Lion KiM. Information Packet 2011 Masters Invitee (Amateur) University of Michigan 2010 U.S. Public Links Amateur Champion

Transcription

1 Lion KiM Information Packet 2011 Masters Invitee (Amateur) University of Michigan 2010 U.S. Public Links Amateur Champion

2 Lion KiM Fact Sheet for the 2011 Masters How Lion Kim qualified to play in the Masters Lion Kim used a 6-and-5 championship match-play win over David McDaniel to win the 85th U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Bryan Park's Champions Course in Greensboro, N.C. After battling for five days to get into the match play championship, Kim got off to a slow start in the 36-hole championship match, survived the seven-hour rain delay and caught fire on the back nine to pull away and win the 2010 title. Dropping the opening hole to McDaniel, Kim squared the match on the second hole and took the lead on the fourth hole with a birdie. Kim and McDaniel parred the remaining holes on the front nine and made the turn with Kim leading, 1-up. Winning the 10th hole, Kim went up two before the storms dropped nearly 1.5 inches of rain on the course over the next seven hours. Returning to the course at 4:51 p.m., Kim extended his lead by winning the first two holes and never looked back. Returning to the front side for the second 18, Kim won the first two holes to push his lead the 6-up through 20 holes. Another win on the sixth hole pushed Kim's lead to 7-up with 12 holes to play. The two exchanged pars over the next six out of seven holes as Kim held on for the 6-and-5 win and the USAPL title. Lion Kim at the 85th U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship Tied for 21st in stroke play, 143 (73-70) to earn the No. 21 seed for match play First Round, defeated No. 44 Ross Canavan, 6-and-5 Second Round, defeated No. 12 Joon Heui Lee, 1-up Third Round, defeated No. 37 Chase Wright, 2-and-1 Quarterfinal, defeated No. 20 Chris Williams, 1-up Semifinal, defeated No. 25 Kevin Phelan, 1-up Championship, defeated No. 39 David McDaniel, 6-and-5 Kim is Third Wolverine to play in Masters Lion Kim is the third Wolverine to play in the Masters but first while still a member of the golf team at the University of Michigan. Former U-M legend Chuck Kocsis played in 11 total Masters after his career at Michigan was completed. Former U-M golfer and Wolverine coach Bill Newcomb competed in the 1963 Masters as an amateur, while finishing his architecture degree at U-M. U-M's Chuck Kocsis at the Masters 1937, finished 35th at 307 ( ) 1938, tied for 22nd at 299 ( ) - low amateur 1940, tied for 44th at 306 ( ) 1950, tied for 35th at 305 ( ) 1952, tied for 14th at 297 ( ) - low amateur 1953, tied for 45th at 302 ( ) 1957, missed cut at 154 (77-77) 1958, missed cut at 151 (76-75) 1959, tied for 22nd at 293 ( ) 1960, tied for 34th at 300 ( ) 1961, missed cut at 150 (77-73) U-M's Bill Newcomb at the Masters 1963, missed cut at 158 (81-77) Kim among Six Amateurs, Three Collegians Invited to 2011 Masters Lion Kim is one of six amateurs invited to the 2011 Masters. Kim earned his invitation by winning the U.S. Public Links Amateur Championship. Additional amateur invitees include: Peter Uihlein (U.S. Amateur Champion); David Chung (U.S. Amateur runner-up); Jin Jeong (British Amateur Champion); Hideki Matsuyama (Asian Amateur Champion) and Nathan Smith (U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion). Three of the six amateurs play collegiately in the U.S. -- Kim (Michigan), Uihlein (Oklahoma State) and Chung (Stanford). What Lion Kim has done at Michigan Played in 49 consecutive events at Michigan, missing first event to play at Masters In 49 career events, has 19 top-20 finishes, with 10 top-10 and five top-five. Helped Michigan to three straight NCAA Regional selections Helped Michigan to the 2009 NCAA Finals and advancement to team match play, closed as semifinalist Helped Michigan to six team tournament titles 2011 Ben Hogan Golf Watch List 2009 NCAA All-America, honorable mention 2009, '10 PING All-Midwest Region 2010 All-Big Ten second team Medalist at the 2010 Windon Memorial Classic Set the U-M record for junior scoring average (72.28) Currently on pace to set U-M single season record and senior scoring average record (71.83) Current career averages lists second all-time at Michigan Shot a seven-under 65 in the first round of the 2011 Bridgestone Intercollegiate, second lowest round in U-M history Invited to play in the 2009 Western Refining College All-American Golf Classic

3 Lion KiM Fact Sheet for the 2011 Masters Lion Kim's Golf Bag Driver: TaylorMade R degree with Motore F1 Shaft Woods: Titleist 910F-d 13.5 degree with Project X Shaft Hybrids: Cobra Baffler 16 degree & 20 degree with Fujikura Speeder Shaft Irons: Titleist AP2 (4-PW) with Project X 6.0 shaft Wedges: Titleist Vokey Spin Milled C-C 54 degree & 60 degree Putter: Titleist Newport 2 Prototype Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Glove: Titleist Favorite Club: Putter Favorite Course: Augusta National (Augusta, Ga.) Career Best Round (Course): 64, Battleground Country Club (Manalapan, N.J.) Superstitions/Rituals: I do the same warm-up routine before the tournament round, mark golf balls with red sharpie Getting to Know Lion Kim How did you get the nickname "Lion"? "Growing up people had a tough time pronouncing my given name which is Jun Min Kim. My last name "Kim" is by far the most popular last name out of all South Korean natives; it s like having the last name "Smith" or "Johnson" here in America. You look at LPGA right now and there s literally 10 Kim s. As of right now, in this year s Masters field, there are already three players with the last name "Kim." So my parents thought that they should name me "Lion" because it stands out and also "Lion Kim" sounds a lot similar to "Lion King". It s unique and we thought it would be very easy for people to remember." What got you started playing golf? What do you remember about your first round? "I remember seeing our family doctor when I was young. He asked me if I played any sports and I said no. So he suggested that I get involved in any sporting activities just to stay active and stay healthy. So I tried a few sports; basketball, tennis, soccer and swimming. I didn t enjoy any of them. My dad played golf for 23 years (before hanging up his clubs so that he could focus on helping me with the game) so I followed him to the driving range and in one day, I instantly got hooked to the game. All I remember in my first round is hitting 7-iron on every shot." What are your goals after college golf? "I would like to pursue professional golf. It s been my dream since I started playing so I ll probably turn pro when the time is right." What, or who, is your biggest inspiration and why? "My dad is my biggest inspiration. He s giving me an opportunity to live my dreams. No words can describe how much love and support he s given me over the years. Not only is he my dad but he s also my teacher, mentor and a best friend." What are you going to think when you are on the first tee at the Masters? "I will strictly be thinking about hitting the middle of the fairway." How do you feel being one of the amateurs at the Masters? "It s an honor. The Masters is known for treating amateur golfers with great respect so it s truly special." Who is your caddie and how did you choose him? "I decided to choose a local caddie from the Augusta National Golf Club -- Louis Lawrence. He's been there since 1988 and caddied in two Masters. I am really looking forward to having him help me out." Who is your instructor? "I worked with Mike Bender for six years, who is the swing instructor of 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson. I currently work with Brian Mogg. I have worked with him about five years, since my senior year in high school." (Note: Mogg, who teaches out of Windermere, Fla., has also coached Y.E. Yang, winner of the 2009 PGA Championship, and D.A. Points, winner of the 2011 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.) Who do you think your game compares to? "Zach Johnson because we both hit it fairly straight and our strengths to the game are similar in wedge game and putting. And partly because I grew up watching him play." What is the strongest part of your game? "Consistency from tee to green and putting." What is the part of your game you need the most work? "My short game." We hear there are special shoes for the Masters? "FootJoy was nice enough to make me some custom-made shoes. One will have the Block 'M' logo on the side and other will have Maize and Blue colors going with my name on it. You are going to want to see these!" Will you wear Michigan outfits? "Of course! I will be wearing all Michigan gear throughout the week."

4 Lion KiM Fact Sheet for the 2011 Masters What is your favorite club? "My favorite club is my putter because simply it s the most important club in the bag and in order to shoot low scores, you ve got to make putts." What has been your biggest achievement in golf? "I would say winning the 2010 U.S Amateur Public Links Championship. It was a long week, but it was just such a tremendous moment." Who is your dream pairing? "Myself, my dad, Ben Hogan and Jesus" How many holes-in-one have you had in your career? "I am not completely sure on the exact number, but I would say at least four. The one I remember most was in 2005 when I played in a mini pro tour event in Orlando, Fla. It was 212-yard hole and I holed out with my 19-degree hybrid." What do you use to mark your ball? "I mark my ball only with quarters." What snacks you carry? "I don't carry snacks. Occasionally I'll eat Balance Bar during the round." What are some of your hobbies? "I like watching movies and going to different sporting events, playing sports and driving fast cars." What is something about you no one really knows? "I grew up in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia" Do you have a pre-tournament ritual? "I pray. I go through the same warm-up routine: putt, hit balls, short game, putt and go tee off." What are three artists on your ipod? "Three that stand out the most include T.I., Eminem and 50 Cent." Which golf movie is the best? "Of course, Happy Gilmore because it was the first golf movie I ever watched and I couldn t stop laughing. I ve watched it over 50 times and I still laugh every time I watch it. Tin Cup is definitely my second favorite. Unfortunately, I never watched Caddyshack because movies that were made before my birth don t interest me." If you were to play another sport other than golf what would it be? "It would be baseball because it s one sport that I have never played and because I m a huge Yankees fan." Some of Lion Kim's Favorites: Food (pre-tournament): Bagel with Chocolate Milk Food (post-tournament): Steak Song: "My Time" by Fabolous Band: Far East Movement Movie: Batman: the Dark Knight TV Show: Jersey Shore Actor: Denzel Washington Actress: Kate Beckinsale Golfer: K.J Choi College Class: AOSS 102 (Extreme Weather)

