Don’t score shame us, pleads Aussie star

Young Sydneysider Grace Kim says she’s only really seen Hannah Green on Instagram. Now they’re on top of the leaderboard at the Australian Open.

Hannah Green hopes the women’s scores in the dual-gender Australian Open will be respected Picture: AFP

Grace Kim is a 21-year-old from Sydney. A former Youth Olympics gold medallist who’s qualified for next year’s LPGA Tour. She’s stoked to be on the verge of competing full-time in America against Hannah Green and assorted other hotshot folks she’s only really seen before on Instagram – but she’s given herself an early taste of the high life by taking the lead at the Australian Open.

More women than men shot the lights out on the opening day at the Kingston Heath and Victoria clubs. Green feared the women’s scores would be taken out of context. Worried the dominant scoring would lead to criticism of more generous tee positions for the women. “I hope that if we continue to go low and the men don’t, that we don’t get shamed for playing good golf,” she said.

Kim, from the Avondale club on Sydney’s north shore, started with five straight birdies at Kingston Heath before getting nervous enough to make her braces chatter. She bogeyed her next hole but it was almost a relief, allowing her to settle into a sparkling round of seven-under-par 66 to lead by two shots from Australia’s major champion Green, Korea’s ex-world No. 1 Jiyai Shin and New Zealand amateur Fiona Xu.

Kim secured her LPGA playing card at her first attempt on this year’s secondary Epsom Tour. “A lot of the girls repeat year after year and I’m quite fortunate and blessed to have got it done the first year,” she said. “Seeing Greeny, seeing a lot of the American and international players that I looked up to, and getting to play amongst them, is pretty cool. They’re people that I only used to see on TV and Instagram highlights. I’m going to be in amongst them.”

She’s in amongst some heavy-hitters already in Green and Shin, the two-time British Open champion. Australia’s world No. 3 Minjee Lee was rostered for the afternoon shift at Victoria Golf Club, signing for a two-under 70 at Victoria that left her five strokes behind Kim. If you think those numbers don’t add up, you’re right. Kim’s 66 was deemed five clear of Lee’s 70 because par at Kingston Heath was 73 compared to Victoria’s 72. In other words, Kim was seven under par, Lee was two, and strokes under par if the official measure.

“I’ll take it any day,” Kim said. “To simply put it, I played easy golf. I was definitely nervous at the start because I haven’t played a tournament in over a month, since I’ve been back. You’re at home so expectations and pressures are pretty high. I just tried to embrace it all and tried to enjoy it. Regardless of where you are in your career, you’re going to have a lot of those expectations and pressures and the higher you go, the higher that rises. The better players can adjust or work with it. I’m trying to learn that. Trying not to have too high expectations because we’re all human in the end.”

Green said LPGA players who shot the lights out in America didn’t always get the credit they deserved. “It happens a lot,” she said. “Not that we have many joint tournaments where this situation happens, but I feel like from our experience, if we shoot in the 20s, like 20-under par for the week, they consider the course too easy. If the guys do it, it’s like they played really good. Hopefully that doesn’t happen.”

Kim said: “Although it’s a mixed event, they might have considered us for pin positions and all that, but I think in the end we’re all playing the same course. Girls do tend to hit it straighter than guys. I don’t know how they hit it so wide and make pars. For us, it’s a lot easier to just hit it straighter. It all just comes down to short game and putting. I guess by the end of the day, looking at the leaderboard, whoever putts and chips well should be up top.”

Green said she had seen little of Kim but when they did cross paths, the LPGA rookie was picking her brains about the season to come. “She’s very friendly but she always asks questions about what would make her life easier,” Green said. “You may as well use the experience that I’ve had, and all the other LPGA Tour girls have had. I’m hoping next year we can travel together. It’ll be fun to have her.”