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Updated at 1:02 p.m., Monday, July 2, 2007

Kimberly Kim on summer of golf: 'Not always easy'

By John Marshall
Associated Press asap

 

A year after shocking the gofl world, Kimberly Kim still practices hard, still has the kind of game that allows her to shoot low numbers and still spends her summers living out of a suitcase.

JOHN MARSHALL | Associated Press

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EVERGREEN, Colo. — Kimberly Kim shocked the golf world last August by winning the U.S. Women's Amateur as a 14-year-old.

Though it changed the public perception of her — basically, more people became aware of her talent — it didn't really affect how she approaches her life and her game.

Now 15, Kim still practices hard, still has the kind of game that allows her to shoot low numbers and still spends her summers living out of a suitcase.

"It's not always easy," says Kim, who's from the Big Island, but spends most of her time in Arizona with her mother for golf reasons. "Sometimes it's hard to figure out where you are when you wake up in the morning."

Life on the road can be tough, but it's the way of the junior golfer — to be on the top you need talent, perseverance and a packed suitcase.

And Kim fits that bill perfectly; she's been traveling the country to tournaments for a few years, and her win at the U.S. Amateur isn't going to change that.

The way her father, Young Soo Kim, sees it, the only way to get better is to face the best players. To do that, you need to travel to all the top tournaments, which can be grueling since they're spread from coast to coast.

"It's tough and she's got to do the school work at the same time," Kim's father says. "I think it's worth it because of the experience in a big tournament like this and the LPGA makes a good player."

asap caught up with the Kims at an American Junior Golf Association event at Hiwan Golf Club earlier this month and had them run down what Kimberly's schedule has been like since she won the U.S. Amateur. Here's what Kim's year looks like, including how she finished in tournaments that have already taken place:

  • 8 OVER, MISSED THE CUT at the LPGA SBS Open at Turtle Bay in Kahuku, Feb. 15-17.

  • 3 OVER, MISSED THE CUT at the LPGA Fields Open in Kapolei, Hawaii, Feb. 22-24.

  • Stayed with her father in Hawai'i, then back to Arizona, Feb. 25.

  • 10 OVER, MISSED THE CUT at the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif., March 29-April 1.

  • 4 UNDER, WON TOURNAMENT at the AJGA ReBath Heather Farr Classic in Mesa, Ariz., April 5-8.

  • 7 OVER, THIRD PLACE at the AJGA Wellstone Communities Junior in McKinney Texas, April 13-15.

  • WON TOURNAMENT with Andrew Yun at the I.R.I./Srixon Mixed Team Championship in Tucson, Ariz., May 4-6.

  • 10 UNDER, WON TOURNAMENT at the AJGA Thunderbird International, in Scottsdale, Ariz., May 25-28.

  • 5 OVER, MISSED THE CUT at McDonald's LPGA Championship in Havre de Grace, Md., June 7-10.

  • 15 OVER, TIED FOR FIFTH at the AJGA Rolex Girls Junior Championship in Evergreen, Colo., June 12-15.

  • LOST to Tonya Choate in second round of match play at the U.S. Women's Amateur Publinx in Lexington, Ky., June 19-23.

  • 10 OVER, MISSED CUT at the Women's U.S. Open in Southern Pines, N.C., June 28-July 1.

  • AJGA Tournament of Champions, Columbus, Ohio, Today to July 6.

  • Home to Arizona, July 7.

    U.S. Girls Championship, Lakewood, Washington, July 23-28.

    AJGA Canon Cup, Ooltewah, Tenn, July 30-Aug. 2.

  • U.S. Amateur, Carmel, Indiana, Aug. 6-12.

  • Head back to Arizona, Aug. 13.

    John Marshall is asap's sports reporter, based in Denver. Want to comment? Sound off at mailto:soundoffasap@ap.org.