5 Lion KiM College Playing Bio Lion Kim Senior-Senior Lake Mary, Fla. (Lake Mary Prep School) Righthanded College of Literature, Science and the Arts General Studies major > Senior ( )... Started nine events Played in all five fall and all four spring events Led U-M in four events Has posted five top-20 finishes, including three top-10 and two top five Helped U-M to team title at the Windon Memorial Classic (Sept ), after claiming medalist honors for the first time in his career Had a 2-1 record at the Big Ten Match Play Championship (Feb ) Leads U-M with an average of strokes per round Shot all 24 of his rounds below 80, with 20 at-or-below Shot 14 rounds at-or-below par, including five sub-70 rounds -- a career-best 65 (-7) in the first round of the Bridgestone Intercollegiate (Oct ), a 67 two times, 67 (-5) in the third round of the Puerto Rico Classic (Feb ) and 67 (-4) in the third round of the Windon Memorial Classic, 69 two times, 69 (-3) in the second round of the Rod Myers Invitational (Oct ), 69 (-2) in the first round of the Windon Memorial Classic Averaged per 54-hole event... Posted three 54-hole events at-or-below par -- seven-under 209 ( ) at the Bridgestone Intercollegiate, six-under 207 ( ) at the Windon Memorial Classic and three-under 213 ( ) at the Rod Myers Invitational... Tallied a career-best-tying 54-hole tournament total of six-under 207 ( ) at Windon Memorial Classic. Junior ( )... Division I PING All-Midwest Region... All-Big Ten Second Team... Started 13 tournaments... Played in all six fall and all seven spring events... Played in extra fall event, following All-American award as sophomore, invited to compete as an individual to the Western Refining College All-American Golf Classic (Nov ), tying for 13th with a total of even-par 213 ( )... Helped U-M to third straight NCAA Regional appearance... Led U-M in five events... Posted four top-20 finishes, including two top-10 and one top-five... Helped U-M to team title at the Wolverine at Radrick Farms, non-starter...competed in NCAA Central Regional (May 20-22), tying for 28th with a 213 total ( )... Competed in third Big Ten Championships (April 30-May 2), finishing 29th with a 299 total ( )... Had a 2-1 record at Big Ten Match Play Championship (Feb )... Ended season averaging strokes per round... Shot 36-of-36 rounds below 80, with 31 at-or-below Shot 15 rounds at-or-below par, including seven sub-70 rounds -- a season-best-tying 67, three times, 67 (-5) in the second round of the Wolverine at Radrick Farms, 67 (-4) in the first round of the Western Refining All America Classic, 67 (-4) in the second round of the Fresno State Lexus Classic, 68 (-3) in the second round of the FAU/Spring Break Championship, 69 (-3) in the first round of the Wolverine at Radrick Farms, 69 (-3) in the second round of the Bridgestone Intercollegiate... Averaged per 54-hole event... Posted five 54-hole events at-or-below par -- nine-under 207 ( ) at the Wolverine at Radrick Farms, seven-under 209 ( ) at the Bridgestone Intercollegiate, even-par 213 ( ) at the Western Refining All-America Classic, even-par 213 ( ) at the FAU Spring Break Championship (March 26-28), even-par 216 ( ) Puerto Rico Classic... Tallied a career-best 36-hole tournament total of 145 (75-70) at the Brickyard Collegiate (Oct )... Tallied a career-best 54-hole tournament total of nine-under 207 ( ) at the Wolverine at Radrick Farms... Tallied a season-best 72-hole tournament total of 299 ( ) at the Big Ten Championships. Sophomore ( )... Division I PING All-America, honorable mention... Division I PING All-Midwest Region... Started all 14 tournaments, one of three Wolverines to do so... Started all five fall and all nine spring events... Led U-M in five events... Posted six top-20 finishes, including two top-10 and two top-5... Posted a season-best tie for fourth individually at the FAU Spring Break Championship... Helped U-M advance to the NCAA Match Play (May 29-30) after his eight-foot par putt on 18th hole in stroke play secured a sixth place finish for U-M as a team... Helped U-M advance to the NCAA Final Four after his 2 & 1 win over USC s Matthew Giles clinched the win for U-M... Lost in semifinal to eventual national champion Texas A&M... Helped U-M reach the NCAA Finals (May 26-28) for the first time 12 years after a fifth-place team finish at NCAA Southwest Regional (May 14-16)... Helped U-M to second straight NCAA Regional appearance... Helped U-M to two team titles -- Wolf Run Intercollegiate (Sept ) and Wolverine Intercollegiate (Sept )... Helped U-M to a runner-up finish at the inaugural Big Ten Match Play (Feb )... Finished 1-1 in NCAA Match Play... Competed in NCAA Finals stroke play, tying for 13th with a 213 total ( )... Competed in NCAA Southwest Regional, tying for 18th with a 222 total ( ) to lead U-M... Competed in second Big Ten Championships (May 1-3), finishing 14th with a 293 total ( )... Finished 1-2 at Big Ten Match Play Championship... Ended second season averaging strokes per round, just the second Wolverine in history of program to average under 73 in a season... Shot 37-of-37 rounds under 80, with 32 at-or-below Shot 10 rounds at-or-below par, including five sub- 70 rounds -- a career-best 67 (-4) in the third round of the FAU Spring Break Championship (March 27-29), 68 (-4) in the third round of the River Landing Intercollegiate (April 10-11), 68 (-3) in the second round of the NCAA Finals, 69 (-3) in the first round of the Bridgestone Intercollegiate (Oct ) and 69 (-2) in the second round of the Wolverine Intercollegiate... Averaged per 54-hole event... Tallied a season-best 54-hole tournament total of one-under 212 ( ) at the FAU Spring Break Championship... Tallied a career-best 72-hole tournament total of 293 ( ) at Big Ten Championships. Freshman ( )... Played in all 13 events, with 12 starts... Played in all six fall and all seven spring events... Led U-M in two events... Posted four top-20 finishes, including two top Posted a season-best 10th place individually, two times Purdue Midwest Shootout (Sept. 8) and Puerto Rico Classic... Helped U-M to first NCAA Central Regional in eight years... Helped U-M to fifth at Big Ten Tournament (April 25-27), its best finish in 10 years... Helped U-M to two team titles -- Purdue s Midwest Shootout (Sept. 8) and the Wolverine at Mission Inn (Nov. 5-6)... Helped U-M to runner-up finishes at Wolf Run Intercollegiate (Sept ) and The Maxwell (May 10-11)... Named Big Ten Golfer of the Week (March 5)... Competed in NCAA Central Regional, tying for 85th with a 231 total ( )... Competed in first Big Ten Championship (April 25-27), tying for 26th with a 303 total ( )... Ended first season averaging strokes per round... Shot 33-of-38 rounds under 80, with 22 at or below Shot six rounds at-or-below par, including two sub-70 rounds -- a season-best 68 (-4) in the second round at Puerto Rico Classic and 69 (-3) in the third round at Puerto Rico Classic... Averaged per 54-hole event... Tallied a career-best 18-hole tournament total of 74 at Purdue s Midwest Shootout (Sept. 8)... Tallied a season-best 54-hole tournament total of threeunder 213 ( ) at the Puerto Rico Classic... Tallied a season-best 72-hole tournament total of 303 ( ) at the Big Ten Championships. Prep... Lake Mary Prep School (2007) No. 2 rated senior in the country by Golfweek... Medalist runner-up at the 2006 Florida State Championships, competed as individual... Medalist at the 2006 Region 4 (71)... Helped Lake Mary Prep golf team to a District Finals appearance (2005) and the District title (2006)... Nine-hole match scoring average of (2006)... Two-time team captain (2005, 06)... Three-time AJGA All-America (2004, third team and 2005, 2006 honorable mention)... Two-time selection for the AJGA Canon Cup - a tournament that puts the top 10 boys east of the Mississippi against the top 10 boys from west of the Mississippi... Throughout his AJGA career, tallied 17 top-20 individual finishes... In 2006, Qualifier for the USGA Lionior Amateur championship... Qualifier for the USGA Amateur Championship... Medalist runner-up at the Bridgestone Golf Lionior Classic... Quarterfinalist at AJGA Polo Classic... Fourth-place finishes at the Lionior Heritage, the Bobby Chapman and the Ringold Telephone Lionior Classic... Tied for 14th at the PING Invitational... Tied for 16th at the Thunderbird International Lionior... In 2004, Medalist at AJGA Avila Lionior Classic... Medalist runner-up at AJGA Robert Trent Jones Trial Classic.

6 Lion KiM College Statistics Top Top Top Top Top Top Top Under Player Year Event Starts Round Total Avg Par W L T Pct. MP Lion Kim % -- Lion Kim % Lion Kim % Lion Kim % Totals Career % Lion Kim ( ) Date Event Start 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total To Par Tie Place Field W L T Pct. Match Wolf Run Intercollegiate Sept , t % - Windon Memorial Classic Sept , % - Rod Myers Invitaitonal Oct , t % - The Ridges Intercollegiate Oct , t % - Bridgestone Intercollegiate Oct , % - Big Ten Match Play Feb , % Puerto Rico Classic Feb , t % - USC Collegiate Invitational Feb. 28-March 1, t % - Fresno State Lexus Classic^ March 7-8, t % - LSU Intercollegiate April 2-3, % - Illini Spring Classic April 16-17, % - Big Ten Championships April 29-May 1, % - NCAA Regional May 19-21, % - NCAA Finals May 31-June 6, Totals % Rounds Per Round Average Hole Tournament Avg Hole Tournament Avg Hole Tournament Avg Hole Tournament Avg Scoring Average ^ stats coverted to 5-count-4 Lion Kim ( ) Date Event Start 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total To Par Tie Place Field W L T Pct. Match Wolf Run Intercollegiate Sept , t % - Wolverine at Radrick Farms Sept , t % - Windon Memorial Classic Oct. 4-5, t % - The Brickyard Collegiate Oct , t % - Bridgestone Intercollegiate Oct , t % - Western Refining# Nov , t % Big Ten Match Play Feb , % Puerto Rico Classic Feb , t % - Fresno State Lexus Classic^ March 8-9, % - FAU Championship March 26-28, t % - Wolfpack Intercollegiate April 9-10, t % - Big Ten Championships April 30-May 2, % - NCAA Central Regional May 20-22, t % - Totals % Rounds Per Round Average Hole Tournament Avg Hole Tournament Avg Hole Tournament Avg Hole Tournament Avg Scoring Average # - invited individual to Western Refining All-American Classic

7 Lion KiM College Statistics Lion Kim ( ) Date Event Start 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total To Par Tie Place Field W L T Pct. Match Wolf Run Intercollegiate Sept , % - Wolverine Intercollegiate Sept , t % - Windon Memorial Classic Oct. 5-6, t % - The Prestige Oct , t % - Bridgestone Intercollegiate Oct , % - Big Ten Match Play Feb , % Puerto Rico Classic Feb. 27-March 1, t % - Pinehurst Intercollegiate March 15-17, t % - FAU Championship March 27-29, t % - River Landing Intercollegiate April 10-11, t % - Big Ten Championships May 1-3, % - NCAA Southwest Regional May 14-16, t % - NCAA Finals May 26-30, t % - NCAA Match Play May 29-30, % Totals % Rounds Per Round Average Hole Tournament Avg Hole Tournament Avg Hole Tournament Avg Hole Tournament Avg Scoring Average Lion Kim ( ) Date Event Start 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total To Par Tie Place Field W L T Pct. Match Purdue Midwest Shootout Sept. 8, t % - Inverness Intercollegiate Sept , t % - Wolf Run Intercollegiate Sept , t % - Windon Memorial Classic Oct. 7-8, t % - The Prestige Oct , % - Wolverine at Mission Inn Nov. 5-6, t % - Puerto Rico Classic Feb. 28-March 1, t % - Linger Longer Invitational March 14-16, % - Missouri Tiger Intercollegiate April 7-8, t % - Robert Kepler Intercollegiate April 12-13, t % - Big Ten Championships April 25-27, t % - The Maxwell May 10-11, t % - NCAA Central Regional May 15-17, t % - Totals % Rounds Per Round Average Hole Tournament Avg Hole Tournament Avg Hole Tournament Avg Hole Tournament Avg Scoring Average

