The WPGA Tour of Australasia has today announced that Julia Boland and Grace Kim will become the latest recipients of Honorary Life Membership.
Boland recently stepped down as President of the WPGA Tour, having served in the role since 2018, while Kim earned her first major championship at last year’s Amundi Evian Championship in France, which she begins her defence of later today.
Boland was the 2009 Australian Strokeplay champion, an Australian amateur team representative and won three events while playing for Texas A&M University before turning professional.
In 2012, she competed on the Epson Tour (then known as the Symetra Tour), winning that year’s Four Winds Invitational as she ended the season in eighth place on the money list to earn a spot on the LPGA Tour, on which she competed for two years.
During her eight years as President, Boland helped guide the WPGA Tour of Australasia through a transformative period for women’s golf, with the Tour growing its reach, strengthening its events and creating new opportunities for the next generation of players.
A four-time recipient of the Karrie Webb Scholarship, Kim was a prolific winner at amateur level before turning professional in 2021.
Like Boland, she earned a spot on the LPGA Tour via the Epson Tour, finishing fifth on the money list in 2022, also claiming victory at the IOA Golf Classic.
She won her first LPGA Tour title on her third start of her rookie season at the 2023 Lotte Championship.
In 2025, she became the fifth Australian to win a women’s major title as she triumphed in dramatic fashion at the Amundi Evian Championship. She eagled the final hole in regulation to force a play-off against Jeeno Thitikul, overturning a four-stroke deficit heading into the final day.
On the first play-off hole, she looked as though she had handed the title to Thitikul after hitting her second shot into a hazard. Incredibly, she chipped in for birdie to force a second sudden-death hole. She made no mistake at the second time of asking as she holed an eagle putt to win the championship.
WPGA Tour of Australaia CEO Karen Lunn said she was delighted to convene the award of Honorary Life Membership on both Boland and Kim.
“Julia and Grace are richly deserving of Honorary Life Membership of the WPGA Tour of Australasia,” she said.
“Julia dedicated the last eight years of her life as President of the WPGA Tour, leading with exceptional courage and integrity during what has been a transformational period for the organisation.
“Grace wrote her name into history last year as she became our country’s 17th major champion. She is a wonderful ambassador for Australian golf, having excelled at every level and also giving back to the next generation.”
