Eunice Kim wins 95th Women's Amateur Championship
July 30, 2020 - Eunice Kim of White Beeches built a three-hole advantage with three holes remaining, then hung on for a 2-up victory over Yoona Kim of Edgewood in the final match of the 95th New Jersey State Golf Association Women’s Amateur Championship on Thursday at the par-72, 5,901-yard Morris County Golf Club in Morristown.
Eunice Kim, 17, a rising senior at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, parred the par-4 14th hole to register a 3-up lead, which she maintained when both players each parred the par-3 15th. But Yoona Kim made things interesting when she drained a 50-foot uphill birdie putt on the par-4 16th to win the hole and close the gap to a two-hole advantage for Eunice Kim. Yoona Kim then won the par-3 17th with a par, and suddenly she was only one hole behind with one to play.
On the decisive 18th hole, Yoona Kim’s wayward drive found the pond on the left side of the fairway, while Eunice Kim’s tee shot found the woods on the right side. After penalty relief from the pond, it took Yoona Kim two more strokes to reach the green. She ended up with a double-bogey six. Eunice Kim was able to hit an impressive iron shot from behind a tree to within 30 yards of the green to set up a bogey for the victory.
“It really came down to my confidence and my mentality. The first two days here, I had to get up and down a lot because my drives weren’t consistent,” said Eunice Kim, a resident of Edgewater. “In the final match, I was determined to hit more fairways and I found nine of them. There was also a lot of exhaustion out there after playing two matches each of the last two days.”
Eunice Kim got started in golf at age nine in Bergen County’s acclaimed Pioneer Tour, advanced to the U.S. Kids’ Tour and later, the New Jersey PGA Junior Girls events. She had several runner-up finishes but zero victories until Thursday.
“I was only the sixth seed after stroke play, and there were so many top players out there. It wasn’t easy to win. I wasn’t able to relax until I made my last putt on the final hole,” Eunice Kim said.
Said Yoona Kim, winner of the 2019 NJSIAA Girls Tournament of Champions at Royce Brook: “I had a little trouble off the tee and that cost me some holes. It was good to get back into the match after I made that 50-footer for birdie and then won on 17, but again, I wasn’t confident with my driver and it hurt me on 18. I can take a lot out of this and carry the momentum into next year.”
In the morning semifinals, Eunice Kim defeated 15-year-old Katie Li of Fiddler’s Elbow, 3 & 2, while Yoona Kim ousted 2019 Junior Girls’ champion Grace Lu of Plainfield West, 4 & 3.
Eunice Kim sank a 10-foot birdie on the par-4 12th hole to take a one-hole lead on Li, then birdied the par-3 13th hole by making a seven-foot birdie putt to take a 2-up lead she would never lose.
“This week, I enjoyed myself out there and didn't feel too much pressure. I’ve always liked match play. That’s how we play our matches at school. It’s a shame we didn’t get to play this spring. It was my first year as team captain,” Eunice Kim said.
“I’m glad to play at a course like this. It’s challenging. The fairways are narrow and the greens are tricky,” she said.
Yoona Kim birdied the par-4 fifth and par-5 seventh while winning the par-4 sixth with a par to take a 3-up lead over Lu. She added a par victory at the par-4 11th to remain 3-up and won the par-3 13th with a bogey to extend the lead to 4-up.
Three weeks ago, Yoona Kim won the AJGA UHY/Celadon Junior Championship, conducted at Watchung Valley, for a second straight year.
“I just take my matches play hole by hole. The key for me is putting myself in the right places on the golf course.”
