Grace Kim (golfer)

Last updated

Grace Kim
Mixed Team Round 3 Golf YOG18 15-10-2018 (005) (cropped).jpg
Personal information
Born (2000-12-13) 13 December 2000 (age 23)
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Height5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Sporting nationalityFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Residence Sydney, NSW, Australia
Career
Turned professional2021
Current tour(s) LPGA Tour (joined 2023)
WPGA Tour of Australasia
Former tour(s) Epson Tour
Professional wins6
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour1
ALPG Tour2
Epson Tour1
Other2
Best results in LPGA major championships
Chevron Championship CUT: 2023, 2024
Women's PGA C'ship 14th: 2023
U.S. Women's Open T13: 2023
Women's British Open T36: 2023
Evian Championship CUT: 2023
Achievements and awards
Golf NSW Female Player of the Year2019
Medal record
Youth Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2018 Buenos Aires Girls' individual
Korean National Sports Festival
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2019 Seoul Int'l Women's individual

Grace Kim (born 13 December 2000) is an Australian professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. She won the TPS Sydney on the ALPG Tour in 2021 and 2022. As an amateur, she won the Australian Girls' Amateur, Australian Women's Amateur and the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics.

Contents

Career

Kim, raised in Greenacre, New South Wales by Korean-born parents, enjoyed a stellar amateur career and in 2019 reached No. 29 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking to become Australia's highest-ranked female amateur. She amassing a number of titles, including the 2017 Australian Girls' Amateur and the 2018 Annika Invitational Australasia in New Zealand with rounds of 72, 62 and 68 (−16). [1] After back-to-back wins in the NSW Women's Amateur in 2020 and 2021, she triumphed at the 2021 Australian Women's Amateur in Adelaide. [2]

She is a four-time recipient of the Karrie Webb Scholarship, and won an individual gold medal at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. She became Australia's second-ever competitor in the Augusta National Women's Amateur. [3]

Kim also played for the Australia National Team, and she won bronze at the 2017 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan. In 2018, she represented Australia at the Espirito Santo Trophy and Queen Sirikit Cup. She won the Patsy Hankins Trophy with the Asia/Pacific team in 2018.

In 2019, she participated in the Korean National Sports Festival, where she shot a 61, including a 28 on the first 9 holes, to comfortably win the international women's gold. [4]

Kim is a member of Avondale Golf Club and was co-captain of the NSW Women's team which defended their crown at the 2019 Australian Interstate Teams Matches. She was awarded Golf NSW's Female Golfer of the Year in 2019. [5]

Kim spent 7.5 months in the United States during 2021 and won two titles on the Women's All-Pro Tour as an amateur. [6] She finished tied 10th at the Prasco Charity Championship and competed in the U.S. Women's Amateur where she lost to semi-finalist Rachel Heck. [7]

Kim won the TPS Sydney on the ALPG Tour in 2021 and again in 2022 after she turned professional late 2021. She rose to 288th in the Women's World Golf Rankings in March 2022. She gained conditional status for the 2022 Epson Tour at LPGA Q-School. [8]

In April 2023, Kim won her first LPGA title winning the Lotte Championship at Hoakalei Country Club. She won on the first playoff hole, beating Yu Liu and Sung Yu-jin with a birdie after both competitors ended up in bunkers on their second shots. [9]

Amateur wins

Source: [2]

Professional wins (6)

LPGA Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-upWinner's
share ($)
115 Apr 2023 Lotte Championship −12 (71-67-70-68=276)Playoff Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Yu Liu
Flag of South Korea.svg Sung Yu-jin
300,000

LPGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
12023 Lotte Championship Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Yu Liu
Flag of South Korea.svg Sung Yu-jin
Won with birdie on first extra hole

ALPG Tour wins (2)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin
of victory
Runner(s)-up
17 Mar 2021 TPS Sydney (as an amateur)67-70=137−52 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Breanna Gill
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Su-Hyun Oh
26 Mar 2022 TPS Sydney 70-67-65=202−111 stroke Flag of Australia (converted).svg Cassie Porter

Epson Tour wins (1)

Women's All-Pro Tour wins (2)

Team appearances

Amateur

Source: [2]

LPGA Tour career summary

YearTournaments
played
Cuts
made*
Wins2nd3rdTop
10s
Best
finish
Earnings
($)
Money
list rank
Scoring
average
Scoring
rank
2023 221610021959,4432970.8137
2024 740000T2550,0849071.9172
Totals^2920100211,009,527315

^ Official as of 21 April 2024 [10] [11] [12]
*Includes matchplay and other tournaments without a cut.

World ranking

Position in Women's World Golf Rankings at the end of each calendar year.

YearRankingSource
20191,228 [13]
2020961 [14]
2021646 [15]
2022181 [16]
202376 [17]
202483^ [18]

^ As of 22 April 2024

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annika Sörenstam</span> Swedish professional golfer

Annika Charlotta Sörenstam is a Swedish professional golfer. She is regarded as one of the best female golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she had won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer with the most wins to her name. She has won 72 official LPGA tournaments including ten majors and 24 other tournaments internationally. After turning 50, she came back from her retirement and added a win in the 2021 U.S. Senior Women's Open.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karrie Webb</span> Australian professional golfer

Karrie Anne Webb is an Australian professional golfer. She plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour, and also turns out once or twice a year on the ALPG Tour in her home country. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. She has 41 wins on the LPGA Tour, more than any other active player.

