This time, Australia's Grace Kim looks to turn big lead into LPGA victory
By Jeff Babineau
BELMONT, Mich. – Two months ago, beneath the bright lights in Los Angeles, Grace Kim took a four-shot lead into the weekend at the JM Eagle LA Championship, trying to land her second LPGA victory. The 23-year-old Australian didn’t quite know what to do with a lead so big, fell out of her normal routine, shot 76-77 on the weekend and watched as victory swam off her line.
Grace’s friend and mentor, Hannah Green, took home the victory that Sunday. Kim left in a dizzying tie for 25th. And she vowed the next time, her approach – and the result – would be different.
Well, here we are again. Different tournament (Meijer LPGA Classic presented by Simply Give), and the situation is different, too. Better, even. This time, Kim, having shot a brilliant 6-under 66 on Saturday at Blythefield Country Club, where she birdied four of her final six holes, leads by five. And this time, there are only 18 holes to play.
Kim did not know that she would be back here so soon. And frankly, she cannot wait for Sunday’s final round, even knowing she will be a considerable underdog going up against a longtime Michigan favorite, Lexi Thompson, in the day’s final grouping. (Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist, who matched Thompson’s Saturday 65, joins the two).
‘I don't think I handled it very well,” Kim said Saturday, reflecting back on her performance with the lead in L.A. in late April. “I was very nervous. Got to the golf course very early for my 2:00 tee times (Saturday and also Sunday, when she was tied for the lead). I just didn't know what to do.”
Friday night at Meijer, she kicked back at a local theater in town, leaned back in one the reclining chairs, and watched “Inside Out 2.” She loved it, and even said she would consider watching it again on Saturday. Fittingly, it is described as a “coming of age” movie, which suits the young Aussie with lots of skills quite nicely.
Saturday at Blythefield belonged mostly to Thompson, the 29-year-old power-hitting rocket ship who hits a golf ball a long, long way and has been a fan favorite at LPGA stops for years. At the recent U.S. Women’s Open, Thompson announced, somewhat surprisingly, that the 2024 LPGA season will be her last as a full-time player. Golf has been something Thompson has done for a long, long time on the game’s biggest stages, and she looks forward to a relaxing life away from the inherent pressures of the pro game.
Saturday, Thompson showed how amazing she can be when her game catches fire, as it did. My, how quickly she can light the fuse. When she stood on the tee at the par-5 fourth hole, she was 5 under, and six shots behind the leaders. By the time she reached the tee at 10, she was 12 under, and in the lead.
“Just kind of got into a groove of things,” Thompson said after the round. (That's a little like Picasso saying he paints a little bit.) “This is a golf course you know you have to come out and play aggressively and make lots of birdies. Just came out feeling very comfortable, made a few good swings, and rolled in some putts.
“Just got in a groove and tried to keep the pedal down as much as I could out there.”
The fans loved every minute of it. Thompson’s large galleries grew alongside the mid-day shadows. It was amazing. Birdie at par-5 fourth, where she reached the green in two. Birdie at 5 (15 feet). Birdie at 6. Birdie at the par-3 seventh (18 feet). At the par-5 eighth, Thompson had 202 yards in after a big drive, and hit 4-iron to 2 feet. Eagle. At nine, it was 7-iron to 20 feet for one more birdie. Out in 29.
Grown men and women joined their younger kids and began sprinting to the next tee. Thompson soon would cool, but those who witnessed that six-hole, 7-under stretch to close out the front nine won’t soon forget it. Count the players in there, too.
“Lexi played in the group ahead of me today,” Nordqvist said, “and that's probably as much crowd as we've had this year. It's amazing to see.
“But just trying to soak it in. She was doing well, and you can kind of hear the crowds. It's kind of like the moments we play for, and even though there weren't cheering for me – or most of those – it's just nice to see. It does bring a very special atmosphere.”
Kim is playing quite nicely, and closed strongly, pulling away late in the afternoon. Thompson and four others (Nordqvist; 2023 U.S. Women’s Open champion Allisen Corpuz; Korea’s Narin An; and the 36-hole co-leader, Ally Ewing) all will begin Sunday five shots back. A group six shots behind, at 11 under, includes Ryann O’Toole (67), Natthakritta Vongtaveelap (67), Alexa Pano (68) and Alison Lee (68), who birdied all five par-5 holes in the third round.
Could Thompson’s victory lap possibly contain one last victory? An enticing thought. It won’t be easy, that’s for sure.
“We hope so,” Thompson said. She won the Meijer nine years ago, in 2015. “I’m just taking one shot and one tournament at a time. Of course, I want to finish the year strong. A lot of golf to be played, but we’ll see. A lot of golf tomorrow, so we’ll see what it brings.”
Kim says that Thompson long has been an idol of hers, so she cannot wait to see what unfolds, too. There is a certain calmness to her that belies her age. Saturday, she was in the hunt but appeared to be calm. She knows she will be nervous on Sunday trying to land her second LPGA victory, but that’s all part of the package. She expects it.
This time, she welcomes it.
“I’m trusting my game. That’s the main thing,” Kim said. “My preparation is good enough and I know it’s good enough. Hopefully, I just have that in the back of my mind and trust that I did all the work that I could.”
If she does that, Kim hopes that it’s enough. Big pro-Lexi galleries Sunday at Blythefield? Bring them on.
“I mean, I have seen the crowds today for her,” Kim said, smiling mischievously. “I was very jealous, so hopefully be a good day tomorrow.”
