NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt sophomore standout Auston Kim has been named honorable mention All-America by Golfweek, a leading magazine and website for golf enthusiasts.
It marks the second straight year that Golfweek has recognized Kim, a product of Nease High School in St. Augustine, Florida. As a freshman in 2019, she was listed as a third team All-America by the outlet.
The honor comes after a spring campaign for Kim and her Commodore teammates was cut short due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
For Kim, the list of canceled spring tournaments included the prestigious Augusta National Women’s Amateur in Augusta, Georgia and the NCAA tournament. Kim would have entered NCAA postseason play as a defending regional champion, having captured the 2019 Auburn (Alabama) Regional in convincing fashion last April.
Kim ended this season ranked No. 42 nationally by Golfweek. In six competitions, she posted an average score of 72.44, lowest on the team.
Kim, who last year played in the United States Women’s Open at Charleston, South Carolina, and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Moss Point, Mississippi, opened the 2019-20 in sensational fashion by dominating the Cougar Classic held near Charleston. In the opener, Kim established a new program best with a 54-hole score of 16-under 200. She posted consecutive rounds of 65, 69 and 66 to capture the Cougar Classic by seven strokes.
This season, Kim also posted top-10 individual finishes at the Windy City Collegiate near Chicago and the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate at Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Kim was one of the nation’s top freshmen in 2018-19, capping the year by helping the Commodores advance back to the NCAA Championships. She was first team All-Southeastern Conference, SEC all-freshman and a three-time Freshman of the Week recipient.
Kim’s first year on campus was highlighted by an important medalist crown, two individual runner-up finishes and nine top-20 results. Kim became Vanderbilt’s third NCAA regional champion by sweeping the Auburn Regional with three straight rounds of two-under par 70. Her performance sparked Coach Greg Allen’s Commodores to their third regional title in program history.
Kim’s runner-up finishes last year came at the UCF Challenge in Orlando, Florida, and Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational in central Georgia.
