Kim smashes course record

South Korean SooBin Kim shot a course-record 9-under 63 on Thursday to lead the Women's Australian Open by three shots.
She crushed the previous course record, a 66 by Australia's Nadina Taylor at an amateur event in September 2000.
The 22-year-old Kim had nine birdies and no dropped shots in smashing the course record in perfect conditions.
She is three shots ahead of American Casey Grice and Caroline Masson of Germany at six-under 66.
Defending champion and world number one Lydia Ko carded a two-under opening 70.
In an interview after her record breaking round the 256th ranked Kim said her putter was hot having only needed 26 putts for the day, hitting 16 of the 18 greens in regulation.
"I was just picking my line and rolling them in, let the ball do the rest," she said.
"My coach (Brian Jung) were joking around and saying 'let's make 20 birdies this week', and I said 'yeah, I like that idea, let's keep it rolling'."
Kim said that her good round had a lot to do with how hard she and her coach worked on her game during the off-season.
"I felt really confident, I spent a lot of time working on my swing and working on my putting, and spending time with your coach builds your confidence. I would say I was pretty ready for it, so (I'm) not surprised," she added.
Leading first round scores:
1. SooBin Kim -9, 63
T2. Caroline Masson -6, 66
T2. Casey Grice -6
T4. Catriona Matthew -5, 67
T4. Karrie Webb -5
T4. Hye Jin Choi (a) -5
T4. P.K. Kongkraphan -5
T4. Jenny Shin – 5
Latest
-
Equipment
Every club Cobra Golf’s Lexi Thompson carries in her bag in 2023
Lexi Thompson shows remarkable faith in the clubs that have brought her success.
-
News
Should recreational players be concerned about golf ball rollback?
Should recreational players be concerned about the golf ball rollback’s impact on their game?
-
Equipment
What’s in the bag for Nelly Korda at the Grant Thornton Invitational?
Nelly Korda has a full TaylorMade supplied bag barring one club.
-
Equipment
The first club you should buy as a beginner golfer
Which club should you make your first investment?
-
News
Confirmed: Tiger Woods is still a draw after Golf Channel ratings bump
Woods still does Tiger numbers.
-
Instruction
Why you can’t stop chunking your irons – and how to stop it
That’s Captain Chunk to you…
-
Courses
Ranking all 6 Australian states by the quality of their golf courses
How do Australia’s states stack up when it comes to their golf.
-
Equipment
Titleist launch incredible limited edition Mystic Blue Scotty Cameron HXXIII Newport Putter
The Mystic Blue Scotty Cameron HXXIII Newport Putter is breathtaking.
-
Equipment
The clubs Scottie Scheffler used to win the Hero World Challenge – including a new custom putter
Scottie Scheffler had a new putter in hand for his Hero World Challenge win.
-
Equipment
5 of the very best drivers to give you more distance off the tee
Looking for distance in a driver? We have you covered.