it on TV the very first year and especially last year when Rose Zhang won,” Kim said in a telephone interview from Austin, Tex. “It’s definitely something all young women golfers want to play in. It’s very exciting that I get to be part of its history and compete.”
Given her world amateur ranking (currently 30th) and the fact she won last summer’s Canadian Women’s Amateur, Kim had a hunch the Augusta invitation was coming. But it was still a thrill when it arrived by courier. “They first sent me an email saying I could potentially get an invite and asking for an address they could send it to,” Kim said.
“The second email they sent didn’t even say I was invited, they just sent me a tracking link to UPS. So that’s when I felt like, I guess I’m getting an invite.”
Kim is delighted to have the opportunity to experience Augusta National Golf Club, but more than anything she is excited about having the chance to compete against a field that will include many of the best amateur golfers in the world. “Well, obviously, I am going to Augusta, I’m going to drive down Magnolia Lane and that will be really cool,” she said.
“But what I really like is the opportunity to compete against the best of the best. That’s what excites me. It’s going to be challenging, but it’s always just so exciting to play and compete.”
This will be the fifth Augusta National Women’s Amateur — the 2020 event was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic — and it will be held April 3-6. The first two rounds of the 54-hole event will be played at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Evans, Ga., with the top 30 players advancing to the final round at Augusta National Golf Club on Saturday, April 6. The entire field also gets to play a practice round at Augusta National on Friday, April 5.
2023 Champion Lauren Kim Holds The Canadian Women's Amateur Trophy - Golf Canada Photo
The Augusta National invitation adds to what has already been a fabulous freshman year for Kim. In early October, she earned her first win in just her third collegiate event, the Jackson T. Stephens Cup in Dallas, Tex., that was shown live on the Golf Channel.
Later that month, Kim finished eighth overall in the individual competition at the World Amateur Team Championship in Abu Dhabi. That event was won by Cindy Hsu of Taiwan, one of Kim’s Texas teammates. The Longhorns are currently ranked fifth in the latest NCAA rankings by Golfweek and Kim hopes the team can make a run at a national championship this spring.
So as much as Georgia may be on her mind, she is determined to not let it lose focus on her collegiate goals. “I am more of a person who focuses on what is in front of me,” Kim said. “So I guess that thought about Augusta will pop in my head occasionally, but I am going to do my best to stay focused.”
To say Kim is enjoying her collegiate golf experience would be an understatement. She is flourishing on the golf course and in the classroom, where she is a business major. “I have such great teammates and support and people around me that I just enjoy every moment here,” she said. “We get fed really well as student athletes, so honestly I do not miss home food at all. It’s kind of crazy, my parents were like, ‘there’s no way.’”
Kim, who lives just off campus in an apartment with some teammates, said student-athletes are treated very well at Texas. “We eat most of our meals at The Tank, which is for athletes, and we are also able to eat at the golf course. We don’t really need to cook that much unless the course and Tank are closed. And my team loves to eat out. We are all foodies. We went to Morton’s Steakhouse one night during a tournament in Chicago.”
The University of Texas Golf Course, about a 30-minute drive from campus, has become Kim’s second home in Austin. “Once we are out there we are there until sundown,” she said. “I can practice all day if I want to. I can go play whenever I want. I don’t have to worry about the course being too busy or trying to get a spot.”
The Longhorns begin their spring schedule Feb. 4-6 at Ohio State University’s Northrup Grumann Regional tourney, which is being played in Palos Verdes, Calif. “We have a really good team and I am really excited about what we could do,” Kim said.
REPEAT PERFORMANCE: It was deja vu all over again for Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Taylor closed with a pair of five-under 65s and finished tied for seventh, which was exactly where he finished last year’s event at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. Taylor’s 14-under total was three shots behind winner Grayson Murray, who prevailed in a three-man playoff.
Taylor took home $260,748. Surrey’s Adam Svensson tied for 30th at nine-under and made $40,000. Abbotsford’s Adam Hadwin missed the 36-hole cut by one shot. Ontario’s Taylor Pendrith also cracked the top 10 with a tie for 10th at 13-under.
DESERT DEBUT: Merritt’s Roger Sloan will make his 2024 PGA TOUR debut at this week’s American Express tournament in La Quinta, Calif. After losing his PGA TOUR card at the end of 2022, Sloan earned his promotion back to the big leagues by finishing inside the top 30 on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour money list. He will be joined in La Quinta by Abbotsford natives Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor.
Hadwin has quite the record at the American Express event. In eight previous appearances, Hadwin has four top-six finishes and has never missed a cut. He fired a 59 in the third round of the 2017 event at La Quinta Country Club en route to a solo second-place finish that year.