Gina Kim’s stellar spring continued Wednesday when she earned a spot in the U.S. Women’s Open field.
A junior at Duke, Kim won the ACC individual championship and helped the Blue Devils win the team title last month in Greensboro.
On Wednesday, she emerged from a playoff -- topping her Duke teammate Jaravee Boonchant in the process -- at a U.S. Women’s Open qualifier at Mid-Pines Inn & Golf Club in Southern Pines.
“It’s surreal,” Kim said in an interview with The News & Observer on Wednesday. “I didn’t expect any of this to happen, to be quite honest. But I’m just very fortunate my hard work is paying off. I think I’m starting to commit and believe that I’m good enough to make these things happen.”
A two-time Class 3A individual state champion at Chapel Hill High prior to her Duke career, Kim shot consecutive rounds of 71 on Monday and Tuesday at Mid-Pines to tie with three other golfers for second place at 2-under. Lauren Stephenson of Lexington, S.C., placed first at 7-under to claim one of three available U.S. Women’s Open berths.
PLAYING FOR AN OPEN SPOT
Kim, Boonchant, Natalie Srinivasan and Haylee Hartford returned to the course Wednesday morning to decide who earned the final two spots.
All four golfers parred their first playoff hole. On the second, Kim a wood to reach the green before knocking down a five-foot birdie putt. Hartford also birdied the hole, allowing her and Kim to join Stephenson at the U.S. Women’s Open at San Francisco’s Olympic Club June 3-6.
“I was really nervous, I’m not gonna lie,” Kim said. “Just knowing that there were only two spots left. I just tried my best to stick to the game plan and just keeping doing what I’ve always been doing. It worked yesterday so I had every reason to believe it was going to work today.”
This will be Kim’s third U.S. Women’s Open appearance. After missing the cut in 2018 at Shoal Creek, Alabama, she was the low amateur and finished tied for 12th overall in 2019 at Charleston, S.C. Her one-over-par 283 was the second-lowest 72-hole score by an amateur in U.S. Women’s Open history.
Before trying to top that performance next month in San Francisco, Kim will focus on leading No. 2-ranked Duke to another NCAA championship. The Blue Devils won their eighth national title in 2019 and last year’s tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Duke is the No. 1 seed at the Columbus, Ohio, Regional, which will be contested Monday-Wednesday. The NCAA championship will be decided May 21-26 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
