Wind, mental game key factors for Australia's Grace Kim; shoots 65 to share lead

 Wind, mental game key factors for Australia's Grace Kim; shoots 65 to share lead

By: Annie Watson

 

BELMONT, Mich. - Sydney native Grace Kim, whose 2024 campaign so far has been a whirlwind, finished the second round of the Meijer LPGA Classic with a clear mind and a tie for the lead.

 

The 23-year-old, who hasn’t placed above T25 this season and has missed the cut in her last two starts, shot a 65 in the drier conditions of the Friday morning wave. Kim heads into the weekend at 11-under, tied with veteran golfer Ally Ewing.

 

Kim admits that she took her first round, a 4-under 68, for granted. Nonetheless, the Aussie goes into Saturday with a changed perspective.

 

“I think I was the second lowest scorer of the day yesterday in the afternoon, and that says a lot of how tough the conditions were,” she said.

 

Upon recognizing just how strong she has played the greens in the first half of this year’s Meijer LPGA Classic, said Kim, “You just gotta make sure you stump them. The greens are rolling pure, so just take chances that way.”

 

Coming into the second round, Kim could tell a difference in the winds, and capitalized by finishing the round with an eagle on the par-5 18th.

 

“I hit [my] driver, and I guess the wind was the complete opposite to yesterday, how we were playing in the afternoon,” said Kim. “[And] it just crept into the rough through the fairway.”

 

A second shot with her 5-wood brought her within 10 feet of the pin, making room for her eagle on the final hole of the morning round.

 

Kim is eyeing her second win in two years on the LPGA Tour, her first being last year’s LOTTE Championship in Kapolei, Hawaii. She is aware of the nerves and excitement that comes with being in contention, especially with a win already under her belt. She knows “the nerves will be there” and that she is bound to think about a packed weekend leaderboard.

 

What sets her up for performing under that pressure is “the way you handle it, the way you pull through. You just got to accept that and focus on other things.

 

“The adrenaline is rushing, but [I’m] making sure that I use that to hit the bombs, the drives off the tee.”

June 14, 2024
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