Golfer Kim dominating her division
By Pete Borello, Town Crier Staff Writer
 courtesy of Soo Kim Golfer Lauren Kim displays one of the many championship awards she has received this season. The Los Altos resident has won 10 tournaments and finished second at three other events. |
Like a 2-foot putt, Lauren Kim is almost a sure thing when it comes to winning golf tournaments.
If Lauren’s in it, she’s probably going to win it. After playing in 13 Bay Area junior tournaments this season, Lauren has 10 championships and three second-place finishes in her age group.
Ask the 11-year-old from Los Altos what sets her apart from the competition, and you will probably get a well-thought-out answer.
“I’m a longer hitter - I can use my driver and 8-iron instead of a driver and 3-wood on a lot of holes,” she said. “I hit much farther and that sort of gives me an advantage.”
That certainly was the case at last week’s Corena Green Classic at Diablo Country Club (Danville). Lauren said she used her driver just once in winning the girls 11-13 division. She shot a 3-under-par 33 for nine holes.
“My tee shots were pretty good,” Lauren said. “I got close to the green and chipped on.”
At 5-foot-4, she also stands above her competitors in a literal sense: “I’m much taller than them,” said Lauren, who is often the oldest player in her division, 11-and-under at most tournaments.
She also stands tall in the short game. Lauren’s putting has improved so much this summer that she now considers it one of the strengths of her game - especially after her performance at the Corena Green Classic.
“My putting was really good,” said Lauren, entering seventh grade at Egan Junior High. “I worked on it with my dad and fixed it.”
Lauren wasn’t as pleased with her earlier effort at the Sean Remen Memorial Junior Classic at Los Altos Golf & Country Club. Despite shooting a 46 to win her division by two strokes, Lauren said: “I played average - not my best or not my worst.”
Lauren said her best showing came at the Charlie Culver Memorial Junior Masters, held July 27 and 28 at Salinas Golf & Country Club. Eight strokes back on the last hole of the first day, Lauren notched an eagle to pull within four strokes of the lead. This gave her a score of 43, which she matched the next day to win by a stroke.
“I learned the most from that,” she said. “For my mom, it was like watching a roller coaster ride go up and down. I had some good holes and some bad holes, but I was able to win.”
No one may have been happier for Lauren than her mom, Soo Kim.
“When she’s doing well, it’s the best day,” said Soo, who takes Lauren to most of these events. “When she’s having a rough day, I feel what she feels.”
One of those rough days came Thursday at the Robert O’Brien Memorial Junior at Poplar Creek Golf Course (San Mateo). Lauren finished second, but shot a 51 that was four strokes behind champion Alexandra Sborov.
It takes more than that to discourage Lauren, though. A round like that only seems to motivate Lauren to work that much harder on her game. A regular at Shoreline Golf Links in Mountain View, Lauren plays or practices five days a week during the summer.
“Everyday, she asks, ‘Mom, can you drive me to the range?’” Soo said. “She wants to go all the time, but we make sure she gets a day of rest here or there.”
Lauren was nearly 9 when she began playing golf and it didn’t take her long to get hooked.
“It started out as time with her dad,” said Soo, referring to husband Alex. “Now it’s with her dad or otherwise. She loves the game.”
And what does she love most about it?
“Being outside and the level of competition you get,” said Lauren, who also enjoys tennis, volleyball and running. “There’s fresh air and it’s peaceful.”
Lauren’s biggest challenge came at last month’s Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego, where she just missed making the cut.
“I played really good the second day - until the last hole when I got a triple (bogey),” she said. “The competition was really tough; kids came from all over the world. I got to see what I have to do to be competitive there next year.”
In the meantime, Lauren will play in a few more regional tournaments this summer. Next up is Friday’s San Leandro City Junior, which she won last year.
