Gearing up for Augusta — Kim takes down Vu in Arizona
The IX: Golf Thursday with Marin Dremock, April 3, 2025
This week, we’re gearing up for the weekend at the sixth edition of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
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Welcome back to Golf Thursday.
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur is huge. Only the best female amateur golfers in the world are invited to play on this legendary stage. The field consists of 71 competitors all vying for a chance to play at Augusta National on Saturday, April 5.
Headlining the field are some of the best amateur women in the game: Lottie Woad, World Amateur No. 1 and 2024 champion; Mirabel Ting, World Amateur No. 2; Asterisk Talley, 2024 U.S. Women’s Open low amateur; Anna Davis, 2022 (and youngest) champion; Jasmine Koo; Gianna Clemente; and Megha Ganne, just to name a few.
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This star-studded competitors list will play two rounds at Champions Retreat Golf Club in a suburb of Augusta, Ga. There will be a cut, and 30 players plus ties will advance to the final round at the famed Augusta National. The full field of players will all play a practice round at Augusta National on Friday, April 4. Even those who miss the cut will get to have their moment of glory walking over Hogan Bridge.
In yesterday’s first round at Champions Retreat Golf Club, history was made as Megha Ganne set a new course and tournament scoring record with a 9-under-par 63. Her score tops Rose Zhang’s 65 in the second round, shot when Zhang won in 2023. Ganne carded seven birdies and one eagle en-route to a day that was bogey-free.
Ganne started her day with a birdie on the par-4 1st hole. Then, on hole No. 3, she made an eagle on the par-5 to put her at 3-under through three. Ganne then carded back-to-back birdies on Nos. 6 and 7. She rounded out the front nine with a lights-out 31.
Then, Ganne ran a hot streak of birdies from Nos. 11 to 13 and carded another on hole 16 to shoot a 32 on the back nine. Ganne’s swing was smooth and the putter was on fire all round, propelling her to a record-breaking score.
Defending champion Lottie Woad rallied through bogeying the easy par-4 7th hole to post a 7-under-par 65. She started her round hot, birdieing the first two holes. Two more birdies on Nos. 4 and 8 helped her to a 33 on the front.
Woad had a clean back nine, carding birdies on holes 10, 13, 15 and 18 to shoot 32. Her highlight of the day was on No. 15 where she traversed the length of the green and sunk a long putt for an unlikely birdie. This score sets her up in solo second place.
Farah O’Keefe, Kiara Romero and Amanda Sambach each posted scores of 67 (-5) to get within four of the leader. They’re currently tied for third. Meja Örtengren shot a 68 (-4), but still sits five shots back of her Stanford teammate Ganne going into the second round.
You can watch the second round today from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET on Golf Channel. Saturday’s final round from Augusta National will be broadcast from noon to 3 p.m. ET on NBC Sports.
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Five at The IX: Hyo Joo Kim outlasts Lilia Vu in an intense playoff finish at the 2025 Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass
Dramatic might not do justice to the finish at the 2025 Ford Championship in Arizona on Sunday, March 30. In the end, Hyo Joo Kim made birdie to beat Lilia Vu in a sudden death playoff on the 18th hole of Whirlwind Golf Club’s Cattail Course. Kim shot a near-perfect 64 to post a tournament total 22-under. Vu made a sketchy par putt to shoot 68 and force a playoff. When it came down to the extra hole, Kim stuck her approach shot close and had a straightforward putt to seal the deal. After Vu missed her 15-footer, Kim just had to make a solid stroke. The win was Kim’s seventh on the LPGA tour and her first since 2023. Here’s what Kim had to say during her post-win press conference.
THE MODERATOR: All right, we are joined by the 2025 Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse champion, Hyo Joo Kim. Congratulations on your win. It’s your seventh career victory on the LPGA Tour, your first since the 2023 Ascendent. Can you just talk about what victory means for you?
HYO JOO KIM: So it’s been a while since I had any winning so I was getting a little bit stressed. But I did work out a lot during the wintertime so now that I have a win I’m a little bit lighthearted.
Q. What does it mean to get another victory in Arizona? I know you said you had really good memories here. What’s it like to capture another victory here?
HYO JOO KIM: As soon as I arrived I believe my first win was in Arizona, but maybe not here, so I really had good thoughts, and now that everything got connected again, it’s pretty amazing and I will have a wonderful memory about Arizona.
Q. You finished and you sat inside and watched Lilia finish her round. Can you just describe what you were thinking while you were watching her complete her round?
HYO JOO KIM: So I kept on thinking we might go on a playoff so I kept on stretching.
Q. And can you describe what you were thinking about during the playoff, what you were feeling, especially as you hit it very close on your last shot?
HYO JOO KIM: Because it’s been a long time since I had any winning, but I was winning on a first round, so I thought it would be very nervous but I really wasn’t.
So everything worked out.
Q. Congratulations on the win. You had a lady bug on your golf ball on the 18th fairway. Wondering what you thought about that. A lot of people consider that to be good luck. Do you also?
HYO JOO KIM: It supposed to be a good sign. Because I was in a rush to play, but that ladybug won’t go away so I was waiting for it to fly away.
Q. And do you consider that to be good luck, a lady bug?
HYO JOO KIM: Yes. (Smiling.)
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