EARLY this year Grace Kim did something she’d never done before – she took a break from golf.
She put away her golf clubs, packed her bags, and took a three-week holiday in Korea with her best friend. No gym, no practice, no competition. Just relaxing in the country where her parents were born.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever done anything like that,” she says, and you sense the wonder, and perhaps even a little guilt, at the boldness of her act. “But I had such a good time.”
She says her game may have suffered a little, though, and she blames rustiness for the somewhat tardy start to her campaign on this year’s LPGA Tour.
“Just old bad habits coming back,” she says. “It’ll take some time but I’ll fix it on the
range.”
Kim, born in Sydney and Australia’s best amateur before she turned professional in 2021, is one of Australia’s brightest stars in world golf.
After a good season on the Epson Tour in 2022, she gained conditional LPGA status at Q School at the end of the year.
Then, early in 2023, she stunned the world – and herself – by winning the Lotte Championship at Hoakalei Country Club in Hawaii. She birdied the first playoff hole after rivals Yu Liu and Sung Yu-jin found the bunker with their approaches to the green.
Grace Kim failed to mount a challenge at the HSBC Women’s World Championship however she looks forward to finding form in the weeks and months ahead.
“It was surreal,” Kim says. “My expectations were very low and, honestly, I hadn’t thought about winning. It was just my third LPGA start.”
Kim is older – she’s now 24 – and wiser, but still considers herself something of a rookie on the world stage.
She spends a lot of time in the United States, but doesn’t have a base there, choosing to instead stay at the Australian Golf House in Florida, when she can, and at Airbnb’s, which she books herself.
She depends a lot on her parents, who she says are incredibly supportive – and proud. Most of the time, either her mum or dad will travel with her.
But not both at the same time. “I have a younger brother and one of them needs to be at home in Sydney with him,” Kim said.
She credits her dad Kevin for getting her into golf, though she says she was a reluctant participant back then. “I didn’t really like it,” she said. “I’d much rather have been playing with friends or staying at home.
“Dad wasn’t much of a golfer – a bit of a hacker, really – but he must have seen something in me. So I went along with it. Before I knew it, I started to like the game, and before long I loved it.
“It’s funny looking back,” Kim said. “If it weren’t for my dad, my life would be very different. He believed in me before I ever believed in myself.”
After competing in the Honda LPGA Thailand and the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, Kim planned to return to Australia for the WPGA Championship at Sanctuary Cove in early March, but Cyclone Alfred had other ideas.
She will stick around for the Australian Women’s Classic at Coffs Harbour in mid-March.
You sense that Kim will grab a chance to return home at any time – to play golf or just relax.
“I know I’m blessed to have a job where I can travel the world with my friends, and enjoy some wonderful experiences,” she said. “But there’s nothing like being home and sleeping in my own bed.”
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