Improvement in Golf? Check out the Girls National Junior

Kimberly Kim shot a 10-under 62 in the first of two on-site qualifying rounds at Tacoma Country Club. The course measured over 6300 yards, making it average LPGA Tour length. If Kim is the Forest, the remainder of the field is the Trees, and it’s important to see the Trees through the Forest. 41 other players shot 72 or better, 63 others are at 74 and lower. That would be the cutoff for match play…74.

Kim has a fair way to go to match another record: low qualifying score. 68 gets it done, 67 sets a new standard. As the defending USGA Amateur champion, she has a decent chance to do both.

Sadly for us, and perhaps a sign of a chauvinistic (or ageistic) attitude, the USGA official website does not provide qualifying scores from previous years, as it does with adult championships. It would be quite simple, then, to draw comparisons. Suffice it to say that 74, in the early days of the event, would often win the medal. Now, it may not be good enough to reach match play.

The next time some wag claims that golfers aren’t getting any better, counter with “at least the girls are!”