Auston Kim has kicked off the 2026 LPGA Tour season with a dominant spring Asian swing, securing three top-18 finishes in as many starts. After tying for 18th at the Honda LPGA Thailand, the 25-year-old had a solo runner-up finish at the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore and followed it with a tie for third Sunday at the Blue Bay LPGA.

Through 54 holes at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course, Kim sat in a tie for seventh after opening with two consecutive rounds in the 60s. Despite stumbling in the third round with a 2-over 74, she entered the final day at 7-under and within striking distance of the lead.

With another gutsy performance in round four, the Epson Tour graduate carded a 1-under 71 to move into a share of third and earn her second top-three result in just two weeks.

Kim's mental resilience proved to be key coming down the stretch in the final round. She described her front nine as "outrageously frustrating," carding a birdie and two bogeys to turn in 37. After another bogey on the par-4 10th hole, Kim rallied with a birdie at No. 14 and closed the tournament with back-to-back birdies on the final two holes to finish at T3 alongside Olympian Aditi Ashok, three strokes back of champion Mi Hyang Lee.

"I love playing golf. I love competing," Kim said. "I know that I'm probably going to learn a lot from this week, but it just hurts right now. I'm like, really upset. I know that there is a lot of good to take forward moving on, but right now, it just hurts."

Despite the immediate sting of the finish, Kim was quick to credit her perspective to the mental work she prioritized in the offseason. Now in her third season on Tour, the Vanderbilt University alum is currently playing some of the best golf of her professional career.

"I feel like my game has progressed a lot the past year, past couple of months, past couple of weeks," said Kim. "I put in a lot of the work in the offseason, and it wasn't just physical – a lot was mental and putting in the work.

"Just being able to trust myself and trust the work I've been putting in, I feel like that's made a world of difference. Just practice with purpose, intent, and more of a positive mindset, and trusting it rather than practicing to not play bad. It's definitely worth it."

While the Tour takes a week off before heading to California for the Fortinet Founders Cup, Kim hopes to carry her recent momentum to the beautiful Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club.

"I really felt like I could get it done this week, and it just didn't happen," the young American said. "I know that's the way it is with golf sometimes, but I hope moving forward I won't make the same mistakes and will play better."

With a runner-up finish in Singapore and a T3 result in the People’s Republic of China, Kim has moved to third in the Race to the CME Globe standings, a good indicator of what’s still to come for the Epson Tour winner in 2026.

Auston Kims Offseason Focus Fuels Hot Start in 2026

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