Pueblo – Incoming University of Colorado golfer Christine Kim lugged the bag of her younger sister, Kimberly, all day Saturday, the price for missing the cut in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship at Walking Stick.
If not for the gallery, the Kim sisters looked like any giggling teenagers on a golf course or shopping mall.
The least Kimberly could do in return was make it as short a day as possible. The 14-year-old finished match play after only 11 holes of the quarterfinals and 15 holes of the semifinals to advance to today’s 36-hole championship match against UCLA sophomore Tiffany Joh.
If Kimberly Kim, who turns 15 in August, wins today, she’ll be the second-youngest winner of the event after Michelle Wie, who was 13 when she won in 2003. Like Wie, Kim grew up playing in Hawaii and played against her in many junior events. The Kim family recently moved to the Phoenix area to facilitate travel to tournaments.
“In golf maturity, she’s probably older than I am,” said Joh, a 3-and-2 winner over Michigan State junior Sara Brown in the semifinals. “I’m definitely not going to win with pars.”
Although Kimberly Kim joked she kept the match short to avoid having to pay her sister more money, the older sister already owes her. When a CU coach was scouting the younger sister, their father pointed out the older sister.
Despite already qualifying for this week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Newport County Club in Rhode Island, Kimberly Kim never expected to sweep through Saturday’s two rounds in 26 holes, let alone be standing today.
“I thought I’d be out after the second round,” she said. “I didn’t know it was going to be 36 holes a day.”
And don’t even ask her to recount all five birdies.
At least she had nearly two hours’ rest between rounds after an early finish while the three other matches were in the middle of the course. Kim ousted co-medalist Mina Harigae of Monterey, Calif. 9 and 7, the quickest win in the tournament in the wind-delayed morning quarterfinals. She was just as relentless against Tiffany Chudy, a Florida junior who tied for 12th in the NCAA Championships. Chudy refused to use her 30-minute rest as an excuse for the 4 and 3 loss.
After halving the par-4 opening hole, Kim won the next three holes, parring the second two par 5s. While Chudy was teeing off into the rough on either side of the fairway, Kim hit straight shots and also dominated the greens.
Kim moved to 4-up with a birdie on No. 9 when she made a 25-foot putt. She credited that putt for the momentum to finish off the match.
Kim’s lead ballooned to 5-up after 11 as he saved par while Chudy bogeyed the par-4 hole. Kim fell back again to a four-hole lead missing a putt on the par-5 13th. Chudy nearly got a hole back on No. 14, but her 25-foot putt for birdie skipped over the cup and both finished with par.
In the second semifinal, Joh birdied the second hole to go 1-up and was 2-up before Brown closed within a hole on No. 12. Brown bogeyed Nos. 13 and 15, both par 5s.
While Chudy’s father carried her bag, the Kim sisters’ dad just watched and beamed with pride.
Then when it was all over, Kimberly announced, “Dad, it’s your turn to carry the bag.”
The start of the morning quarterfinals was delayed nearly two hours when winds clocked at up to 50 miles an hour blasted the course.
“I’m glad it was delayed, because the wind was so strong,” Kim said.
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-820-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
