If there’s one thing Christina Kim has, it’s passion. Passion for the game of golf, passion that proves unformidable in the face of competition, and fuels a personal, competitive drive. A self-proclaimed “golf nerd” at heart, Kim has been relentless in preparing for the eventual LPGA Tour restart, after last teeing it up on Tour at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open in February.
The time off has been everything but. To her, golf is forever an unrelenting commitment. Training continues, with the goal of returning as strong as ever come the Drive On Championship.
But a month ago, a whole new world of opportunity opened for the three-time LPGA Tour winner, one that brought her love for golf onto the silver screen. After a fateful invite and a conversation with PGA Tour Entertainment executive producer Greg Hopfe, Kim made her mark as a commentator on PGA TOUR Live at the RBC Heritage, and more recently, at The Memorial Tournament.
“I was completely floored. [The ask] took me completely by surprise, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I would love to give that a go,’” said Kim.
With only two weeks to prepare before her PGA Tour on-air debut, Kim rarely strayed from her daily routine, using her on-going course work and 17 years of Tour experience to her utmost advantage.
“The only practice I did was on the golf course. It was just playing,” said Kim. “My number one concern prior to doing the RBC [Heritage] and my number one concern as soon as John Rahm hoisted that trophy was putting my competitor hat back on and getting prepared for the restart of the LPGA Tour season.
“I did do a little bit of prep work. I took some notes, found out who our featured groups were, so I did do a little bit of prepatory work that way. That being said, I just kind of let it fly. I’ve been watching these guys forever. I’m just a huge fan of golf in general, whether it’s men or the women. I love this game. I love everything about it. I was able to just let it flow.”
Kim began to shine in her role, providing the right amount of context to shots with a splash of branded Christina Kim personality. “It really is about letting the players, in essence, tell their own stories,” said Kim. “The microphones obviously are over there, the fluffy mics. You’ve got cameras that are dedicated to an entire group for the entire round. You’re getting a more intimate look. I thought that was really, really cool.”
“For me, I was fortunate in that, this is information I was provided and information that was hugely important for me to learn, while at the same time, I was like, ‘That’s great because I don’t want to hear my own voice. I want to know what’s going on over there.’”
She never felt truly stressed on camera, until she faced her greatest “fear” – the telestrator. “I’m not really good at drawing, so I don’t like,” joked Kim. “I’m getting better at it.”
But the competition grind never stopped, as if Kim would ever let it. Kim started some of her days this past week at 4 a.m. before any sort of commentating. Instead of hitting snooze, Kim became one with the early bids, breaking dawn with training workouts while most of the world slept. It was followed by a quick breakfast and warm-ups before a near 12-hour day at the PGA Tour Live studios, where her day began around 6:15 a.m. and lasted until about 7 p.m.
And then, she’s back on the course. “I also did take time when it was allotted for me to go and practice. I was able to put my commentary hat on, and when it was over, slapped on my competitive golfer’s hat and became a Tour player.”
Squeeze in a bit of rest, and Kim was right back at that routine, each day until the final putt drop on Sunday. Now, she’s already switched gears to competitive overdrive as she gets ready for back-to-back events in Toledo next week. Though a fun and challenging ride at the RBC Heritage and Memorial Tournament, Kim is nowhere near ready to rest on any laurels, but instead go full throttle back on the course as a player in her own right.
“It was a new experience. It was something I will cherish forever. It’s something that I can’t wait to get the opportunity to do it again when the scheduling allows.”
The time off has been everything but. To her, golf is forever an unrelenting commitment. Training continues, with the goal of returning as strong as ever come the Drive On Championship.
But a month ago, a whole new world of opportunity opened for the three-time LPGA Tour winner, one that brought her love for golf onto the silver screen. After a fateful invite and a conversation with PGA Tour Entertainment executive producer Greg Hopfe, Kim made her mark as a commentator on PGA TOUR Live at the RBC Heritage, and more recently, at The Memorial Tournament.
“I was completely floored. [The ask] took me completely by surprise, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I would love to give that a go,’” said Kim.
With only two weeks to prepare before her PGA Tour on-air debut, Kim rarely strayed from her daily routine, using her on-going course work and 17 years of Tour experience to her utmost advantage.
“The only practice I did was on the golf course. It was just playing,” said Kim. “My number one concern prior to doing the RBC [Heritage] and my number one concern as soon as John Rahm hoisted that trophy was putting my competitor hat back on and getting prepared for the restart of the LPGA Tour season.
“I did do a little bit of prep work. I took some notes, found out who our featured groups were, so I did do a little bit of prepatory work that way. That being said, I just kind of let it fly. I’ve been watching these guys forever. I’m just a huge fan of golf in general, whether it’s men or the women. I love this game. I love everything about it. I was able to just let it flow.”
Kim began to shine in her role, providing the right amount of context to shots with a splash of branded Christina Kim personality. “It really is about letting the players, in essence, tell their own stories,” said Kim. “The microphones obviously are over there, the fluffy mics. You’ve got cameras that are dedicated to an entire group for the entire round. You’re getting a more intimate look. I thought that was really, really cool.”
— Christina Kim (@TheChristinaKim) July 19, 2020She found her groove through the Memorial Tournament, where she was upgraded to four days of Live coverage alongside Brian Katrek and Billy Kratzert. It was a time for learning and adapting to the broadcast needs. In one instance, Kim stopped mid-thought to let Colin Morikawa and caddie J.J. Jakovac in one of the Featured Groupings do the talking, realizing a time to be silent proved more powerful on screen.
— Christina Kim (@TheChristinaKim) July 19, 2020“I was like, ‘I wonder what they’re saying,’” laughed Christina. “I’m a golf fan. When you get to pick the mind of someone that is so young and someone that is so good, along with a clearly world class caddie, it doesn’t matter what level you’re on. You want to take part in that.
“For me, I was fortunate in that, this is information I was provided and information that was hugely important for me to learn, while at the same time, I was like, ‘That’s great because I don’t want to hear my own voice. I want to know what’s going on over there.’”
She never felt truly stressed on camera, until she faced her greatest “fear” – the telestrator. “I’m not really good at drawing, so I don’t like,” joked Kim. “I’m getting better at it.”
But the competition grind never stopped, as if Kim would ever let it. Kim started some of her days this past week at 4 a.m. before any sort of commentating. Instead of hitting snooze, Kim became one with the early bids, breaking dawn with training workouts while most of the world slept. It was followed by a quick breakfast and warm-ups before a near 12-hour day at the PGA Tour Live studios, where her day began around 6:15 a.m. and lasted until about 7 p.m.
And then, she’s back on the course. “I also did take time when it was allotted for me to go and practice. I was able to put my commentary hat on, and when it was over, slapped on my competitive golfer’s hat and became a Tour player.”
Squeeze in a bit of rest, and Kim was right back at that routine, each day until the final putt drop on Sunday. Now, she’s already switched gears to competitive overdrive as she gets ready for back-to-back events in Toledo next week. Though a fun and challenging ride at the RBC Heritage and Memorial Tournament, Kim is nowhere near ready to rest on any laurels, but instead go full throttle back on the course as a player in her own right.
— Christina Kim (@TheChristinaKim) July 20, 2020“I know I am not a professional commentator. That’s what Brian and Billy were for last week, because they are incredible at what they do and I didn’t want to feign as if I was one of them,” said Kim, reflecting on the past week. “My role was adjacent to there while I was staying in my lane. I was like a kid in a candy store; I was full of adrenaline. I was having too much fun.
“It was a new experience. It was something I will cherish forever. It’s something that I can’t wait to get the opportunity to do it again when the scheduling allows.”
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