Canadian Lauren Kim’s final round at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur was already going to be special. But given how the groupings shook out, it was even more unique than she could have imagined.
And when the results were tallied, her week was a great success.
Kim, of Surrey, B.C., shot a 1-under 71 at Augusta National in the final round of the event to finish tied for 14th — tying Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont. for the best-ever result by a Canadian. Chun became the first Canadian to make the cut at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2023. Kim did the same, despite a bogey on her final hole on Thursday.
Given how and when she finished in the second round, Kim teed off first for the final round not alongside anyone else in the field, but instead a non-competing marker, Taya Buxton, the Lee Elder Scholarship winner from Paige College (the women’s golf program at the school is funded by Augusta National Golf Club).
Golf Canada’s Salimah Mussani, the women’s national team head coach who was with Kim for the week in Augusta, told Sportsnet there was plenty of rumours flying around about who Kim could play with for Saturday’s finale. There was a rules issue with 2022 winner Anna Davis, who got dinged for slow play and the one-stroke penalty meant she missed the cut. Some thought the rule would be reversed, and Davis would be back in the field. That was not to be, though.
There was also a rumour that Annika Sorenstam, the women’s game’s greatest of all time and newly minted member of Augusta National, would tee it up.
None of those rumours came true, though, and Kim also had to navigate a 30-minute frost delay Saturday morning – and a delay in communicating that new start time to her.
The Canadian, however, took it all in stride.
“I usually just take that adrenaline and just block everything out. I'm pretty good with doing that,” Kim said. “For the nerves, I didn't really have that many, to be honest.”
The first two rounds of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur take place at nearby Champions Retreat in Augusta, Ga. and the top 30 and ties then compete in the final round at Augusta National itself. Getting to play the final round at Augusta was Kim’s main goal for the week, she said.
Everyone, regardless of if you make the cut or not, gets to have a practice round at Augusta National on Friday. New for this year is the opportunity to play the Par-3 Course.
Kim, who is a freshman at the University of Texas, got to have a practice round at Augusta a few weeks ago as a special warmup via an alum of the school who is a member at the storied club and was well aware of what was ahead of her.
She did, however, have some work to do on her swing. Mussani said they were the last people on the driving range on Friday night.
Kim stumbled out of the gate with a bogey on the par-4 1st at Augusta National for her final round but settled into a groove after that. She birdied the par-3 6th (Corey Conners made an ace on that hole in 2021) and despite a bogey on the par-4 14th, she birdied Nos. 16 and 17 to come into the house in red figures.
“I know that the scores can bite if you be too aggressive in some areas. I just […] I wanted to shoot a low number out there. It's pretty gettable today, in my opinion,” Kim said. “I think I had the right amount of aggressiveness today.”
Lottie Woad, of England, won the championship after a 3-under 69 in the final round. She birdied three of her final four holes at Augusta National – including Nos. 17 and 18 to close out her day – to top Bailey Shoemaker by one. Shoemaker shot the lowest final round in the history of the championship, a 6-under 66, but in the end it wasn’t enough.
For Kim, the Canadian is looking for this week to be a jumping off point for a fabulous 2024. Her Texas team will look to contend at the NCAA Championships later this summer before she looks to defend her title at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. Kim will also likely tee it up at the CPKC Women’s Open in Calgary.
Kim, at No. 40 in the world, is Canada’s highest-ranked amateur golfer — male or female, and Mussani said Kim’s biggest asset is her high golf IQ. That was firmly on display this week in Augusta which, Mussani says, is one of the most special events on the women’s golf calendar.
“To see them navigate this golf course with such precision and grace, I get chills. There are throngs of people all over the place watching amateur women’s golf. It’s the coolest thing,” Mussani says. “(Kim) came in… not playing her best. I will give her all the credit in the world — she was really, really coachable this week. A true asset of a high-performing athlete is their coachability. She played phenomenal (on Saturday). A few extra putts drop and she’s right there.”
This was the fifth Augusta National Women’s Amateur. It launched in 2019 but was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two of the previous Augusta National Women’s Amateur winners are now winners on the LPGA Tour.
