GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 3 78
BY KYLE CHARTERS
KCharters@GoldandBlack.com
A
ugust Kim had to keep grinding.
It was during her freshman season three
years ago that the Boilermaker golfer labored
through tournaments, averaging a well-over-par 79
strokes per round. Yet she couldn't come out of Pur-
due's lineup either, because the Boilermakers had
only five active players, each counting toward their
scoring total.
Kim was stuck. She had to play, regardless of the
mental or physical hurdles she was struggling to over-
come.
"There was no hiding," Kim said. "There were no
excuses. I had to face my challenges head on."
She did and has come out better for it.
Her résumé proves that. Kim's made big strides
since her freshman year, getting back to the golfer —
exceeding perhaps — Coach Devon Brouse accepted
an offer from years ago. Last season, Kim was the
medalist in the Big Ten Championships, becoming the
sixth Boilermaker to win the league title, while also
setting a tournament scoring record. At the beginning
of her senior year last August, she started the rigorous
multi-stage Qualifying School in an attempt to get her
LPGA card, falling just short in November's final but
doing enough to qualify for the lower Symetra Tour.
She'll turn professional following the NCAA Champi-
onships in late May, when she hopes to improve on
her 32nd-place finish last year.
It's the kind of success that Brouse envisioned when
he took a commitment from the then-15-year-old Kim
in 2010. It only took longer to realize than anticipated.
Kim develops into one of nation's best amateurs
Playing
Through
Purdue Athletics
August Kim's Purdue career started miserably, but she hopes
it can end with a second-straight Big Ten title.
