DLN ALL-AREA GIRLS GOLF: West Chester East’s Kim halfway to incredible high school career

WEST GOSHEN >> West Chester East sophomore Victoria Kim, the Daily Local News 2019 All-Area Girls Golfer of the Year, has a strong all-around game which includes cranking out long drives and firing iron shots close to the pin.
But when asked what her favorite club was, Kim pointed to her putter.

“My putter is my favorite club because it is something that challenges yet calms me,” said Kim. “The aspect of putting is very simple but very hard to perfect. Full swings are fun as well, but being able to work on small details of a slow, easy stroke is just something that draws me to it.”

At the PIAA Class AAA state championships at Heritage Hills, Kim rolled in a tough sidehill 18-foot birdie putt with a big left-to-right break on her 17th hole of regulation play to get into a three-way playoff for the title.

Then, on the first playoff hole, a par 5, she was on the fringe of the green in two, and facing a lengthy, tricky shot with a big right-to-left break, opted not to chip but pulled out her putter instead, and two-putted for a birdie that kept her in the playoff.

Kim took Wissahickon freshman Elizabeth Beek three holes into the sudden-death playoff before finishing in second place.

“Victoria maintains a calm and focused – but very determined – demeanor hole-to-hole,” said West Chester East golf coach Todd Lorback. “That is what she put on display on the 17th hole when she made that clutch birdie putt to draw her even with the leader and put her into that extra-hole playoff. All three of the girls in the playoff displayed nerves of steel. I lack the words to describe how impressive the level of play was among these girls [in the playoff] when the pressure was on and the stakes were high.”

Kim needed nerves of steel once again in the Ches-Mont Golf Championships when she was involved in a car accident on the way to the Applecross Country Club. The car in which Kim was a passenger was struck from behind by a truck, and both Kim and the driver of the car were thrown forward. After an exchange of insurance cards (no police were called), Kim and the driver continued on to Applecross.

“Victoria assured me that she was OK physically, but acknowledged that she hit with a surge of adrenaline and shaken up after being struck from behind,” said Lorback. “She wanted to play, and I’m proud that she was able to perform as well as she did.”

Kim shot a steady 4-over-par 76 to win her second consecutive Ches-Mont Girls Golf Championship title, by a three-stroke margin.

“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. “My last hole was definitely not my best. My adrenaline from the crash subsided and I remember feeling unusually tired. … 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 2-under-par, or 10-over-par. 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.”

The battle-tested Kim competes nationally in the AJGA tour, as well as on the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls Golf Tour. In the fall of 2018, 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.

“Victoria has two strengths that good competitive golfers possess – she is strong off of the tee with her driver, in terms of length and accuracy, and she is very consistent off of the tee and with her irons,” said Lorback. “You never see her get off balance during the shot or in her follow-through.”

Kim has been working with John Dunigan for the last couple of years.

“I have already learned so much from John – when I went to him my swing had a good basis, but since then I have really been able to further my game in ways I have never imagined,” said Kim. “I have also been able to change my mindset during tournaments and the way I handle situations on the course.

“My dad also has been an instrumental part of my golf game. Not only does he greatly support me, but he helps me practice and learn in the best way possible.”

While college is a couple of years away for Kim, the West Chester East sophomore is thinking about possibly majoring in business or law. Off the golf course, one of her favorite extracurricular activities at West Chester East is DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America).

Lorback said, “Victoria clearly commands respect from her teammates and opposing players, as they know that she is ‘the real deal’ on the golf course We can count on Victoria shooting below 40 for nine holes in about 90 percent of our team matches. And despite being the only girl on last year’s team, she gets along well with her teammates and often has fun kidding around with the boys before and after matches.”