West Chester East’s Victoria Kim battles adversity to win Ches-Mont title

EAST WHITELAND >> West Chester East sophomore Victoria Kim faced a special challenge Tuesday in defense of her Ches-Mont Girls Golf Championships individual title.
On her way to the Applecross Country Club Tuesday morning, the car in which Kim was a passenger was struck from behind by a truck, and both Kim and the driver of the car, West Chester East’s Jack Sehon, were thrown forward.
After an exchange of insurance cards (no police were called), the two West Chester East players continued on to Applecross.
“Both Victoria and Jack assured me that they were OK physically, but they acknowledged they were hit with a surge of adrenaline and were shaken up after being struck from behind,” said West Chester East golf coach Todd Lorback. “They both wanted to play, and I’m very proud of both of them that they were able to perform as well as they did. Jack’s 83 was just one stroke over the District qualifying number of 82.”
Kim shot a steady 4-over-par 76 to win her second consecutive Ches-Mont Girls Golf Championship title. Unionville freshman Mary Donigan was second with a 79.
“When the truck hit us, my first reaction was, I was shocked,” said Kim. “[The accident] gave me a lot of anxiety. By the time I got to the course, I was calmer, and when I teed off I tried to forget about the accident. Just kept trying to keep the pars coming.”
Once she teed off on the No. 2 hole (it was a shotgun start), Kim kept the pars coming at a steady pace, parring 10 of the first 11 holes. She got a double-bogey on the short par 4 13th hole when her approach shot went over the green, but then purred along with a string of five consecutive pars before bogeying the final hole, No. 1, a short par 4.
“Toward the end of the round, I got tired,” said Kim. “I can drive the green on No. 1, but I didn’t do that today. But I wanted to finish my round for the [West Chester East coed] team score.”
“It’s amazing that Victoria was able to do as well as she did after being involved in that car accident,” said Lorback. “She did tell me that she felt a little fatigued on the last hole.
“But she’s very composed for a 15-year-old – when she comes off of the course, you won’t know if she shot a two under par, or 10 over par. On top of her sheer talent, she has an ideal mental and emotional temperament for golf, which serves her well when she gets into these tougher competitive environments in the post-season.
“And, as usual, she was very good from tee to green today.”
The battle-tested Kim competes nationally in the AJGA tour, as well as on the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls Golf Tour. Last fall, Kim won the Ches-Mont girls championship title with a 3-over-par 75 – which was the third lowest scored overall (boys and girls), and seven strokes better than the girls runner-up, Unionville’s Charlotte Scully.
Finishing in second place Tuesday was Unionville freshman Mary Donigan, who shot 35-44 for a total of 79. She birdied No. 1, a short par 4, by driving the green with a drive of over 220 yards. She also scrambled for pars on Nos. 2 and 14, with fine chip shots and clutch putts in the 6-8 foot range.
“Mary is a fearless putter,” said Unionville girls golf coach Joe Sudimak. “When I saw her make those two [6-8 foot] putts for par, I thought, ‘That’s a real golfer.’”
Downingtown East sophomore Ava O’Sullivan placed third with an 83. She birdied No. 12, a par 5, with a driver, 3-wood, chip and 10 foot putt.
O’Sullivan, who is a member at Applecross, said, “I was hitting a lot of greens today.”
In fourth place was Unionville junior Charlotte Scully (84), who finished second at last year’s Ches-Mont girls championships and placed first at the 2017 Ches-Mont tourney.
“My drives were really good today,” said Scully.
A trio of golfers tied for fifth place with 87 – Downingtown East’s Anisha Sonti and Ava Lichok, and Kennett’s Nimah Narinesingh-Smith.
In eighth place was West Chester Rustin’s Mary Emma Guldi with an 88.
A total of 15 Ches-Mont girls qualified for Districts with their performance at the league tournament (the cutoff score was 99). In descending order, the remaining seven qualifiers were Downingtown East’s Isabella D’Ambrosio (93), Downingtown East’s Katelyn Samples (94), Unionville’s Kaitlyn Ferrer (95), Unionville’s Morgan Santaguida (96), Downingtown East’s Marla Crowe (96), Unionvile’s Molly Evanko (96) and Oxford’s Rebecca Fields (97).
NOTES: There was no team competition in Tuesday’s Ches-Mont girls tourney. Two Ches-Mont girls golf squads, Unionville and Downingtown East, have qualified for the PIAA District One Girls Team Championship. Both squads have compiled 9-1 Ches-Mont League records, and will face each other in a match Thursday at Turtle Creek Golf Course to determine the league champion.