For Kim, being a pro is blessing and curse
It has been five years since Kimberly Kim left Hilo for the mainland, seeking golf fame at age 14.
“Kim Squared” has found it and lost it a few times since. She became the youngest U.S. Women’s Amateur champion in history in 2006 and reached three other USGA finals. She was a five-time first-team Rolex Junior All-American and Sun Belt conference freshman of the year her one collegiate season at the University of Denver.
Kim jokes that she hasn’t used her brain since she left school last spring. She aced the LPGA Q-School soon after, on her first try. Now she is playing for fame and fortune, and discovering what real life is all about.
“The hardest thing is realizing this is your career and what I chose,” Kim says. “There’s no going back to college ever. I realize I don’t want a normal job after this. I’m temporarily living in Colorado and I see people in way worse situations. People just getting by to feed their kids. I’ve got to make money. I know there’s an opportunity here, so if you do have a good week you would make money.
“The best part is it’s not a normal job, it’s a sport. That’s the best part and the hardest part too.”
Her father is back in Hilo and her mother and sister Christine, the 2005 Hawaii state high school champion, might be back soon. She plans to join them in the winter and learn to surf in her first extended time back since she left. She misses her “main base of friends.” It bothers her that she has lost touch with her home.
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Until then, Kim has work to do. The family no longer supports her financially. She is on her own. Most of her savings are already gone.
The LPGA has so few full-field domestic events she has made just three starts going into this week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic, and missed the cut each time. She has a new coach, but has been able to see him just twice and can’t afford a regular caddie.
She loves life on the tour and the travel, but a problem with a tooth that no one can diagnose makes plane rides torturous. All the little details of her new life — she can’t even rent a car because she is not 21 — sometimes leave her dazed.
“I feel like I’m in a slump, but that’s not what I can think,” she says. “Once I get organized off the course I’ll start playing better on the course. It’s hard to focus on everything. … Basically it’s all about money.”
She has been down before, and come roaring and soaring back. Kim can’t tell you why or how, and even credits some success to luck because “I wasn’t taking golf seriously for a while.” But there has been too much success, too many wins, world amateur rankings and ridiculously low rounds — she shot 62 at the 2007 U.S. Junior Girls — to call it luck. Somewhere there is a fighting spirit that complements her extraordinary skill. That is what she seeks now.
“I just have to work on confidence, I think,” Kim says. “I don’t really remember how to play well.”
For the next few months, Kim will share her rookie journey with Star-Advertiser readers in this section.
On the road with Hilo’s LPGA rookieI really can’t believe I’m a rookie on the LPGA Tour. Actually, I really can’t believe I’m a golf pro at 19 in general, but I am so glad that I am. Ever since I was a kid I never ever saw myself working indoors or sitting at a desk. I only saw myself being some sort of professional athlete. I am very lucky to have this job as a career, it’s truly a dream come true. Currently, I am living in Pueblo, Colo. Ironically, I’m the assistant pro at the Walking Stick Golf Course, which hosted the 2006 USGA Women’s Amateur Public Links, where I lost in the finals to Tiffany Joh. Kind of funny to be back here. It basically just got warm enough to golf, although it did snow a couple of weeks ago! At the moment I’m not quite sure where I’ll be setting up a permanent address or when I will. For now I’m a nomad. It’s been six months since LPGA Qualifying School and it feels like just last week. Feels like this year went by faster than any other year in my life. Thus far, I have played in three LPGA events, and haven’t been performing as well as I would have liked. Off the course, I’ve been going through a lot of changes that have affected my golf. On the course, I recently changed coaches and so far he’s awesome. But I’m still working on different parts of my game. My ball striking and chipping haven’t been as good as I’d like. Normally, it’s my putting that is the weaker part of my game. I know what I need to work on and right now all I can do is work hard and eventually I’ll be back where I need to be. Being a rookie out here has been a little tougher than I expected but still it’s awesome. It’s quite intimidating and sometimes my nerves get the best of me, but each week gets easier. What’s awesome is I was lucky enough to qualify with my college teammate and thanks to junior golf and amateur golf I am already acquainted with many people. Having friends out here makes a huge difference and makes life a lot better. Speaking of friends, at the Avnet LPGA Classic, Jennie Lee and I stayed together. She was one of my Curtis Cup teammates. This makes traveling costs and expenses a lot cheaper, but most important, way more fun! As for my schedule, it’s just about to pick up. June is going to be packed with both LPGA tournaments and LPGA Duramed Futures Tour events. As for July through September, there are about two events each month. I’m very excited to see how the rest of the season will pan out. Can’t say I’m excited about plane flights, though, not my favorite thing to do. I would drive everywhere if I could. Hopefully all goes well and I can get back to visit my friends and home, in Hawaii. You can follow me on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/K2LPGA . Aloha, |
