Ina Kim-Schaad (USGA photo)
Ina Kim-Schaad is a relative newcomer to the world of women’s mid-amateur golf. It didn’t take her long to catch up, though. Kim-Schaad, 35, played her way to the final match of the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur this week at Forest Highlands Golf Course in Flagstaff, Ariz., before taking down Talia Campbell, 3 and 2, in the final match.
Kim-Schaad, 35, earns an exemption into the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas, with the victory, as well as exemptions into the next two U.S. Women’s Amateurs and next 10 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateurs and possession of the Mildred Prunaret Trophy for one year.
“I’m sure it will sink in tonight or maybe later in the week, but it’s pretty amazing,” said Kim-Schaad, a native of Los Angeles who graduated from Northwestern University in 2005 and turns 36 years old on Sunday. “The women I got to play with this week have been amazing. The golf course was amazing. It’s just a pretty surreal experience overall.”
Kim-Schaad was runner-up at the 2000 U.S. Girls’ Junior. This week marked her eighth start in a USGA championship. Interestingly, Kim-Schaad playec collegiately for Northwestern but chose business over golf. She took 11 years off of competition before returning to the U.S. Women’s Mid-Am in 2017.
“I had closed that chapter of the book, and I kind of moved on,” she said. “I was doing so many other things with my life, and then I met Ian, and he was the one who got me back interested in it. It happens very quickly, it really does. The first few birdies and then, you know, you’re hooked again.”
Kim-Schaad’s husband Ian was a driving force in getting her back to the golf course. Ian donned a caddie bib and carried his wife’s clubs this week at Forest Highlands.
“I’m sure it will sink in tonight or maybe later in the week, but it’s pretty amazing,” said Kim-Schaad, a native of Los Angeles who graduated from Northwestern University in 2005 and turns 36 years old on Sunday. “The women I got to play with this week have been amazing. The golf course was amazing. It’s just a pretty surreal experience overall.”
As for Campbell, 25 and playing in her first year of eligibility after graduating from the University of Notre Dame, kept Kim-Schaad in her reach all day but ultimately could never get her down.
“I had a lot of good birdie looks but I just was not able to convert the 10-to 20-foot putts this week,” said Campbell, who was competing in her fourth USGA championship and first since the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur. “That was kind of the theme of my week, because most of the birdies I did get were more or less tap-ins or inside of 6 feet. It’s just the 10-to-20-foot range that wasn't there this week.”
Quotes and information from the USGA used in this report
ABOUT THE
U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur
The U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur originated in
1987 to provide a national competitive arena
for amateurs 25 and older. Besides the age
restriction, the event is open to those with a
USGA Handicap Index of 9.4 or lower. It is
one of 14 national championships conducted
annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly
for amateurs.
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