By: Max Bechtoldt
LPGA Tour Rookie Auston Kim, playing in just her first tournament as an official LPGA card holder, jumped up the leaderboard Saturday with a -7 64 to put her at -8 going into Sunday at the Drive On Championship.
Kim was a star at Vanderbilt, earning three invitations to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and qualified twice for the U.S. Open during her time in Nashville. She won the Epson Tour Championship in 2023 to earn her LPGA Tour card for the 2024 season.
While Kim’s round was very good through 13, she was -2 with three birdies and one bogey, she really kicked it into gear on her final stretch. On the last five holes, Kim had 3 birdies and an eagle to get to -8 for the tournament, at the time placing her only two strokes back of the lead heading into Sunday.
Kim had a bit of a more measured approach on Sunday that paid clear dividends, as her driving distance was down from a startling 296 average on Friday, to 264 on Saturday. She hit more greens today, up from 12 yesterday to 16 today, couple that with 28 putts and you have a formula for success.
Kim will have to traverse a leaderboard filled with LPGA superstars to capture the win tomorrow, but if she can recreate her Saturday magic, she has a shot.