8 1 of 2 3/29/2011 4:18 PM Family, Michigan Push Kim on Road to Masters March 29, 2011 By Amy Whitesall In 1990, when all his colleagues were taking jobs in big Korean cities, Yong Kim took his wife and infant son and moved to Saudi Arabia to pursue a business opportunity. It was a risky career move, but Kim knew what he wanted, and he relished the chance to succeed or fail on his own terms. Two decades later that same independent spirit drives his son, University of Michigan golfer Jun Min "Lion" Kim. A senior who's helped the Wolverines reach the NCAA championship semifinals in 2009, he's on pace to set a school record with his scoring average. Kim, who will go down as one of the finest golfers in Michigan history, will be the first to play on golf's biggest stage while still competing for the Wolverines. Last summer, Kim won the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and earned an invitation to play in the Masters Tournament April 4-10 in Augusta, Ga. He's one of just a handful of amateurs -- and just three college students -- playing in golf's premier event this year. "It's special to play in the Masters, but for me it's extra special to play in the Masters while I'm still in college and to get to share that with my teammates and coaches, and to represent the University of Michigan," said Kim, who had a special pair of maize and blue golf shoes made especially for the event and looks forward to getting his Michigan golf bag some national TV time. Lion Kim Though Lion is by all accounts the consummate team player, he's also his father's son -- eager to meet the challenge and succeed or fail on his own terms. "What really appeals to me most is golf is an individual sport. If you play badly, there's no one to blame but yourself," Lion said. "You have coaches, but they're not coaching you when you're competing. At the end of the day you're on your own and everything relies on you." The Kim family spent nine years in Saudi Arabia -- the most vivid memory Lion has of his childhood home is that it was hot. He played basketball, tennis, soccer; he also swam -- the pool was a refuge from the Arabian heat. He loved to compete, but no sport really captured his interest until a year or two after the family had moved to the United States. That's when he followed his father to the driving range near their home in New Jersey. Lion was 11. He picked up a 7-iron, took a swing and... duffed it. Couldn't get the ball up in the air. Couldn't get it to go even kind of straight. "It actually took me three or four more trips to make me feel like this is fun," Kim said. "After a few pointers from my dad I started seeing it get up in the air, and then I started wanting to whack golf balls as far as I could." But his learning curve was steep, and the next summer, Kim's parents let him attend a golf camp in Orlando, Fla. He played his high school golf at Lake Mary Prep near Orlando, where he became the second-ranked high school player in the country. At 22, he is all work ethic. He comes early, stays late, slips in some putting practice if he has an hour between classes, practices on his off days. In February, Kim was one of 26 players named to the Ben Hogan Award watch list. The most prestigious award in men's college golf, the Hogan Award goes to the top collegiate golfer in the country each year. "We had high expectations of him from the get-go, and he answered that very well," said Michigan men's golf coach Andrew Sapp. "He played well as a freshman, was an All-American as a sophomore and All-Big Ten as a junior. He's progressed because he's an extremely hard worker. I can't think of too many that I've coached in 17 years that work harder. His dedication is second to none."

9 2 of 2 3/29/2011 4:18 PM Lion's mother, Hyun Kim, is a pianist who perhaps appreciates more than most the value of practice and honing one's skills. It's her gentle pressure that reminds her son to keep striving. "The thing I really appreciate about my mom is she's really tough," Lion said. "When I have successes, she says, 'Great job,' but if I do well but don't win she'll say, 'Now you know what to work on.' She pushes me because she knows my potential, and that really helps me." But the advice he always carries with him comes from his dad, who is both Lion's role model and his biggest fan. "My dad keeps it simple," Lion said. "He says, 'Lion, I believe in you. You should believe in yourself.' I think it's one of best things that a father can say to a son." The U.S. Amateur Public Links was pivotal for Lion, and not just because it earned him a ticket to the Masters. Going into the tournament, he actually thought he'd be playing out the final year of his golf career. It wasn't that he was playing badly, per se, but Lion felt he'd been working so hard for so long, and his improvement didn't seem to follow the same trajectory. His dream of playing on the PGA Tour felt out of reach. The week before the tournament he had a long heart-to-heart talk with his dad about hanging up the clubs after college. "I trust in your abilities," Jong Kim said. "But if you don't... if a player doesn't trust in himself, that's the end of the game." So Lion went into the Public Links championship with no expectations, no pressure, and he persevered through a grueling week to make it to the 36-hole championship. He won the final match, 6-and-5, and because rain delays had stretched the final day into night, he won it in the dark. And now Kim looks at the calendar and his next tournament is The Masters. "I think that will stick with me the rest of my life," he said "I was so close (to walking away) and after I won that I gained so much confidence in myself. I realized this is what I want to do, and all the hard work is going to pay off." Kim has played the Augusta National course half a dozen times since qualifying for the Masters. He knows the course layout, knows where to play it safe, and knows that the famously treacherous greens will be even faster during Masters week. Still, the visits gave him a chance to scout local caddies, gain a level of comfort and gleefully discover that all the food and drinks in the clubhouse are free. "We've spent dozens of practice rounds with Lion in college, and one of the things we help our players figure out is what to look for and what to do when they're preparing for a tournament," said Sapp, who no longer has to wait for a good reason to attend The Masters. "He's got all the knowledge he needs to get to know the golf course and prepare for it." Kim's goals for the Masters are fairly straightforward: have fun; try to make the cut; try to finish as the low amateur. For now, that's enough. But his ultimate goal is to make this, his first Masters, not his only one. "I judge success by whether or not I'm progressing and getting better," he said. "A lot of people want to judge by tournaments you've won and All-America honors. Sure those things are nice, but I'm looking at my career years from now. I know where I want to be. Am I improving in my short game, my mental game, physically getting stronger? If I do those things correctly, I'll get there." Follow Lion's progress at The Masters on MGoBlue.com. He will participate in practice rounds on Monday, April 4 and Tuesday, April 5, as well as a par 3 contest and practice round on Wednesday, April 6. The tournament begins Thursday, April 7 and concludes on Sunday, April 10. /spec-rel/mich--spec-rel.html">more HEADLINES

10 1 of 3 3/29/2011 4:23 PM Kim Wins U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship July 17, 2010 GREENSBORO, N.C. -- After surviving a seven-plus hour weather delay, University of Michigan men's golf junior Lion Kim (Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary Prep) used a 6-and-5 championship match-play win over David McDaniel today (Saturday, July 17) to win the 85th U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Bryan Park's Champions Course. By winning the USAPL, Kim likely earned an invitation to compete next April in The Masters at Augusta (Ga.) National Golf Club. Kim will also receive a gold medal, custody of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship Trophy for one year, a three-year exemption through local qualifying for the U.S. Open and a two-year full exemption into the U.S. Amateur (2010 and 2011). After battling over the last five days to get into the match play championship, Kim got off to a slow start in the championship match, survived the seven-hour rain delay and caught fire on the back nine to pull away and go on to win the 2010 title. After dropping the opening hole to McDaniel, Kim squared the match on the second hole and took the lead on the fourth hole with a birdie. Kim and McDaniel parred the remaining holes on the front nine and made the turn with Kim leading, 1-up. Winning the 10th hole, Kim went up two before the storms dropped nearly 1.5 inches of rain on the course over the next seven hours. Lion Kim sinks a six-foot putt for title Returning to the course at 4:51 p.m., Kim extended his lead by winning the first two holes and never looked back. Returning to the front side for the second 18, Kim won the first two holes to push his lead the 6-up through 20 holes. Another win on the sixth hole pushed Kim's lead to 7-up with 12 holes to play. The two exchanged pars over the next six out of seven holes as Kim held on for the 6-and-5 win and the USAPL title. The U.S. Amateur Public Links, established in 1922 for bona fide public-course players, is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs. 85th U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship Bryan Park's Champions Course (Greensboro, N.C.) July 12-17, 2010 RESULTS Tied for 21st in stroke play, 143 (73-70) to earn the No. 21 seed for match play [ Stroke Play ] First Round, defeated No. 44 Ross Canavan, 6-and-5 [ Match ] Second Round, defeated No. 12 Joon Heui Lee, 1-up [ Match ] Third Round, defeated No. 37 Chase Wright, 2-and-1 [ Match ] Quarterfinal, defeated No. 20 Chris Williams, 1-up [ Match ] Semifinal, defeated No. 25 Kevin Phelan, 1-up [ Match / Article ] Championship, defeated No. 39 David McDaniel, 6-and-5 [ Match ] Pre-Championship Match Recaps Stroke Play and First Round: Using rounds of 73 and 70 for a 143 total, Kim tied for 21st with two other players in stroke play and advanced to match play as the No. 21 seed. In his opening round, Kim squared off against Ross Canavan, a senior at Skidmore College. Getting off to an early lead, building a 4-up lead through five holes, Kim never looked back for the 6-and-5 victory. Second Round: Kim battled former Western New Mexico golfer Joon Heui Lee in the second round. Kim fell down two through the first three holes before winning two of the next three to square the match. Kim took his first lead of the match, birdieing the par-five 11th hole, but Lee answered with a birdie on the par-three 14th to keep it even. Kim then birdied the par-five 15th to regain the lead and extended it to 2-up by winning the 16th. Despite Lee taking the 17th hole, Kim held on for the 1-up victory. Third Round: Familiar faces played in the third round as Kim took on Indiana's Chase Wright for a chance to advance to the round of 16. After getting off to a quick 2-up lead through two holes, Kim saw the lead slip away as Wright squared the match, winning the fifth and sixth holes. The Big Ten foes battle was all square with three holes remaining. With a birdie on the par-four 16th, Kim struck first down the stretch to take a 1-up lead. A second birdie for Kim combined with a Wright bogey on the 17th closed out the match for Kim, 2-and-1, and putting him into the quarterfinal. Quarterfinal: The quarterfinal saw Kim face Chris Williams, a sophomore from Washington. Kim got off to another fast start, going 3-up through four holes. Kim maintained his lead throughout the middles stretch of holes and was 3-up through 13 holes, before Williams won three of the next four holes to square the match. Kim responded, parring the 17th hole, while Williams missed his putt

