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Kim, Blue Devils Adjusting After Season Canceled
4/2/2020 9:48:00 AM | Women's Golf
By Johnny Moore, GoDuke The Magazine
DURHAM, N.C.-- For Duke women's golfer Gina Kim, the coronavirus shutdown of athletics was more of a shock than anything else.
"We were all trying to get ready to defend our NCAA title and suddenly this is it," said the Blue Devil sophomore from Chapel Hill, N.C. "Having a veteran coach like Coach (Dan) Brooks was great. Even though he had never been through anything this extreme he told us we were a group that knew how to handle unexpected events that come into your life, and he was very confident we would all handle this one."
Kim was one of the Blue Devils who had been invited to play in the prestigious Augusta Women's National Amateur in Augusta, Ga., the first week of April, along with Ana Belac, Jaravee Boonchant and Erica Shepherd. Now that is out the window as well.
In the world of amateur golf, the college season is just one part of a player's career. Last year Kim finished as the low amateur at the U.S. Women's Open with rounds of 66, 72, 73 and 72 for a one-under-par 283, which tied for 12th overall. That 72-hole score was tied for the second-lowest by an amateur in U.S. Women's Open history, and her first round of 66 was the lowest 18-hole score by an amateur in the event's history.
"The USGA told us they would be working on a redesign of the qualifying process for their events, and both the Open and Amateur are still on schedule," said Kim.
It is a definite life-change for Kim, who now has to deal with not only a change in her golfing career but a change in her academic life, with classes going virtual.
"It's a lot of change right now, but it's nothing we can't handle," she said. "The most important thing is that everyone stays healthy."
The Duke women placed fourth in the final Golfweek national rankings issued Mar. 23. The Blue Devils enjoyed an impressive victory earlier this spring in beating nine Top 10 teams at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, but now they won't have a chance to go after their eighth NCAA crown in May.
The Duke men were 12th in the final Golfweek men's rankings.
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DURHAM, N.C.-- For Duke women's golfer Gina Kim, the coronavirus shutdown of athletics was more of a shock than anything else.
"We were all trying to get ready to defend our NCAA title and suddenly this is it," said the Blue Devil sophomore from Chapel Hill, N.C. "Having a veteran coach like Coach (Dan) Brooks was great. Even though he had never been through anything this extreme he told us we were a group that knew how to handle unexpected events that come into your life, and he was very confident we would all handle this one."
Kim was one of the Blue Devils who had been invited to play in the prestigious Augusta Women's National Amateur in Augusta, Ga., the first week of April, along with Ana Belac, Jaravee Boonchant and Erica Shepherd. Now that is out the window as well.
In the world of amateur golf, the college season is just one part of a player's career. Last year Kim finished as the low amateur at the U.S. Women's Open with rounds of 66, 72, 73 and 72 for a one-under-par 283, which tied for 12th overall. That 72-hole score was tied for the second-lowest by an amateur in U.S. Women's Open history, and her first round of 66 was the lowest 18-hole score by an amateur in the event's history.
"The USGA told us they would be working on a redesign of the qualifying process for their events, and both the Open and Amateur are still on schedule," said Kim.
It is a definite life-change for Kim, who now has to deal with not only a change in her golfing career but a change in her academic life, with classes going virtual.
"It's a lot of change right now, but it's nothing we can't handle," she said. "The most important thing is that everyone stays healthy."
The Duke women placed fourth in the final Golfweek national rankings issued Mar. 23. The Blue Devils enjoyed an impressive victory earlier this spring in beating nine Top 10 teams at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, but now they won't have a chance to go after their eighth NCAA crown in May.
The Duke men were 12th in the final Golfweek men's rankings.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Golf
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/ Women's Golf
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/ Women's Golf
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