NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt standout Auston Kim was named Thursday among 20 collegiate golfers nationally to the ANNIKA Award watch list.
It marks the second consecutive year that Kim, a sophomore from St. Augustine, Florida, has been recognized as a fall candidate for the ANNIKA Award, given annually to the player of the year in women’s golf.
Kim, who played in the U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Women’s Amateur as a Vanderbilt freshman, has been one of the nation’s top individuals this fall. She has registered a pair of top-10 finishes in three tournaments, including a resounding victory at the Cougar Classic in early September.
Kim swept the Cougar Classic in record fashion, shooting a 54-h0le, team-record 16-under-200 with consecutive subpar rounds of 65, 69 and 66. Kim captured medalist honors at the Cougar Classic by seven strokes.
After a 28th-place individual finish in the Mason Rudolph Championships at Vanderbilt’s Legends Club in mid-September, Kim came back with a sixth-place result at the Windy City Collegiate Classic near Chicago.
Kim is coming off one of the finest seasons ever by a Vanderbilt freshman. She earned honorable mention All-America honors from the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) after a freshman campaign highlighted by winning the NCAA Auburn Regional with three consecutive rounds of 2-under 70. Her NCAA regional victory helped Vanderbilt advance to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2014.
Besides the NCAA regional win, Kim’s freshman campaign also included seven more top-20 individual finishes, including runner-up results at the UCF Challenge and Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational. A three-time SEC Freshman of the Week recipient, Kim also advanced to match play at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur and posted a stellar 1-under 71 in the second round of the U.S. Women’s Open.
Sparked by Kim’s play, the Commodores are currently ranked fourth in the latest WGCA coaches poll and 10th by Golfweek. Greg Allen’s squad concludes the fall campaign Nov. 1-3 at the Battle of the Beach. The tournament, hosted by TCU, will be held at scenic Club Campestre San Jose in San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico.
The ANNIKA Award is selected by a panel of collegiate coaches, media members and college golfers. Former Arkansas Maria Fassi of Arkansas is the reigning ANNIKA Award winner.