11 2 of 3 3/29/2011 4:23 PM and bogeyed, giving Kim the 1-up lead. Both players closed with pars on the 18th and Kim hung on to advance to the semifinal with a 1-up victory. Semifinal: In the semifinal against Kevin Phelan, a sophomore at North Florida, Kim struck first, winning the second hole as he carried a 1-up lead through six holes. A Phelan birdie on the seventh hole squared the match and he used that momentum to win the next two holes and build a 2-up lead through 12. However, Kim started a comeback to even the match, winning the 13th on a par and the 15th with an eagle. A par on the 16th from Kim and bogey by Phelan gave Kim the lead back with two holes remaining. Despite Phelan hitting tight approach shots at Nos. 17 and 18, Kim rolled in putts from 20 and 10 feet, respectively, to keep the lead and win the match, 1-up, and advance to the championship match against David McDaniel. By playing his way into the finals, Kim received an exemption to the 2010 U.S. Amateur Championship, being held August at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash., which is also hosting the 2015 U.S. Open. Q U O T E S U-M Junior Lion Kim Opening Statement... "Obviously, this whole match really it was a grind. David was playing great all day all week really. So coming down the stretch, I just knew if I won at least two more holes, I would take care of it. But David kept plugging along. He won a hole on 12. You know, he gained a little momentum there. But, you know, I just kept telling myself, stay positive and execute the shot that you have envisioned and you may have a chance of winning this thing. On the players decision to keep playing and thought process... "To be honest, the game plan, obviously, I didn't want to come back the following day just to play I mean, it could end on the first hole if I just par or if I just tie David on that hole. I wasn't feeling great about doing that. I just knew that, you know, actually No. 13 has been actually a bad hole for me. I've bogeyed it I think six times, including stroke play. That hole hasn't been nice to me. The game plan was, if I lost that hole, I was going to tell David that we're not going to play anymore. I just had this positive thought that, you know, my match could end there. Although 13 has been my worst hole out here, I just had a funny feeling that for some reason 13 was going to be nice to me towards the end. " On the winning putt... "I think it was a six-footer down the hill. Only thing I could see was my ball and the cup. My putter is even black. I couldn't even see my putter. It's funny, because usually obviously when we read putts, we're looking from the other side, from the side and everything when you're reading putts. This time, obviously since we couldn't see anything, I just had to feel it with my feet just to see what kind of slope I was in. My feeling was this is going to be a hard left to right putt. Since it's a downhill putt and it's a do or die situation whether I make it or not, I just told myself, Give it a good stroke and just hope that it just goes in the back of the cup, and it did. On how the putting greens fit his game so well... "You know what, I don't know. I mean, the first day I was here, the first thing I did, I went on the putting green first. That's usually my routine is to putt first. Seriously, it was a funny feeling. I just knew as soon as I hit a couple putts, I turned around and told my mom, I said, Look, this is probably the best greens for me because it's not too fast, but at the same time it's not too slow. So I could be really aggressive with my putts if I really just trust my line. I guess, I don't know, from start to finish, I just knew this is the type of putting green that I love. I mean, the speed is perfect. Even when I'm hitting 4-iron or 5-iron, I just have a good thought that it's not going to roll off because it's so fast. I don't know. This whole week, just the whole golf course really fit my game perfectly." On what he was thinking about going back out on the 13th after the suspension of play... "Yeah, I mean, you know, I was really tired mentally, but I just kept telling myself, You know what, you've come this far. To give up... I wasn't going to give up. I told myself, you know, It's too late to give up, you've come too far, you have to give everything you have. If you're going to go down, go down fighting. You know, I don't know. I guess my faith with God and just having the positive thought in my head was really a huge key for me this week. On what it means to be a USGA champion... "It's an amazing feeling. You know, this is definitely obviously the biggest golfing moment for me, but at the same time it's very humbling, to tell you the truth, because looking at the past champions here, to see my name go up amongst these past champions, it's an honor really. But, you know, I'm going to take this experience and I've got to get better. I've got to have bigger goals and reach even harder to reach my full potential." On in his acceptance speech he talked about how it's been seven years since he won his last tournament... "You know, they say the first win is the hardest. But obviously for me, the second win was the hardest 'cause it's been a while. You know, I've played some phenomenal golf in between, though. I'm not saying I've struggled for seven years. I've come so close. I can't tell you how many top five or second place finishes I've had many, many. Again, I guess that's what kept me relaxed coming into today was because I wasn't expecting that I need to win. I just told myself, Just go with your game plan and see what happens. I feel very lucky to come out on top. On if he thought there was a moment during the round that you felt like you had the win in the bag... "Well, to be honest with you, on 10, you know, I thought I had a birdie putt about like 10 feet. I hit the flag. I felt like if it didn't hit the flag, it would have been like a foot. I guess, you know, it was an unlucky break, I guess. It went sideways 10 feet. I thought to myself, If I make that putt, then I'll probably seal the deal. But I missed it. Luckily, you know, David and I tied on that hole. We went to the 11th hole, which is a par 5.

12 3 of 3 3/29/2011 4:23 PM That hole has actually been the best hole for me. I think I've birdied it almost every single time except for today. But, you know, again, I have to go back with keep having these positive thoughts in my head and never had a bad mindset." On what's it going to be like, come December, when he receives a letter with Augusta National letterhead... "It's a dream come true. Obviously it's every little kid's dream to play in the Masters one day. But at the same time I realize it's an opportunity that a lot of people don't get to have. I feel very lucky to get this opportunity, to play in the Masters. Again, it's very humbling. I'm going to work hard. I can tell you this right now: once I go back, I'm probably going to work twice as hard. My two coaches, I know if you talk to my two coaches at Michigan, they'll say, He's probably the hardest worker on our golf team. But, trust me, I'm going to work even harder so I can reach my full potential and hopefully one day be on the PGA TOUR and become a major champion." On what it is going to be like going back to Michigan..."I don't know. I mean, obviously I don't really know my history for our program that well. But I don't really know anybody who played for Michigan that played in the Masters. But either way it's an honor. To be able to represent my school in any way, we're taught at Michigan that you should always think it's an honor to represent the University of Michigan, and it truly is. Yeah, back in school I'm sure a lot of my friends and even professors are probably going to realize that I'll be playing in the Masters and probably miss a full week of class. But, you know, yeah, I'm sure they're not going to care that I miss classes for the Masters. On what he thinks about his dad will say about him winning the first tournament he didn't attend..."last night my dad, he cried last night saying like, Lion, you're in the finals. I said, Dad, it's not over yet. But he said, For you to get this far, because, again, what I said out there in my presentation, you know, it's been a tough road golf wise for me and my dad because we've had our share of ups and downs. I would disagree with him in many ways when it comes to him trying to teach me in this game. But at the same time he knows me the best. I truly believe he knows me better than I do myself, if that makes any sense. He knows me so well. He even knows what I'm thinking, what I'm going through right now. I don't even have to tell him; he can just read my mind for some reason. He's an amazing dad. You know, obviously, again, he and I will have our disagreements at times, but at the bottom of my heart I know that he is the best dad for me. I mean, he's the reason why I'm here, because of the love and the support that he has given me. On his thoughts of being a tough match-player and his thoughts on his opponent... "David is a tough competitor. Obviously even when we can't see the holes, the last two holes, he never gave up. He kept fighting. I mean, he kept fighting. That shows you how great of a competitor he is. Yeah, like I said before, I do believe I'm a good match play player. But I felt like before this week I've always been unlucky because when I do play well, it always seemed like my competitor would play even better. But this week, like I said before, my mindset was, Well, if your competitor plays good golf, then you need to play great golf. If your competitor plays great golf, then you need to play phenomenal golf. Whatever they do, you need to answer back. That was my mentality all week when I made it to match play. On if he has ever played in darkness like the final match turned into... "Once actually. We played with a golf ball that actually glowed in the dark and things like that. We had a glow stick at the flag pole. Yeah, it was nothing new to me. To be honest, I shot 39 in the dark when I played with my buddies like that. I shot 39. So, yeah, I wasn't too worried." On where does the nickname 'Lion' come from... "I get that question a lot. You know, my last name, Kim, is probably by far the most popular last name out of all of South Korea. It's like John Smith or Anderson here. I remember playing in an AJGA golf tournament. There were literally seven Kims on the men's side and six on the women's side. I used to get these questions from volunteers when I would go to a tournament to register, the lady would ask me, Which one of the Kims are you? So right then my dad wanted to name my Lion because, number one, it's very easy to remember. It's very unique. I'm sure my parents got the idea from Tiger Woods. I know for a fact they didn't name me Lion Kim thinking I would be the next Tiger Woods. Trust me, they're smarter than that. So, yeah, I mean, it's the reason. And also they tell me they named me Lion because of my last name. It sounds a lot similar, if you say it quickly, like the cartoon Lion King. It's easy. Trust me, when I go to tournaments, I have people say, Yeah, welcome back, Lion. How can we forget your name? It's pretty cool." Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) /spec-rel/mich--spec-rel.html">more HEADLINES

13 1 of 1 3/29/2011 4:22 PM Kim Named to Ben Hogan Award Watch List Feb. 19, 2011 ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan senior Lion Kim (Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary HS) was one of 26 collegiate men's golfers named to the watch list for the 2011 Ben Hogan Award. Kim is one of four Big Ten golfers named to the list along with Illinois' Luke Guthrie and Scott Langley and Iowa's Vince India. The most prestigious award in men's college golf, the Hogan Award is presented annually to the top men's NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer taking into account all collegiate and amateur competitions during a 12-month period. Kim continues to lead the Wolverines in his final season. In five events this season, Kim has compiled three top-10 finishes, including his first collegiate win at the 2010 Windon Memorial Classic. He is on pace to set a U-M record with his scoring average and has shot 10 of 15 rounds under par. In July, Kim won the 85th U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, which earned him an invitation to the Masters in April. The Hogan Award semifinalists will be announced April 14. The three finalists will be invited to Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, for the Hogan Award presentation on the evening of May 16. Hogan Award Watch List Blayne Barber, Auburn Patrick Cantlay, UCLA Bud Cauley, Alabama Alex Ching, San Diego David Chung, Stanford Harris English, Georgia J.T. Griffin, Georgia Tech Luke Guthrie, Illinois Russell Henley, Georgia Morgan Hoffmann, Oklahoma State Bobby Hudson, Texas Vince India, Iowa Lion Kim, Michigan Scott Langley, Illinois Tain Lee, Claremont McKenna Gregor Main, UCLA Henrik Norlander, Augusta State John Peterson, LSU Andrew Putnam, Pepperdine Patrick Reed, Augusta State Kevin Tway, Oklahoma State Peter Uihlein, Oklahoma State Bank Vongvanij, Florida Pontus Widegren, UCLA Bobby Wyatt, Alabama Andrew Yun, Stanford Lion Kim celebrates his winning putt at the U.S. Publinx Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) /spec-rel/mich--spec-rel.html">more HEADLINES

14 Printer-friendly article page 1 of 3 4/1/2011 9:54 AM April 1, TIM TWENTYMAN The Detroit News Ann Arbor Every golfer dreams of playing the hallowed fairways of Augusta National Golf Club. Driving up Magnolia Lane. Walking across Hogan Bridge. Playing through Amen Corner. Standing under the Eisenhower Tree. Augusta National is home to golf's greatest major, the Masters, and is one of the most iconic places in all of sports. For University of Michigan senior golfer Lion Kim, his dream of playing on golf's holy grounds has become a reality. Kim used a 6-and-5 championship match-play victory over David McDaniel at the 85th U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship last July to earn a spot in the field at next week's Masters at Augusta, Ga. "Obviously, this is a chance of a lifetime. Especially for me, because I'm still in college," Kim said this week as he was preparing to head to Georgia. "A college golfer playing in the Masters is pretty amazing, in my opinion. I'm just very lucky to get this opportunity." Kim, 22, is one of six amateurs invited to play in the Masters, all winners of major amateur championships in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Being the Public Links champion comes with a number of perks, too, such as the gates of the ultra-exclusive Augusta National being open to him. Since his victory in the Public Links, all Kim has had to do to play a round of golf at Augusta is contact the club at least one week ahead of time. He's been able to practice at Augusta on three separate occasions once over Thanksgiving, once over Christmas break and the first week of February six rounds total. "It was pretty amazing standing on that first tee," he said of his first practice round. "Everything I imagined Augusta National being, from what I've seen on television and pictures, it was truly amazing. I felt like I was in a different world. Everything around you is just so spectacular. The scenery is beautiful and every blade of grass is perfect. My first day there I was pretty much in awe looking around." Kim walked the same fairways as some of golf's greatest players and even met one of them during his first practice round in November. "I was walking down No. 2 fairway and I saw Greg Norman, his son and some members teeing off on No. 9," Kim said. "I ran over and shook his hand and he was really gracious about the whole thing." Kim also got a chance to visit the famed Crow's Nest, where he and the other five amateur players will stay.

