Irene Kim caps impressive sophomore season with All-American honor
EVANSTON, Ill. (BVM) — Northwestern sophomore golfer Irene Kim joined the Wildcats as a highly–touted recruit, and so far, she has lived up to the billing.
The La Palma, Calif. native came out of her 2019 high school class as the No. 7-ranked golfer in the nation by Junior Golf Scoreboard. Throughout her youth and prep career, Kim earned numerous top-10 finishes in high-level regional and national competitions.
So, when she arrived in Evanston, Ill. last year, the expectations were high. It didn’t take long for Kim to deliver as she earned an individual first-place finish at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic with a nine-under score. However, she would play in limited tournaments with most of last season being canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This season, Kim put the potential she flashed in 2020 on full display, posting another victory at the ICON Invitational. At the Big Ten Championships, the sophomore posted a runner-up finish, and she was also the Wildcats’ top placer in the Stanford NCAA Regional.
In April, Kim was named Big Ten Golfer of the Year, becoming the third Wildcat to win the honor since 2015.
𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫
⛳️ : Irene Kim
🗞️ https://t.co/9HYZMG8KWw pic.twitter.com/yWN0F1xXzr
— Northwestern Athletics (@NU_Sports) April 28, 2021
In addition, Kim was named to the All-Big Ten first team, and was also an All-Academic Big Ten honoree. But a month after being named conference player of the year, Kim has earned national recognition by being named a second-team All-American by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association.
Kim is the seventh Northwestern women’s golfer to be named an All-American since 2014. With the talent she continues to display, it would appear the honor may come her way again before all is said and done with the Wildcats.
