It’s been a tale of two completely different rounds for Australian Grace Kim on Friday and Saturday at Fields Ranch East, as the young star went 78-68 and stands at 3-over for the championship, still in the hunt for her first major title.
Kim says she had similar conditions this morning as she did on Friday afternoon when she finished in the early evening and grinded to make the cut right on the number at 7-over.
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Kim made the turn on Friday afternoon at 2-over within striking distance of the lead, but proceeded to shoot a 5-over 40 on the back nine and bogeyed two of the last three holes.
But what a difference a day makes, as the 24-year-old and playing partner Bianca Pagdanganan were the third group off this morning at 6:55 am and Kim opened steadily with a 2-under 35, and closed with a 2-under 33 to craft a brilliant 4-under 68.
What a round by Grace Kim! She matches the low round of the week with a 4-under, 68! 🔥#KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/9oo5BwaLJQ
— KPMG Women's PGA Championship (@KPMGWomensPGA) June 21, 2025
“I had very similar conditions this morning as I did yesterday afternoon, so I kind of knew what I had to do and how low I had to keep the ball or how well I had to control the ball,” said Kim after her third round in over 30 miles an hour winds. “ I just worked on the range prior to my round today just trying to dial that in and, yeah, it worked out well today.”
It also works out well when your putter is red-hot as it’s been this week for Kim who ranks second among the large field in putts per round. With conditions as windy as it’s been this week, having a reliable putter is a big separator for the Sydney native.
But when the wind picks up significantly, how does it affect something as delicate as a putting stroke?
“I think you just got to make sure you go in fully committed. It is tough. Wind is just blowing sideways. Just finding your balance (is key) as well,” Kim said. “So making sure you do back away if you need to. Any doubt you just back away, and, yeah, trying to commit to every putt you can. The wind can affect how the ball results, so it's, yeah, just making sure you're staying patient out there as well.
If Kim is to have a shot at a win tomorrow, one would figure she’d need another round where she hits 16 greens like she did Saturday and just keep the birdies flowing. Her iron play in the wind was crisp, including sticking a wedge on the par 3 17th to a foot.
“I tried to simplify my shots as much as I could, and I hit it a lot better,” Kim said on Saturday. “There is a lot of crosswinds, right to left or left to right. Rather than trying to work it with the wind, sometimes I just had to control it by holding it, so those kind of shots went well.”
Though the conditions of the course have been a point of conversation for players this week, Kim knows that it all comes down to expectations. And it’s the week of a major championship, so players need to be prepared and flexible for a lot of variables.
“It's tough. It's a major, so (a hard course) is a given,” Kim said.