15 Printer-friendly article page 2 of 3 4/1/2011 9:54 AM "It'll be pretty cool," he said of being in the Crow's Nest. "The beds are really small but they want to keep with the tradition, so they've never changed them." He said he'll be staying in the Crow's Nest on Monday and Tuesday night, but will move to the house his family is renting near the course on Wednesday night to get a good night's sleep before the tournament begins Thursday. With most of the nostalgia behind him, Kim said when he stands on the first tee box Thursday, it'll be all business. "I expect to play well, whether that means making the cut, finishing in the top 20 or top 15, who knows," Kim said. "When it comes to setting goals for the week, I'd certainly like to make the cut and be the low amateur for the tournament. I think that's a realistic goal." In 49 career events at Michigan, Kim has 19 top-20 finishes, 10 top-10s and five top-5s. He's led Michigan to three straight NCAA regionals and a 2009 national semifinal berth. Kim won a tournament in the college fall season and is currently on pace to set Michigan's single-season and senior scoring average record (71.83). His current career average is second all-time at Michigan. Playing in next week's Masters forced Kim to miss his first event as a Michigan golfer, a tournament in Baton Rouge, La., that kicks off the Wolverines' spring season. Kim can't be with teammates next week, so he'll pack a lot of Michigan gear to represent them while he's playing at Augusta. He'll play with a Michigan bag and Michigan head covers, and said he'll be decked out in Michigan gear every day he plays. He'll also wear some custom shoes by FootJoy; they're maize and blue with a block "M." Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon had hoped to make the trip to Augusta to watch Kim, but his schedule won't permit it. "Lion invited me, and I really wanted to go," Brandon said. "I just have, frankly, such an intense schedule that whole week and now we have the Frozen Four. It's a classic case of I wish I could be three places at once. Hopefully it's going to be an exciting thing for Lion." Brandon has played at Augusta several times. "I told (Kim) about the holes I took triples on," Brandon said, laughing. "I told him he could use that information if that's going to help him." Kim tagged local Augusta National caddie Louis Lawrence to carry his bag in the tournament. "I wanted a guy on my bag that I could just communicate with easily," he said. "My caddie was definitely that type of guy. It was important to have a guy with course knowledge and he knows so much about that golf course. He's been there since 1988 and has a lot of experience in the tournament." Kim, who started playing golf at age 11 in his hometown of Lake Mary, Fla., says he's playing the best golf of his life heading into the Masters. "I'm hitting the ball the best I've ever been," he said. "I'm feeling really good about my golf game. My short game feels good, which is something I've been working on a lot the past couple months. Overall, I'm feeling really good. It's just a matter of staying focused and hitting the right shots and just staying in the present and not getting ahead of myself." ttwentyman@detnews.com

16 of 2 4/1/ :11 AM Notebook: Kim in good company at the Masters By Kevin Raftery Daily Sports Writer On March 31st, 2011 It s not often a player gets to beat his coach. But when Michigan senior Lion Kim qualified for the Masters by winning the US Amatuer Public Links Tournament in July, he did just that kind of. Kim was permitted to play in the Public Links Tournament since he doesn t belong to a private golf club a requirement for anyone who competes in the tournament. Since Michigan coach Andrew Sapp, who played at North Carolina, belongs to a private club, he has tried for years to qualify for the Masters by winning the US Amateur a tournament similar to the Public Links and one in which the winner gets an invitation to the Masters. I don t anticipate that I will ever get to play in The Masters, Sapp said. But everybody s got a dream. This year, Sapp failed to get past the local qualifier to play in the national tournament. Kim also failed to qualify for the US Amateur, but he had the luxury of playing in the Public Links Tournament as well. And it d be safe to say Kim took advantage of that luxury. But both Kim and Sapp insist there was no internal competition that went on between the two as they attempted to qualify for the world s most prestigious golf tournament. In fact, every player on the Michigan team played in a local qualifier for the US Amateur this past summer. I m not expected to (win the Amateur), Sapp said. He has higher expectations than I do. I spend more time walking around the golf course watching people play than I do swinging it and hitting the ball. And though Kim now has the chance to live out his coach s and nearly every golfer s dream, he still has plenty of respect for Sapp s game. He s a great player, to tell you the truth, Kim said. He s got a lot of game, but he just doesn t practice as much as we do. It s not like he should be ashamed for not qualifying (for the Masters). I wouldn t be ashamed if I didn t qualify either it s just I got real fortunate to win one of the biggest tournaments over the summer. IN GOOD COMPANY: Kim will have plenty of support in Augusta. In fact, his good luck charms will be with him the whole time he s there. My parents are my lucky charms, Kim said. It s going to give me confidence and definitely make me feel comfortable knowing they re out there.

17 of 2 4/1/ :11 AM Kim will have ample time to spend with his parents, Yong and Hyun Kim, as the Kim family will be driving down to Augusta together. Kim s brother will also be in attendance, as will former teammates, high school friends, and coaches including Sapp, who will be there for the entire week. A REAL LIFE PICTURE: Kim has a picture in his room of him and PGA golfer KJ Choi, when Kim met Choi as a spectator at the 2002 Bay Hill Invitational. He probably doesn t remember that, Kim joked. But on Monday, Kim hopes to be practicing with Choi. Kim said his instructor, Brian Mogg, contacted Choi s agent, who said Choi would enjoy practicing with Kim in Augusta. (Choi s agent) told KJ about doing a practice round with me, and he was very happy about it, Kim said. He said, For sure, we ll do it. COACH S DREAM? Sapp said he's never been to the Masters because he wanted to have a good reason to go. As if Kim wasn t a good enough reason, one of Sapp s former players from his coaching days at North Carolina will be there, too. I ve got another former player (at the Masters this year), Sapp said. Mark Wilson, who s won twice on tour this year and is actually leading the money list currently, will be there. It will be Wilson s first Masters trip as well. Printed from on Fri, 01 Apr :11:

18 Interview with Lion Kim March 31st, 2011 Tracy Wilcox/Golfweek For the last year and a half, one of the most exciting collegiate golfers in the Big Ten Conference has been Michigan Golf Team captain Lion Kim. In a little more than a week, Lion Kim is going to be, for at least for the month of April of 2011, the most famous Michigan athlete on Earth: as the reigning United States Amateur Public Links champion, Lion has been invited to play in the 2011 Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club. He will be watched by a billion viewers on the Masters' worldwide telecast, and untold millions in his birthplace of South Korea. Lion was born in Seoul, Korea and emigrated to the United States with his parents when he was barely a year old, first living in New Jersey where his father operated a New York area business, and then to Lake Mary, Fla., where he worked seriously on his competitive golf game before accepting a golf scholarship to the University of Michigan. In the summer of 2009, the Michigan golf team barely qualified for the NCAA Division I Golf Championships to be held at the Inverness Golf Club in Toledo, the historic site of numerous USGA and PGAchampionships. The 2009 NCAA D-I Championships marked a sea change for collegiate golf; a new/retro format involved team-match play with teams grouped into brackets as in the NCAA basketball brackets.

19 (For non-golfers, match play is where two golfers play against each other, counting whether each hole is won or lost. The Ryder Cup is a well-known team-match play format. Medal play, on the other hand, is the format that most PGA Tour events follow; the entire field playing four rounds for the best total score.) Former Buckeye Jack Nicklaus was invited to Inverness, and spoke at the opening dinner; the D-I Collegiate Player of the Year is now given the Nicklaus Award. The 2009 NCAA Golf Championship also marked a turning point for Lion Kim and the Michigan Golf Team. After having barely qualified, they proceeded to go to the semi-finals, including a thrilling victory over a highly-ranked USC team to make the final four of the championship before falling to the eventual national champs, Texas A&M. Lion Kim s 17 th hole match win against his USC opponent was one of the great moments in Michigan golf in decades. From then on, Lion Kim has become one of the best players in college golf. He qualified for almost every major amateur event last summer, and in five grueling North Carolina July days at the Bryan Park Golf Course in Greensboro, Lion Kim won the United States Amateur Public Links Championship. By tradition every year, the USAPL winner, as well as the United States Amateur finalists and the winner of the British Amateur, are all invited to the Masters Tournament at Augusta. I spoke to Lion last year; he was gracious to talk for a while as he was practicing for the Western Amateur at the Skokie Golf Club just outside of Chicago. At that time, he was looking back with satisfaction on his Masters-qualifying win in the APL, and was looking forward to playing in the Western Am, the US Am at Chambers Bay (a future US Open site) and also playing with his new Michigan teammate, Joey Garber of Petoskey who had just won an unprecedetned double: the Michigan Junior and the Michigan Amateur Championship. It was a heady time for Michigan golf; I decided to hang on to this interview until we got closer to April and people were finally turning attention to the Masters and Augusta. Section 1: Lion Kim welcome to MGoBlog and thank you so much for taking some time to talk with us while you re playing in the Western Amateur. Lion Kim: Yeah, no problem. S1: First of all congratulations on the US Amateur Public Links, but also congratulations for what really now has been a great run for you for going on for a little bit more than a year now. How does it feel to be a national champion? LK: You know, obviously it is an amazing feeling; never did I think this summer that I would win one of the biggest Amateur golf tournaments in the world. Not just in the US but one of the amateur tournaments around the world and I just feel very honored to be named a national champion and at the same time it s very humbling because I realize that, you know, with this success obviously there is going to be some expectations now, and I enjoy those types of pressures and am really looking forward for the challenge ahead of me.

