It’s been some time since LPGA Tour rookie A Lim Kim touched down in the Republic of Korea. Kim, who accepted Membership after winning her maiden title at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open, said she arrived in Korea three days before the BMW Ladies Championship for the first time since focusing her efforts on the United States and competing week in and week out on Tour. She was especially excited to see her parents but now with competition underway, she’s going through a new adjustment period.
“I still have to adjust to the time zone,” said Kim, who has also won twice on the KLPGA Tour. “I'm still jet lagged. I really want to go to sleep now.”
Though she may have admitted to some fatigue, Kim certainly didn’t look it as she opened the week with a 6-under-66 and in a tie for fourth. It’s her lowest 18 holes since a 64 in the second round of the LOTTE Championship, in a year of up and downs for the major champion. Though Kim is coming off a tie for sixth finish at the Cognizant Founders Cup, she is still a few points short of the CME Group Tour Championship. Heading into this week, Kim is 65th on the Race to the CME Globe points list and is the current second reserve based on updated entry lists. A high finish could solidify her spot in the season finale for the first time.
“I had a really, really happy year. I think I learned a lot, and I think that it's going to really help my career in the long run. I think the struggle that I had was that the grass was different every week, and I had to adjust to that. But I think as a golf player I was just really proud of myself, and I was just really happy and proud to be able to play,” said Kim. “And I was able to meet really good fellow golf players. I was able to play at really nice courses, and I met good sponsors. So I think that I was overall very happy.”
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