Very little in life comes easy, and Epson Tour graduate Auston Kim knows that. In her second season on the LPGA Tour, Kim is currently chasing a big dream of calling herself a major champion this week, but she can still make golf look that way.

The road to Erin Hills for the 80th playing of the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally put the LPGA Tour sophomore through the ringer. Teeing it up in the last qualifier gave her only one shot to earn her way in, but how Kim performed under that pressure shows what a competitor she truly is and makes her a dark horse to consider watching compete at this year’s tournament.

Giving herself only one shot at qualifying wasn’t even the most stressful part of the experience, though. After finishing her 36-hole qualifier, Kim had to immediately get back out on the course, this time needing to advance from a 7-for-1 playoff to earn the final spot available at the Naples, Fla. qualifying site.

Ultimately coming out of the playoff victorious, the Florida native earned her fourth career berth in the U.S. Women’s Open.

“It's an awesome feeling, especially due to the fact that I qualified and earned my way here,” said Kim. “Now, it's just been a matter of telling myself that I belong out here, that my game suits this course well. I'm a very well-rounded player. I have all the skills, all the shots. It's just a matter of getting my mind right and playing with confidence.”

What then likely felt as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders, the playoff is now a moment that Kim looks back on and chuckles about. The mental strength the Epson Tour graduate showed at Grey Oaks Country Club only solidifies her status to play against the best in the world and will serve as a good reminder of that fact as she faces the ultimate test this week.

“I don't know if I can really give you step-by-step instructions,” Kim said with a smile and a laugh when asked how she advanced. “But I was really focused on one shot at a time and not blowing the entire thing out of proportion. It's funny to say it now, but the odds were actually pretty good.

“I felt like that course suited my game well, but all I was focused on was what I could control, taking it one shot at a time and being as objective and factual with the situation at hand. It all worked out, and I'm pretty proud of how strong I was in the moment.”

Similar to how she approached that playoff, playing smart golf and going shot by shot is the game plan the Vanderbilt University alum will carry with her into her second major championship of the year. Kim knows better than trying anything crazy and won’t be hitting any superhuman or hero shots. She will just play the game she knows, trusts and loves.

But despite making the cut at the first major of the year, The Chevron Championship in April, Kim still has a monkey to get off her back when it comes to the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally. In her previous three starts in this event in 2019, 2020 and 2022, she has missed each cut, but with momentum coming from the qualifier and two recent top-25 results on the biggest stage in women’s golf, this could be her year to change that.

And what better place to do it than at Erin Hills?

“It’s beautiful. A very cool course, and I think it challenges all aspects of your game,” Kim said. “There definitely can't be any holes or anything lacking, so it takes a lot of confidence. It takes a lot of skill and being there mentally 100 percent.”

And if you don’t know who Auston Kim is yet, you’re about to, as the 24-year-old Epson Tour winner is destined to stand in the LPGA Tour winner’s circle at least once in her career. And she will have another opportunity to do just that on Thursday at 8:35 a.m. local time off the 10th tee at Erin Hills.

After Wild Qualifier Experience, Auston Kim Earns Berth in Her Fourth U.S. Women’s Open

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