20 S1: Your own game, Lion, seems to have gone to a new level, at the same time that the Michigan Golf Team s collective game has gone to a new level starting back last year at the NCAA s at Inverness. Can you talk about that stretch of time for us? LK: Well, yeah, I mean since then I obviously gained a lot of confidence at NCAA s and but you know overall just, I gained so much confidence in Michigan Golf Program and the coaches and in my teammates and obviously what we were able to do at Inverness Golf Club was amazing but at the same time, honestly in my opinion I was not really surprised because I knew our team was really capable of accomplishing big things like that and ever since then you know I personally gained a lot of confidence through that experience and I just knew actually that week that I am a good player and I really start to believe in myself and ever since then I just kept working hard and am just very lucky that all of my hard work paid off at the US Public Links Championship because obviously with that win, you know, I get some cool invites to PGA Tour events next year, so very exciting. S1: Yeah it is going to be a very, very cool year for you coming up. Any particular memories from your time at Inverness? I was there, and I happened to be standing next to Bronson Burgoon when he hit that gap wedge shot on the last hole of the last match which was pretty exciting. What are your memories of Inverness? LK: I guess I mean it is tough not to pick my shot on 17 to close out the deal against USC. I mean obviously we had a large gallery for my group at that time and you know looking back at that golf shot it is a very tough golf shot. I mean from 212 and I cannot even see the flag. I have to really just, you know I am only 5 8 and that is on a good day too. So, I could not even see the flag, so I had to really just jump up to even see the tip of it and, so yeah it just came to that shot on 17 to close out the match. It just came out perfect, exactly they way I visualized it, and you know it took off. I thought it was a half skill, half luck type of shot. I mean, I knew that if I had the confidence I would get a good shot, but not to a point where it would be a tap in range. S1: Yeah. How did it feel to play in that new NCAA format at Inverness? LK: Well very exciting obviously. You know in match play, anything can happen and to be honest with you, we were a good team that year but we weren t a great team and USC was a great team. I think they were ranked in the top-5 heading into that week; and we were like a top- 30 team and so you know that s what happens in match play, you just never know. I mean there is no advantage when it comes to match play and that is really what is exciting because you just do not know who is going to win. As you say, it was the first year where they had the championship go to match play and I feel like we were very lucky to get the first taste of it. S1: Jack Nicklaus was very excited about that format and he thinks it is a great thing for college golf. He thinks it is a great thing for young golfers that want to be better golfers to get that experience in match play. LK: Yeah I mean, I definitely agree with Mr. Nicklaus. I think that if you become a good match play player, if you re a great match play player, it really means that not only are you a good golfer but you are just mentally tough because in match play you just really have to be tough

21 because how I like to think of the match play is when I see our opponent plays good, you just need to play great. And if your opponent plays great, you ve just got to play phenomenal golf. There is nothing to it, you got to do whatever it takes to beat your opponent and you know, you just have to answer. That is the type of attitude I have in match play and again going back to what Mr. Nicklaus said, it makes you a better player I think, when you play a lot of match play events. S1: Yeah. Did you meet him when you were down there at Inverness? LK: Yes, I was very lucky enough to meet him at the player s dinner and I also actually have a picture that I took with him at the player s dinner and it is hanging up on my wall, the picture is hanging up on my wall in my home in New Jersey. A very special moment. S1: Fantastic thing, to get a picture with him. Well you ll never forget that. I have my own picture of me caddying for him in 1973 when I was a 17 year old and he was at the peak of his powers then. At that time he was a few years younger than Tiger Woods is right now, so yeah you will love that picture forever. But I will tell you, Jack Nicklaus is a Buckeye through and through. LK: Yeah I understood that. That is why it made it sweeter to even go up to him and say that I am Lion Kim and I play for the University of Michigan and he almost did not want to take a picture with me, but obviously he is a great man and it was just a fun thing I got from a little rivalry feeling between Ohio State and Michigan. S1: Yeah, what is it like playing Ohio State in golf matches? LK: You know obviously, it does not get as intense as it does in football. But we all know that Ohio State and Michigan have the best college rivalry. Maybe, in my opinion, the best rivalry in sports period. I mean it is just a fierce rivalry, but in golf, I mean Ohio State knows that they want to beat us really bad and same with us we want to beat them very bad. But at the end of the day know that we are friends and will be a gentleman and shake their hands, whatever the result is. S1: We hear a lot about recruiting in football and basketball, but talk to us a little bit about recruiting in golf and about your own recruiting. LK: Yeah, well you know I am a guy from Florida and everybody asked me why would I go to Michigan, going up north to play golf. You know when people or my buddies ask me that question, I say look -- plain and simple Jack Nicklaus went to Ohio State, Luke Donald went to Northwestern, Steve Stricker went to Illinois and I could go on and name all of these great players that have played school up in the Midwest or just north and you know I tell them that weather really should not be a factor and I understand golf is an outdoor sport but you know if you are really dedicated to the game and if you are really passionate you are going to find a way to improve no matter what the weather is like. That is the attitude that I have and since my first American home had been in New Jersey, I have seen the weather before and it was not really a surprise for me when I came up to Michigan.

22 S1: So, Joey Garber is coming down to Ann Arbor from Petoskey, he is really having a great summer too. He is out there in Chicago with you right now for the Western Am, right? LK: Yes he is. S1: And you have got one other teammate that has made the field at the Western? LK: Actually there are four of us; including me and Joey, there is also Matt Thompson and Jack Schultz. S1: (Laughs.) That s good; you calling Joey your teammate already. Yes. (Laughs.) Right; he is, yes! S1: Joey is having a really good summer. I am not sure; did he qualify as an alternate for USAmateur qualifying? LK: Yeah, he is the second alternate right now. I think he just fell a couple of shots short to make it. But he is an alternate, he still has hope. S1: So, you're exempt for the USAmateur by virtue of your great win in the Public Links. You did not have to go through qualifying, right? LK: After my win I actually called the US AM the following day and said I am scheduled to play in my qualifier in a week and I said, you know I am guessing I am exempt, and they said yes you are exempt and we will just take your name off of the qualifying list and the lady was really nice and she said you are already set and no worries about showing up to your qualifying time. Which was a good feeling because a lot of guys over the summer really, even no matter how bad, or how poorly they were playing in the summer I think every college kid s goal in the summer really is to at least to play in the US Amateur. So, it is always in the back of our minds; Am qualifying. But for me luckily I won t have to qualify for a couple of years. S1: Well for those that are not quite as tuned to it as you and I might be, the USAmateur is obviously the premier national championship for amateur golfers but in the exact same breath you would mention the USAmateur Public Links Championship which you won this year. LK: Yes. S1: The Public Links is kind of interesting because it was started specifically by the USGA to provide a championship for players that weren t members of private golf clubs. LK: Yes.

23 S1: And honestly I will tell you Lion; before this interview with you I had never before seen the questionnaire form that you have to fill out for the Public Links. And they really do ask all of those questions about whether you are a member at a private club. LK: Yeah, and you know what is funny is that they even call to make sure, they even call a club just to make sure that you are really not a member. The first year I qualified to apply for the Public Links, I sent in my application, got all of my travel arrangements ready and then someone from the USGA called me up and said, Lion unfortunately you are not eligible to play in the Public Links yet because you did not get rid of your [Florida golf club] membership ahead of time... What I learned then was that you have to go a full year without being a golf club member. And I had gotten rid of my club membership in high school because I was going away for college and obviously it would be a waste of money to spend the monthly payment when I am not going to be there for the majority of the year. So my dad figured well if I am not going to be there, then why bother paying all of this money. So we got rid of it. But yeah, it had been less than a year before that application. I mean they have some really strict rules, you know, they said you will be eligible for the next year, but not that year. So you re right; they are very strict about that. S1: Yeah, it is a really interesting thing. I do not know if you were aware of it, but the origination of the United States Amateur Public Links came about way back I think in the 1920s as a result of a guy from Detroit, it was James Standish who was later a President of the USGA and a member at the Country Club of Detroit who had the idea to start the Amateur Public Links; it is his name that is on the trophy. You will have to look at your trophy to see if you see his name there. LK: (Laughs.) Really, okay. S1: So there is a nice little Detroit connection there for the Amateur Public Links, he would sure be proud to see a guy from the University of Michigan win it... Yeah, so as a result of your win at the Public Links you are going to Augusta. LK: Ha, yes, that is the plan. I did not get my official invitation yet, but that is usually the tradition, I think when you do win the USGA, Public Links or US, you get invited to the Masters. S1: I think you will get your invitation in about February. LK: Haha. Okay. S1: They will mail it to you and obviously your Masters Invitation is probably going to go into a frame and go into your office someday. LK: Yeah, I will definitely frame it for sure. S1: Yes. So, tell me have you ever been to Augusta?

24 LK: No I haven t. I have never even been to a practice round, never been to anywhere close to Augusta, the City of Augusta, period. So I am really looking forward to it. I plan on playing a practice round maybe in October. I look forward to going down there. S1: Well I think that they will welcome you and they will be very, very happy to have you down there and you will get to see the Crow s Nest. LK: Yeah, hopefully. I think all the Amateurs get to stay at the Crow s Nest so yeah I am looking forward to that too. S1: So tell me who is going to caddy for you? LK: I am not really sure yet. I mean, I have been asking a lot of my friends who have played there in the past and to be honest with you I am getting two kinds of advice. Some say you should take your dad or friend or a coach. Some people say you need to take a local caddy. But right now, I am not sure yet. I have not really made my decision. Obviously I will make my decision leading up to it, but I have a lot of time to really think about it. So, I am not really sure yet to tell you the truth. S1: Sure, well when you go down there for a practice round, you may get a chance to meet some of the local caddies and they will surely be interested in you. LK: Yeah, right, hopefully. S1: You cannot believe how hilly it is. You just never see it on television. It just doesn t show up on a two-dimensional television screen. The whole thing is on a big side hill from the clubhouse at the top of the hill going all the way down to the 12 th green and 13 th tee, which is the lowest part of the property down there by the Rae s Creek. But the extent and the severity of the hills are just absolutely amazing. You have no idea, no appreciation until you see it live. So, it will be fun to go down there and see it for the first time. LK: Hmm, yeah, really looking forward to it, very excited to see it. S1: Well when you won the Amateur Public Links the first thing everyone was trying to think of was whether you would be the first University of Michigan team player to play in the tournament and as far as I have been able to tell, you are the first U of M student that will ever be a Masters participant. But there have been some other Michigan guys that have played in it over the years. As far as I can tell the last Michigan alum who played in it was John Schroeder back in the 1970s and 80s. Before that you have to go back to the 1930s when Chuck Koscis and John Fisher played in it as amateurs then. LK: Yep, definitely heard of Chuck Koscis for sure. S1: Yeah, great iron player. LK: Yes, that is what I heard.

25 S1: So, equipment-wise, when you go down to Augusta you are going to have to play by the new groove rules. Is that going to require you to change out anything in your bag? LK: Ah yeah; probably my wedges. I know for sure my current wedges do not confirm with the new rule [The PGA Tour condition of competition for grooves, which is not applicable to the NCAA until 2014.] Right now, amateur events don t really matter. I don t think that any of the amateurs have to change until like 2014 I believe. S1: That is exactly right. LK: Yeah, so I think that equipment-wise I think that my wedges will be the only clubs in my bag that I would have to switch out. But you know what, I think that I could get used to [tourconforming wedges] very quickly. I have always practiced and played a couple rounds with the conforming groove and I did not really see a whole lot of difference. So, it should not be a whole lot of transition for me. S1: Does Coach [Andrew] Sapp help you guys with equipment? LK: Yes, Coach Sapp does and also fortunately for me, before I got to college I had a relationship with Titleist, so they have been helping me out since high school and even throughout right now. So, Titleist is the club that I usually play with. I found a new Taylor Made driver that was something different that I have played with for a couple months, but I am pretty sure that I will have Titleist driver in my bag leading up to the Masters. If you get a chance to talk to talk [former Assistant] Coach Doug [Gross] he will tell you how many equipment changes I have gone through in my Michigan career. He thinks that I have probably gone through about 18 drivers since I have been in school. That is quite a bit. S1: Sure. The new Titleist drivers are very cool; they are finally going to an adjustable hosel sleeve design which is going to make it a lot more fun, a lot easier to work with. I think the tendency with all of the Titleist drivers that you have been using in the past is that with the way that the hosel bore was set so deep -- that bore-through design -- it sort of ate up a lot of the tip on the shaft and kind of, kind of changed the way that shafts felt. S1: Yeah. S1: Well, lets do the lightning round here. I am going to ask you just a few fun questions, give me your fast answer, okay? LK: Okay. S1: Alright; your favorite place on the Michigan Campus, other than the golf course? LK: Ahhh, Academic Center. S1: (Laughs.) That s a good start, Lion.

