It was a close call for Epson Tour graduate Auston Kim on Saturday at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei, but the 2024 LPGA Tour rookie’s third-place finish in Hawaii did wonders for her position in the Race to the CME Globe point standings.

Kim entered the week at 79th in the season-long points race, needing two solid finishes at the LOTTE Championship and The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican if she wanted to have any chance at qualifying for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburón Golf Club.

Her bid to move up in the rankings got off to a quiet start, as the 24-year-old carded a 1-under 71 in the first round at Hoakalei Country Club to sit in a tie for 44th early at the LOTTE Championship. She turned up the heat on Thursday, firing a bogey-free, 6-under 66 to move to solo sixth, and then carded a 3-under 69 on day three to hold a share of fourth, well within striking distance of the leaders with 18 holes left to make a move.

The Florida native got off to a fast start in the final round, grabbing four birdies in her first six holes to race up the leaderboard and move to 14-under overall with 12 holes to play. But she said her putter cooled off after that early stretch, and it was ultimately a grind to the finish, as Kim fought tooth and nail to save par after par until she picked up one last birdie on the par-5 18th hole to post a four-day total of 15-under and finish alone in third, her career-best result on the LPGA Tour.

“I think after having two good events in China and Korea, knowing that the game was there but feeling the mind wasn't all the way there and that kind of held me back both weeks,” said an emotional Kim in her post-round interview. “Before I started this tournament, I asked myself, what if you just played golf believing that you could succeed every single shot, putting in 100% effort and believing that you can do it and pull it off?

“I had a lot more fun. I enjoyed it a lot more. It was really good lesson this week, too. I'm very happy with how I handled myself.”

While many will only see the number three next to Kim’s name on the LOTTE Championship leaderboard, few understand just how challenging of a battle it’s been for Kim to get to this point. Even though she tied for fifth at the Dow Championship alongside her playing partner Grace Kim in June, this summer was difficult for Kim, one that saw her miss some cuts and card a couple of rounds in the 80s, lackluster performances that could mentally derail even the most seasoned of LPGA Tour veterans.

Kim will be the first to tell you that things haven’t been all sunshine and rainbows throughout every moment of her rookie season, even though she has had some solid finishes, and isn’t afraid to get vulnerable with just how hard it has been at times.

But Kim is tenacious, possessing a gritty resolve that never lets her give up or quit fighting. It was on full display at last year’s Epson Tour Championship when she carded rounds of 64, 65 and 65 over the final three days of the tournament to pick up her first Epson Tour title and move from outside the top 10 to third in the Race for the Card to ultimately earn LPGA Tour status for the 2024 season. And it’s what led her to the top three in Hawaii this week.

“There were a lot of tough weeks, a lot of weeks where I questioned myself and my ability and if I could really do what I knew I was capable of doing,” Kim said, stifling tears. “This week was a really good reminder as to what I can do. I can look back to specific weeks this year. Like KPMG, God, that was such a hard week for me, and to be able to get past that point and get to here, feel like I could completely believe in myself and my ability and the hard work that I’ve put in, it's very cathartic. I'm very proud.”

Kim is now projected to move up 15 spots in the Race to the CME Globe and will likely enter the week at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican at 64th in the rankings, still four spots away from qualifying for her first CME Group Tour Championship.

While there will be plenty on Kim’s mind as she battles for a spot in the field at Tiburón Golf Club and an opportunity to take home a historic $4 million first-place prize at the season finale, the 24-year-old learned some invaluable lessons this week in Hawaii that she will work to apply to next week in Belleair, Fla., a tournament she will now be carrying plenty of confidence to after a stellar showing at the LOTTE Championship.

“It is what it is. It's a fact. I can't ignore the fact that I'll be 64th,” Kim said. “This week is probably the first week in a very long time where I've played golf with 100% belief in myself and my skills. The result speaks for itself. I can't control the result, but I could control the way that I played golf and the way that I spoke to myself, the way that I believed in myself.

“I got a good thing going, and I really like Pelican. It's the place where I played my first LPGA event ever. I have a lot of good memories there. I'm really excited to tee it up next week.”

Epson Tour Winner Auston Kim Cards First Top-10 Finish Since June at the LOTTE Championship

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