I.K. Kim came close to pulling out of this week’s LPGA Lotte Championship.
But not for the reasons one might think.
Seventeen days removed from missing a one-foot putt to win a major championship, the South Korean battled through an elbow injury to shoot a 1-under 71 in tough conditions at the Ko Olina Golf Resort on Wednesday.
I.K. Kim:
Shot 1-under 71
despite an elbow
injury
The pain Kim felt following her runner-up finish to Sun Young Yoo at the Kraft Nabisco Championship had nothing to do with the bitter taste of being a gimme putt away from her first major championship, only to see it lip out on the 72nd hole.
Instead, it was a nagging sensation in her left elbow that started last week, forcing her to question if she should play in this week’s event.
"I wasn’t even sure I could play this tournament," said Kim, who is tied for 12th, three shots behind leader Beth Bader. "I didn’t want to make it any worse."
What wasn’t in doubt was the trip to Hawaii, where she last played professionally at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay in 2009, finishing in a tie for 47th.
BY THE NUMBERS
248
Average driving distance in yards on Wednesday for first-round leader Beth Bader. Stephanie Louden, who shot 78, averaged 300; Michelle Wie, 285.5.
34
Number of putts by Michelle Wie on Wednesday, tied for the worst in the field. Bader had 22 total.
12/18
Greens hit in regulation for Ayaka Kaneko, best of the Hawaii golfers. Wie was 10/18, Stephanie Kono 5/18 and Shayna Miyajima 4/18. Bader was 8/18. |
Whether she played this week or not, Kim was content to make the trip, knowing if she didn’t play, "it’s a great place to relax anyway."
She missed the cut at the last LPGA event held at Ko Olina — The Fields Open in Hawaii in 2008 — but a lot has changed since then.
Kim has won three times on tour, including the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in 2010.
She made the cut in 19 of 21 events in 2001, totaling over $885,000 in earnings with 10 top-10 finishes.
She’s made more than $4 million in career earnings and has finished in the top 10 in the U.S. Women’s Open in each of the past four years.
Currently, she’s No. 5 in the world rankings and showed it on Wednesday, battling through windy conditions to be only one of 18 golfers under par in the opening round.
"It was tricky and with this crazy wind, it was hard," Kim said. "In the end, I think who is most patient and who controls their ball flight better will be successful this week."
Everyone’s patience was tested on Wednesday as tough conditions made for a slower pace to the round.
Kim dropped her first shot of the day at No. 3 on a short par 4 that played the toughest of any hole on the day.
She rebounded with birdies on Nos. 4 and 5 but never got anything going after that, following up her two other birdies on the round with bogeys.
"It’s hard to think about scores today," Kim said. "You can’t really think about yourself and how you played by a score.
"You take it one shot at a time and then you add them all up and it came out to 1 under. I’m very happy and pleased to play the way I wanted to play."
Yoo, who beat Kim in a playoff at the season’s first major, shot 2 under to sit in a tie for sixth place.