26 LK: (Laughs.) S1: Your favorite place to play golf anywhere? LK: Ahh, I would have to go with Cypress Point in California. S1: Oh, really you played there? LK: Yeah, Coach Sapp and one of the Michigan alums, Tony Ridder, [he of the Knight-Ridder newspaper family] he invited the team to play at Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, San Francisco Golf Club and Spyglass. S1: Wow. LK: Yeah, we got to play some really nice tracks while we were down there. Beautiful, beautiful scenery. S1: That s nice. San Francisco Golf Club is seriously nice, too. LK: Yeah, very nice, right. S1: Okay, back to the lighting round. Your favorite website? LK: Facebook S1: What is on your Ipod? LK: Korean music. The majority of them are all Korean music. S1: That s cool. What is the weirdest thing in your golf bag? LK: So you warned me about this question, so I have been thinking about that, it is actually my baby oil -- S1: Oh, wait, I know that. That s not so weird. LK: (Laughter.) Haha, okay. S1: I know that; you put baby oil on the finish of your Scotty Cameron putter. (Laughter.) LK: Yes, correct, correct, it will rust. S1: I have an old Scotty Cameron Oil Can Laguna, I have to put baby oil on that one as well. LK: (Laughter.) Oh yeah, okay. Man you know a lot of stuff.

27 S1: (Laughter.) Well that is just the way that we take care of them, right? LK: That s right. (More laughs.) S1: Well Lion Kim, thank you so much for taking time while you are in the middle of a competitive week. We are all wishing you luck in the Western Am, which is one of the great amateur tournaments in the Country and we wish you success in the US Amateur out there in Chambers Bay and we send you sincere congratulations and the pride of everybody at Michigan on winning the US Amateur Public Links and being Michigan s National Champion in LK: Thank you SO much. Thank you. It is very exciting and I feel very honored to always represent the block M everywhere I go, so it is an amazing feeling to be a National Champion of the year. S1: Well, fantastic! Lion Kim Go Blue! LK: Go Blue!

28 of 2 3/29/2011 4:19 PM With the Masters just over a week away, Lion Kim is ready By Kevin Raftery Daily Sports Writer On March 24th, 2011 At times, Michigan senior Lion Kim has had trouble concentrating on college golf during the Michigan men s golf team s spring season. I didn t have a hard time in the fall, Kim said. I was just all focused about helping this team win golf tournaments and doing well. But in all honesty, yeah it s been kind of hard (focusing in the spring). Kim, Michigan s captain, won the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship in July to qualify for this year s Masters. In just over a week, the Lake Mary, Fla. native will be walking down the immaculate fairways of Augusta National Golf Club, competing against the best golfers in the world. Can you blame him for lacking a little concentration? He s had a lot of time to think about what it s going to be like competing with and against players like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, playing on Amen Corner the famous three-hole stretch of holes and experiencing what every golfer dreams about. Once the spring season rolled around, in my mind, I really used the four tournaments that we played as a preparation for the Masters, Kim said. But with that said, I was still giving my best because at the end of the day I ve got to help my scores and help my team out. But Kim has practiced away from the college game, too. He s traveled to Augusta three times since November, and he will be there the weekend before the tournament to get in some extra practice. Though he ll be playing on a new course and one of the most difficult courses in the world the focus of his practice rounds has been the same as if he were playing in any other tournament. Short game, Kim said. That s where you score, around the greens. You gotta have a great feeling with your short game, and most importantly you have to have a good feel for the greens, the slopes and everything. And of course, Kim spent some time checking out the course as a whole, too. (The course) was everything I imagined it being, he said. It s absolutely stunning. It s exactly how you would see it on TV. For Michigan coach Andrew Sapp, watching one of his players play in the Masters will truly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

29 of 2 3/29/2011 4:19 PM Sapp, a North Carolina native, had chances to go to the Masters as a fan when he was younger, but he declined the opportunity. I had some relatives that actually had tickets, but I wanted to have a good reason to go, he said. And now he s found his reason. Sapp will be going heading to Augusta on Monday, the day after coaching his team at the LSU Intercollegiate, to support Kim. It s almost as good as going down to play yourself, Sapp said. I m definitely looking forward to being able to experience it with him and seeing it more than just from a fan s point of view, but also the players point of view. And for Kim, anything could happen on the No. 1-ranked golf course in the world. March Madness will have just passed at the start of the tournament, but there s no saying April won t hold some insanity of its own. If I do well, it could open up some doors in the future, Kim said. But at the end of the day, whatever happens, happens. I m just really looking forward to competing in the Masters. And also, most importantly, to have fun and enjoy it. Printed from on Tue, 29 Mar :19:

30 Gearing Up for Augusta: Lion Kim Interview Feb. 15, 2011 From Michigan Men s Golf yearbook U-M Media Relations I recently caught up with Michigan senior golfer Lion Kim and he sounds like he s ready. In about eight weeks Kim will tee it up at Augusta National against the world s best golfers. Back in July the 21 year-old took down the field at the U.S. Amateur Public Links and took home both a magnificent silver trophy and perhaps more significantly, a slot in the 2011 Masters field. What are his goals for tournament? Did an owl bring him his official invitation to The Masters (like I hoped)? Will he represent Michigan in any way during the week? These answers and much more below. I understand you ve had the chance to play Augusta National for practice? Kim: Yes I have. I ve made a couple trips down there to get some practice rounds in. Are you invited to practice if you are in the field? How did you arrange that? Kim: Once you earn the invite for the following year s Masters you can just call in. When I called and introduced myself they quickly knew who I was and I asked if I could do a couple

31 practice rounds. The rule is you can do as many practice rounds as possible, you just have to call a week before and let them know the dates. Did they actually send you a formal invitation? Kim: Yes, they sent it to me in December. It s very simple; very traditional. It came in an envelope and just says The Masters cordially invites you to the 2011 Masters Tournament or something like that. Did you actually have to accept the invite? Or do they assume that you are going to play? Kim: [laughs] Obviously I sent in my application for it as quickly as possible but I think they knew I was planning to play [laughs]. When was the first time you played Augusta National? Kim: The first time I played it was over Thanksgiving and I made another trip over Christmas break. The first week of February I was down there as well. What are your impressions of the course? Kim: It was really everything I imagined it being. Looking at the course, it plays very long and the greens are obviously very tough and very fast. It s all about placing your ball at the right spots. In general, it s absolutely beautiful. There s so much history and tradition there and being able to walk that course where numerous legendary golfers played and the current top PGA tour players it s pretty humbling to realize you ll be playing alongside them in The Masters tournament. The U-M course was designed by Alister MacKenzie and he co-designed Augusta National with Bobby Jones. Do you see any similarities between Augusta and the M Course? Kim: There s no question there are similarities. The first similarity is the greens. The U-M course is known for tricky greens and obviously that s the case at Augusta National. And second I d have to say the treelines. The holes are tree-lined and very traditional. There are not many hazards. All the troubles are around the greens. So I think a lot of M fans will want to know do you plan to represent Michigan in any way with your clothing or gear? Kim: Absolutely, absolutely. This is a great chance for our program to get nationally televised and The Masters is the biggest stage in golf in my opinion. I plan to represent this university well. I am planning on wearing Michigan gear, or at least Michigan colors, from head to toe. I already have custom made Michigan shoes and a U-M bag, head cover, hat. I have shirts everything. Who s carrying your bag?

32 Kim: A club caddie; a local guy there. He has a lot of knowledge on that golf course and that s very important. Were you able to get Masters badges for your friends and family? Kim: Yeah I did. It s pretty cool. My family and friends will be there and what s cool is that my parents and my brother get a clubhouse pass. They ll get to see the pros up really up close and they re excited about that. Are you planning staying in the Crow s Nest? Kim: Yes, probably for a couple nights. I plan on staying with family as well. I ll be staying there for one or two nights just to say that I got to experience it, but I think the day before the tournament I ll stay with my family to get a good night s sleep to get ready for the tournament. Have you heard from any pros giving you advice? Kim: Yes, my instructor Brian Mogg has many tour pros and they ve given me a lot of insights on how to approach some holes and what to expect and things like that. So what s a realistic goal for you for the week and the weekend? Kim: Well, a realistic goal for me is making the cut and being the low amateur of the tournament. That s my goal and I m going to do everything I can to accomplish that. So I guess the big question is how well have you fared in the practice rounds and what do you do think you can shoot out there if everything is working? Kim: Right now it s playing long because it s soft and wet there. I ve played six rounds there and I have shot under par. The best score I shot was 70 and that s two-under. I honestly think that if the course is playing firmer, and I think and everyone s told me, that the course will play a little shorter than the first couple times I ve played it. That said I think I ll have shorter clubs in during the tournament week. The course fits my game really well. And at 7400 [yards], if you just look at the number it s pretty long but you ve still got to drive the ball well and you ve got to hit certain spots. It s a golf course where you may have a pitching wedge in your hand but you still have to aim it 30 feet left or right to give yourself the best opportunity. You don t just fire at every pin. That s my game it s all about consistency and placing the ball at the right spot to give myself the best birdie opportunities. The course fits my game perfectly.

33 Format Dynamics :: Kodak Viewer 1 of 3 2/13/ :41 AM He had never played Augusta National before -- one of the most famous courses in the world is also one of the most exclusive -- but suddenly the gates were open to him to prepare for the tournament. By MARK SNYDER Detroit Free Press Sports Writer 1:51 AM, Feb. 13, 2011 Lion Kim waved across the fairways at the man walking with his son, a typical courtesy on a golf course. Then he looked a little closer. "I was walking down the No. 2 fairway and there was Greg Norman on No. 9 with his son," said Kim, the U-M golfing star. "He was maybe 70 yards away, and he gives me a nice wave. I waved back, and didn't realize at first it was Greg Norman. I walked over to the ninth tee box, and he was very gentlemanly. "The rule is, once you know that you will be playing in The Masters, you can call in, tell them who you are, tell them what you did to deserve the invitation and about how many rounds you'd like to play," Kim said this past week. For him, the number of rounds was six, as he has made three separate trips to the course: one by himself over Thanksgiving, driving from his Lake Mary, Fla., home; one over Christmas with his parents; and again two weeks ago. "It was pretty interesting," Kim said. "I was by myself. I walk into this very private golf course. It's really surprising, a main gate right on the public road. They just have public people driving past the main gate. But wherever you look, everything is so gated you cannot even catch a glimpse of Advertisement "It was another humbling experience, that a great champion like him was playing the same golf course as me." That's what happens when the course is Augusta National. The scene two weeks ago at the hallowed course was the latest stunning moment as Kim prepares to play in TheMasters in April, an extraordinary perk from his win at last summer's U.S. Amateur Public Links.

