BRADENTON, Fla. — Epson Tour graduate Auston Kim clawed her way back into the top 10 on Saturday at the LPGA Drive On Championship, carding a near-perfect, 7-under 64 that saw her make one bogey, six birdies and an eagle on Moving Day.
The rookie started strong with a birdie on the par-4 2nd hole to get to 2-under overall, parring her next five holes before picking up another birdie on the par-5 8th hole. She dropped her only shot of the day on the ninth hole, now at 1-under for the tournament, but she recovered quickly with a birdie on No. 10.
After three straight pars, the 23-year-old recorded back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15 to get to 5-under overall, but Kim ultimately saved the best for last. She made an eagle on the par-5 17th hole and then backed that up with a birdie on the par-4 18th hole to post a 7-under 64, tying the lowest round of the week at Bradenton Country Club – which was fired on day two by Maja Stark – and shooting the lowest round of her young LPGA Tour career.
“It was a bit of a blur. I was just playing golf. I honestly can't remember what my scorecard looks like,” Kim said. “I made bogey on 9, unfortunately. It was an unfortunate three-putt, missed a really short one. But that helped me lock in a little bit more, provided a little bit of extra focus. Once I made the turn, I felt like I was moving at a really good pace, a really good tempo. I just started seeing the lines. My shots were moving the way that I wanted them to. I felt really aggressive today.”
Like many others in this week’s field, this is Kim’s first start as an LPGA Tour rookie. She earned LPGA Tour membership for the 2024 season after winning the Epson Tour Championship last October, which moved her inside the top five of the Epson Tour’s Race for the Card, a season-long competition that sees 10 athletes graduate to the LPGA Tour each year. She had played in four LPGA Tour events before this week, most recently Monday qualifying for The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican in November of 2023.
Despite a second round that saw her struggle to a 2-over 73, the LPGA Drive On Championship marks Kim’s first made cut on the LPGA Tour. But after a frustrating Friday that saw her make one birdie and three bogeys, Kim was resolved to shift her mindset on Moving Day, hard work that paid off in the third round as she now sits in a tie for fifth, five shots back of third-round leader Nelly Korda.
“I felt a little more tentative, more than I should have been, and I played too defensively. That obviously showed in the score,” said Kim of her day-two effort. “So today when I woke up, I wanted to make sure that I was going to have an aggressive mindset and play aggressively to my spots. I wasn't afraid of anything bad happening, more focused on executing as well as I could. I wasn't thinking about what could go wrong today. I was thinking more about how I can get the shot right and how can I give myself the best look for birdie on every single hole.”
And now, Kim not only has a shot at recording her first top-10 finish on Tour but has an opportunity to become the season’s first Rolex First-Time Winner at Bradenton Country Club. However, the rookie won't let that pressure get to her head on Sunday in Southwest Florida. Instead, Kim is planning to take the same aggressive approach that she did on Saturday and will then let the chips fall where they may, as anything can happen in windy conditions that have been a constant throughout the week at the LPGA Drive On Championship.
“Today was a good lesson compared to yesterday as to playing defensively versus being more aggressive, which I love to do,” Kim said. So, it's just golf tomorrow, but I want to be aggressive to my spots and try my best to execute. I know that I can get the job done. My goal is to get into contention more, and this (is) definitely really good experience, and hopefully tomorrow some more putts and good shots.”
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