[PHOTO: Jason Butler/Getty Images]
Sydney’s Grace Kim insists she is already feeling the benefits of an extended pre-season as she rejoins the LPGA Tour season at this week’s Ford Championship in Arizona.
World No.18 Minjee Lee is the only one of the record nine Aussies with LPGA Tour status this season not playing at the Whirlwind Golf Club this week, with Kim and Sarah Kemp returning after playing events on home soil.
Kim tied for sixth at the Australian Women’s Classic in Coffs Harbour two weeks ago when she began to see evidence of the fitness training she undertook with coach Khan Pullen during the Christmas break.
That may have left the 24-year-old underdone from a golf perspective when she finished well down the leaderboard in two events on the LPGA’s Asian swing, but three rounds at Coffs Harbour Golf Club with Pullen on the bag made up for lost time.
Seeking to address fade-outs late in tournaments last season, Kim is not only feeling physically fitter, but is seeing gains through the bag that will translate into having shorter clubs for approach shots.
“Definitely gained at least another five metres, which is huge for me,” Kim said. “Just to have one less club in is always easier. Hitting 5-iron rather than 6-iron is always harder.
“Just little gains and little wins, I guess.”
A winner in her rookie season in 2023, Kim had just three top 10s from 28 starts in 2024. She lost in a playoff at the Meijer Classic after starting the final round with a five-stroke lead and her Round 4 scoring average (71.79) was almost 1.5 strokes higher than her Round 1 scoring average (70.41). Kim hopes to have addressed that with a summer spent in the gym.
“I don’t feel as lethargic as I used to when I finished,” Kim added.
“A couple of days I’ve been able to do a full gym session afterwards, which is nice. I think that’s a good, positive sign, seeing that my stamina is lasting a little longer.”
Fourth at Coffs Harbour, Kemp played all four rounds at the Women’s NSW Open in preparation of her first LPGA Tour start since suffering a compound fracture of her lower right leg in July last year.
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Elsewhere this week, young Aussie stars Min Woo Lee and Karl Vilips have been paired together at the PGA Tour’s Texas Children’s Houston Open; Matthew Griffin, Cameron John, Daniel Gale, Austin Bautista and Lachlan Barker are playing the DP World Tour’s Hero Indian Open courtesy of their Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit finish last season; and Scott Barr has qualified to make his PGA Tour Champions debut.
Cruelly denied full status at Qualifying School last December, Barr shot a seven-under 65 in the Monday qualifier for the Galleri Classic in California, taking the total number of Aussies in the field to 10.
