“Oh, gosh, probably pretty nervous. I’ve never played in the final group on Sunday so going to enjoy it as much as I can.”
Even when she won the 2018 Florida’s Natural Charity Classic on the Epson Tour, Lauren Kim did so by closing with an 18-hole tournament scoring record, a 9-under 63. The current Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 423 looked relaxed during her 1-under 71 on Saturday at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship, but it wasn’t always smooth sailing.
“It's fun to have familiar faces out here. I see my family standing behind the green, or friends that have come to watch, and it's nice to see that,” said Kim, who recorded five birdies this afternoon. “It brings me comfort and reminds me that I am at home, I get to go sleep in my own bed. Stuff like that, the little reminders here and there. I did feel some nerves this morning and going into the afternoon. It's just fun. I'm just enjoying it as much as I can.”
No matter what happens on Sunday, Kim is simply thankful to compete in a final grouping and proud of how she maintained her game plan. “Coming into this week, [my goal] was try and shoot under par every day, and I've done just that,” said Kim, who is playing the weekend for the first time since the 2019 Volunteers of America Classic. “Conditions were tough today. Had some mistakes coming in but to make the birdie on the last was really fun. I had no idea that was going to put me in the final group, but that's pretty awesome.
“I think anything that happens tomorrow, I'm just going to really enjoy it. I’ll probably be feeling nervous the entire way around, but it's just really cool. I am so grateful for the opportunity and just to be able to say that I was there, I played in the final group, it's a really cool experience. Smiling the whole way and seeing my family and friends out here, there is nothing better.”
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