34 Format Dynamics :: Kodak Viewer 2 of 3 2/13/ :41 AM the course. It's very private and emanating class." Kim played Augusta National alone the first time through, taking his time (nearly 4 1/2 hours), hitting multiple balls from multiple spots to get a feel for the course. Though Kim noted it was a humbling experience, playing where so many legends had walked before him, he made only a few minor concessions to its history. He had the caddy take a photo of him on the picturesque Hogan Bridge on No. 12 and one of him teeing off on the tree-lined 18th hole. officials and the six amateurs. Now, his task is remaining focused on Michigan's season, which opened Friday with the BigTen match play championships in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and features four more tournaments before The Masters. "It will definitely be hard (to ignore it) as our season gets under way, but I'll do what I need to do to improve," Kim said. "Every tournament I look at it as a preparation for April. It doesn't mean I won't go out and compete hard, but I'll be thinking about it also." Beyond that, he was there to work. "Obviously I was there to enjoy the round and have a good time, but it's all about business and I was there to get really focused," Kim said. "I had to do the right things to prepare for the tournament." Kim won't return to Augusta until the first week in April. He got a quick peek at the famous Crow's Nest bedrooms, where he and five other amateurs will sleep during their time at the tournament. "It's pretty neat," said Kim, who knows three of the other amateurs well. "Like a dormitory. Pretty small, but they want to keep it very traditional with the beds. I'm only 5-8 and I barely fit." At the beginning of last week, he also got a letter inviting him for a private dinner the Monday of tournament week, just for Advertisement Zoom

35 of 3 9/16/2010 9:32 AM Lion Kim does 'M' proud, will play in 2011 Masters By Kevin Raftery Daily Sports Writer On September 15th, 2010 No matter what the Michigan men s golf team accomplishes this year, it will be hard to beat what senior Lion Kim has already achieved. On July 17th, Kim did what only one other Wolverine has done in the history of Michigan golf. He qualified for the Masters, the most prestigious professional golf tournament in the world. The last was Chuck Kocsis, who did it 71 years ago. Kim qualified by defeating David McDaniel of Tucson, Arizona 6-and-5 in the final round of match play at the 85th U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship in Greensboro, NC. But it was the way he qualified that makes the feat that much more remarkable. Competing against a field of 156 of America s best amateur golfers, Kim faced a long and difficult journey to the finals, to say the least. He would have to finish in the top 64 after two rounds of stroke play, and then he would have to win five match play matches in a span of three days in order to make it to the 36-hole final. In every tournament I play in, I always feel like I have a good chance to win, Kim said. And part of that is because I know I ve prepared pretty well for every event. Coming into this tournament, I had a lot of confidence and I just told myself, Stick to your game plan. That confidence would be key for Kim as he weaved his way through the brackets. After shooting in the stroke-play rounds, Kim breezed through the first four rounds of match play with little trouble. But in the semifinals, he found himself down by two holes to Kevin Phelan, a sophomore at the University of North Florida, with just six to play. Even though I was two down, I still felt confident about my game, Kim said. I just told myself that I just need to win one hole, and if I do that, I know I ll get the momentum back. Kim eagled the 15th to close the gap to one, and he birdied 17 and 18 to seal the match. That was actually the toughest match out of the six matches I won, Kim said, because we had to win holes with birdies and even with eagles. Kevin is a great player. But it was in the 36-hole final match when Kim s mental abilities were challenged to the fullest. After completing the first 12 holes with a two-hole lead, rain moved into the area and officials were forced to call for a rain delay. Seven hours later, Kim and McDaniel were still sitting in the clubhouse waiting for the delay to end. It was a long seven hours, and it felt even longer because I was so anxious to get back up

36 of 3 9/16/2010 9:32 AM knowing that I m so close to winning the tournament, Kim said. Luckily for Kim, he had his good luck charm there to help keep him calm and focused. I have to give all the credit to my mom, he said. We talked a lot. She kept me relaxed. We talked about everything, even from my childhood days and about what her childhood days were like. Finally, at 4:51 p.m. seven hours and eight minutes from when the delay was called play resumed. And when Kim stepped back on the course, he picked up right where he left off. He won holes 13 and 14 and immediately took a four-hole lead. From there, he would have no troubles that is, until Mother Nature stepped in again, threatening to prolong the tournament once again. Heading into number 13 for the second time around, Kim held a commanding seven-stroke lead with seven holes to play. But as both players headed to the tee box, darkness engulfed the area. Kim and McDaniel could barely see five feet in front of them, let alone follow a golf ball hundreds of yards through the air. A rules official approached both players to ask what they wanted to do. It was pitch dark, Kim recalled. I was really close to closing the match up. I just told him, Hey, let s keep playing. I just thought that momentum was on my side and I had a pretty big lead, and I think he pretty much knew that his best chance of winning was really done at that point. Minutes later, Kim found himself staring down an eight-foot par putt in the dark to win the tournament. Somehow, he made the putt with only the ability to see his ball and the cup, and he had officially earned himself a bid to the Masters. That feeling is what all golfers live for, Kim said. I ve been waiting for a very long time to win a golf tournament, and to finally get my first big win under my belt was a huge relief. One of the first things that popped into my head was, It s official. I m going to get an invite to the Masters. And that is truly awesome. In less than seven months, Kim will be playing alongside seasoned pros such as Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, and yes Tiger Woods. "It'd be a dream come true to play alongside Tiger Woods at a major championship," Kim said. "In my opinion, he is the best athlete in the world. If that happens it will be a life-changing experience, golf-wise." It is an incredible feat for anyone, even the professionals, to qualify for the Masters. But for a college player? Almost unheard of. Just the exposure that this will give our program is huge, Michigan head coach Andrew Sapp said. The Michigan bag is going to be seen on CBS, worldwide. It is one of those accomplishments for our program that really proves that you can be a championship golfer at the University of Michigan, and Lion has proven that. I think it will help in recruiting, and I think it will help our current players as well. It ll truly be an honor for me to represent the block M at Augusta National, Kim said. I m going to do everything I can to represent the University of Michigan well.

37 STAFF By: Andrew Reid AnnArbor.com Staff Lion Kim's invitation to the Masters huge opportunity for him and the Michigan golf program July 21, 2010 Michigan senior golfer Lion Kim watches his tee shot on the 15th hole during the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship golf tournament in Greensboro, N.C. on Saturday. Associated Press

38 With just two holes between Lion Kim and a championship at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship a victory that includes an invitation to next year s Masters - the sun set in Greensboro, N.C. It was pitch black, said Kim, who will be a senior on the Michigan golf team next season. At night, you just have to commit to your golf shot. You just have to judge by how you hit it, and most of my shots on the last couple holes, I had a good feeling. The round started at 7 a.m., but the lead pack had to sit and wait for seven hours due to weather delay. By the end, Kim and his competition, David McDaniel, just wanted to get it over with. Even in this most unlikely of scenarios, Kim was prepared. A few years ago, he and some buddies hit the links in the middle of the night, just to see what it was like. It was just for fun out there, he said. So I had a little bit of experience, just playing by feel. Kim, a down-to-earth golfer who s never let his success go to his head, even when he was heavily recruited out of high school, had tried to think about the Masters as little as possible going into the final day of the tournament. I really wanted to just focus on playing, he said. A lot of those thoughts start to creep into your head: You re only one hole from getting to the Masters. I just tried to take in hole by hole. Michigan golf coach Andrew Sapp refreshed the scores online all day, even through the long delay, eagerly waiting to see if Kim would be the first player he coached to play in a major tournament. When Kim s final putt sunk, he was ecstatic. It s a really a breakthrough win for him, Sapp said. He s had so many opportunities to win and wasn t able to do it on that level, would come in second or third and just miss. For him to win on this stage was a tremendous, and it should be a huge boost for him. From the minute Sapp first saw Kim, a top-10 golfer in his graduating class, play in high school, he knew Kim had this kind of potential and his work ethic and drive have helped him move closer to his goal of playing on the PGA Tour. If you had ten guys like Lion on your team, you wouldn t have to do much as a coach, Sapp said. He s probably the hardest worker I ve ever had. He leads by example. He s out there as soon as he s done with class. He even putts in between classes. When the win finally came, it seemed almost surreal. Kim was bombarded with interview requests, phone calls from golfing journalists from around the country and didn t get to bed until well after 1 a.m., 18 hours after he had teed off.

39 At 4:30 that morning, when he woke up to go to the bathroom, the staggering truth finally hit him: green jackets, Augusta National Golf Course, Jack Nicklaus and his six titles; The Super Bowl of Golf, as Kim referred to it. I was just like, Wow, you re going to get to play in the Masters, he said. It was an amazing feeling, but also very humbling. You know, there are so few golfers that get the kind of opportunity that I m going to have. I just feel so humble. When he woke that morning, the first call he made was to his parents, Yong and Hyun Kim, and other family members. His dad, who s been one of the most influential people in Kim s golf career, was unable to make it to the tournament because of work, but was ecstatic about the news. His next call was to Sapp, who has made Kim feel at home in Ann Arbor, even if the weather isn t quite as nice as it is back home, in Lake Mary, Fla. Before the tournament, Sapp told Kim, You d better win this - I want to go to the Masters. And he absolutely will be in attendance when Kim tees off in the Masters, scheduled for April 4-10, But Sapp knows that Kim s presence at the biggest stage in golf has major positives, other than getting to see it for the first time in person. To have the opportunity to have the Michigan golf bag down at Augusta on CBS is just huge for this program, Sapp said. He could potentially be the only college player down there and it s really a feather in our cap. And in Kim s four years on campus, the Michigan team has made leaps, placing third in the nation two seasons ago, and this year the Wolverines return all five starters. Kim, who wants to end his collegiate career on a high note, thinks the team has a shot at a national title this season. It s just a matter of hitting the right shots at the right time, he said. I have some high expectations. It s my last year; I m having a good summer. Heading into the college season, I expect to compete for the title in every tournament I play in. I ve had some really special memories at Michigan, but I believe the best is yet to come. I want to make my senior year he the best yet.

40 USGA 1 of 2 7/18/2010 9:15 AM The Grind of Winning a USGA Championship By Stuart Hall July 17, 2010 The arduous road to the final of a USGA championship is not easy, especially in the heat of summer. (USGA/Robert Walker) Greensboro, N.C. Harris English is not fond of bananas. So when he peeled yet another one back in between nines of Thursday s second round at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, he did so out of necessity, not by choice. You just have to force yourself to eat and make sure you stay hydrated, said English, a 20-year-old Georgian who is quite accustomed to the stifling heat, humidity and general mugginess that has draped over Bryan Park Golf & Conference Center this week. Winning the APL is as much about mental and physical perseverance as it is shot making. When play begins with Monday s stroke play, golfers know they could conceivably play nine rounds in six days, including 108 holes the last three days. Since the last seven rounds are match play, the number of holes often is reduced. Heading into Saturday s final against Lion Kim, David McDaniel, 25, of Tucson, Ariz., had played 91 holes in five match play rounds one more hole than five stroke-play rounds and seven more holes than Kim, 21, of Ann Arbor, Mich. While an extra seven holes may not seem like much, the roughly two extra hours off the course is welcome relief during such a grueling week. Quarterfinalist Wesley Graham, 20, of Port Orange, Fla., was extended to a combined 36 holes in Thursday s second and third rounds. His immediate thoughts were not of the next day s quarterfinal match, but of his plans for the evening. You just want to get something to eat, go back to the hotel, put the AC on 60, lay on the bed, watch some TV and go the sleep, he said. English, who reached the quarterfinals, said he prepared for the physical grind of this week by pushing himself further in off-course workouts such as running. Even that, though, could not simulate the mental aspect of focusing on each shot on every hole for what, on some days, could be eight hours of golf. When told that there were some players in the match play field who had played the previous week at The Players Amateur in Bluffton, S.C., English just shook his head. I really don t know how they did it, he said. I thought about it, but I wanted to come in here fresh.