Joanne Nicole Mills is an Australian golfer, and former player on the Ladies European Tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lydia Ko</span> New Zealand professional golfer

Lydia Ko is a New Zealand professional golfer. She first reached number one in the Women's World Golf Rankings on 2 February 2015 at 17 years, 9 months and 9 days of age, making her the youngest player of either gender to be ranked No. 1 in professional golf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minjee Lee</span> Australian professional golfer

Minjee Lee is an Australian professional golfer from Perth. She became the number one ranked amateur golfer in February 2014 after winning the Oates Victorian Open, remaining number one until turning professional in September 2014. On 25 July 2021, Lee won her first major championship, the Amundi Evian Championship. On 5 June 2022, she won her second major championship, the U.S. Women's Open.

Julia Elisabeth Boland is an Australian professional golfer. She graduated to the LPGA Tour after finishing 8th in the 2012 Symetra Tour.

Su-Hyun Oh is a South Korea-born Australian professional golfer. She became the number one ranked amateur in the world in October 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katy Jarochowicz</span> Australian golfer

Katy Jarochowicz is an Australian professional golfer and businesswoman. Jarochowicz plays mostly on the Australian-based ALPG Tour, and at times in the US on the LPGA Tour. She is best known for her achievements as number 1 Amateur in her youth and winner of the Texas Open.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Choi Hye-jin</span> South Korean professional golfer

Choi Hye-jin is a South Korean professional golfer.

Linnea Ström is a Swedish professional golfer. She joined the U.S.-based LPGA Tour after graduating from the Symetra Tour as 2018 Rookie of the Year. She was solo second at the 2022 Madrid Ladies Open and 2023 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Céline Boutier</span> French professional golfer

Céline Boutier is a French professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. She has multiple wins on both tours including one major, the 2023 Evian Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannah Green (golfer)</span> Australian professional golfer

Hannah Green is an Australian professional golfer and winner of the 2019 Women's PGA Championship.

Sarah Kemp is an Australian professional golfer. She has played on the LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour (LET) and ALPG Tour.

Gabriela Ruffels is an Australian American former tennis player and current professional golfer. Starting at the age of eight, Ruffels started playing tennis and won twenty one International Tennis Federation doubles events in Europe. She also was the number one ranking Australian junior when she was twelve. After switching from tennis to golf in 2015, Ruffels primarily competed in Australia from 2016 to 2017. In 2018, Ruffels joined the USC Trojans women's golf team at the University of Southern California. With USC, Ruffels appeared at the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships from 2018 to 2019 in both the individual and team events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patty Tavatanakit</span> Thai professional golfer

Paphangkorn "Patty" Tavatanakit is a Thai professional golfer who began competing on the LPGA Tour in January 2020. On 4 April 2021, Tavatanakit accomplished her first win on the LPGA Tour – the 2021 ANA Inspiration, a major championship in women's professional golf. In October 2021, Tavatanakit was named the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year for the LPGA Tour in 2021.

Loraine Lambert is a retired Australian professional golfer who played on the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. She won the Air France Madame Open in 1997.

Karis Davidson is an Australian professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. In 2022, she won the WPGA Melbourne International, and in 2018 she was runner-up at the Women's Victorian Open, a Ladies European Tour event.

Sarah Jane Smith is an Australian professional golfer and LPGA Tour player. She led the 2018 U.S. Women's Open at the halfway point and finished fifth, and was runner-up at the 2014 Kingsmill Championship and the 2016 Lorena Ochoa Invitational.

Robyn Choi is an Australian professional golfer and LPGA Tour player.

Ashley Lau is a Malaysian professional golfer who competes on the Epson Tour and WPGA Tour of Australasia.

References

  1. "Annika Invitational Australasia". Annika Foundation. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Grace Kim". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  3. "Grace Kim turns pro". Golf Australia. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  4. "Stunning 61 has Grace rolled in Korean gold". Golf Australia. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  5. "New South Wales Golf's finest recognised on Monday evening". PGA of Australia. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  6. 1 2 "2021 Women's All-Pro Tour Results". Women's All-Pro Tour. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  7. "2021 U.S. Women's Amateur". USGA. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  8. "Grace Kim "trending in the right direction" ahead of Epson Tour". SEN. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  9. "Australian Grace Kim wins Lotte Championship in playoff". ESPN. Associated Press. 15 April 2023.
  10. "Grace Kim stats". LPGA. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  11. "Grace Kim results". LPGA. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  12. "Career Money". LPGA. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  13. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 30 December 2019.
  14. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 28 December 2020.
  15. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 27 December 2021.
  16. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 26 December 2022.
  17. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 25 December 2023.
  18. "Women's World Golf Rankings". 22 April 2024.