Earlier this summer, Kim Welch won the Golf Channel’s “Big Break: Ka’anapali” show and earned an exemption into this week’s Navistar LPGA Classic. The 2008 season has been a year of milestones for the third-year member of the Duramed FUTURES Tour, who also won her first Tour title in Syracuse, N.Y., at the Alliance Bank Golf Classic on July 20th.
A native of Sacramento and an 11-time collegiate winner at Washington State University, Welch went on to finish 10th on the Tour’s 2008 money list to earn status on the 2009 LPGA Tour. She sat down with the Duramed FUTURES Tour’s Lisa D. Mickey to discuss playing in her first LPGA Tour event this week at the Capitol Hill Senator course on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Train in Prattville, Ala.
Here is that conversation:
DFT: This week is a big week for you. How much are you looking forward to playing in the Navistar LPGA Classic?
KW: I’m excited about it, but I haven’t really let myself think about it too much for the last few weeks. I wanted to get the job done on the Duramed FUTURES Tour first. Now that I have my 2009 LPGA Tour card, I can let myself think about it. I’ve never played in an LPGA tournament, so I’ll learn from it.
DFT: What are your goals and expectations for this week?
KW: I’m going to have my brother [Pete Welch] out there caddying for me. He caddied for me at our tournament in El Paso [Texas] this year, and in the past, at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and on the Cactus Tour before I joined the Duramed FUTURES Tour. We’re going to have a fun week and just enjoy the experience. There’s no pressure because I already have my card. It will be a good week to see what I need to work on in the off-season. My game plan is to stick to my own game and see what needs to change.
DFT: Has your preparation for this week been any different than for any other tournaments you play?
KW: No, not any different than for the rest. It took me four days to drive back to California from our last tournament in Albany, N.Y. I took my time driving cross-country, so I didn’t hit any golf balls. My boyfriend drove with me and we took a day off in Colorado where we spent the day outside on a hike. It was just beautiful and it was nice to get away. Then, I was on-call for jury duty last week, so it was tough to make plans to go practice or play. They called earlier in the summer and I told them that I absolutely couldn’t do it then, so of course, now it’s my turn. It’s my civic duty.
DFT: Does this really feel like your “Big Break” or just one of many this year?
KW: It’s been a whole year of “Big Breaks,” but I feel like I’ve earned them. I’ve had to work for everything. I think the LPGA tournament this week will be a nice segue to next year. It will give me a way to know what to expect for my rookie season, which will be huge. A lot of rookies don’t get this kind of opportunity.
DFT: Seriously, you’ve had a lot of good things happening in your golf life this year. You won the Golf Channel’s “Big Break: Ka’anapali” show, you won your first Duramed FUTURES Tour tournament and you earned 2009 LPGA status. Now, you’re playing in your first LPGA tournament. What are your overall thoughts about the 2008 season?
KW: It’s been a great year with a lot of great things happening. I learned a lot about myself and about being in the public eye. It’s not a place where I’ve always wanted to be and sometimes it has been challenging. On one hand, I want to be a private person, but I know I need to put myself out there and be more accessible. I think the biggest lesson for me this year has been learning to balance my time, while still keeping some time for myself.
DFT: Is there a lot of difference between Kim and “Kim The Golfer?”
KW: They are kind of becoming the same. It used to be that my home life was really different from my golf life. But now, people want to celebrate some of these things with me that have happened in my life and my golf life. It’s been fun with a lot of celebration, and a lot of sushi! I’ve met so many new people this year because of the “Big Break,” but it’s always nice to come home to family and friends.
DFT: The last time we spoke, right after you won the “Big Break,” you said a guy at a Pearl Jam concert recognized you. Have you had any other interesting encounters with fans of the show?
KW: [Laughter] Well, I was at the Apple store in Sacramento with my boyfriend and a guy kept looking at me and then he said, “Oh, I know who you are. You won the Big Break.” My boyfriend is not a golfer and he’s never been around it, so I think some of this is pretty interesting for him. He came to the tournament in Albany [N.Y.] and he took pictures of me up on the stage with my [replica LPGA] card using his iPhone. I think he thinks it’s fun.
DFT: Speaking of Albany … that was the last regular-season tournament of the year and only your second missed cut all season. You were ranked ninth on the Tour’s money list going into that event and a good finish could have moved you way up the money list. What happened in Albany?
KW: I knew if I had a good week, I could jump into the top five. I put way too much pressure on myself and I tried to press to move up. I had a horrendous first day and came back in the second round, but I missed the cut by one shot. I even made a putt for par in the second round from off the green on the 18th hole. So Sunday was a hard day. I had missed the cut and there was nothing I could do. I didn’t want to watch the scores, but I did anyway. I kept checking them. I was pretty nervous.
DFT: So, were you crunching numbers as you watched the scores? Were you concerned that you were out of earning one of the 10 LPGA cards [awarded to the top 10 regular-season money winners]?
KW: I figured that I would probably be 10th, but I tried not to get my hopes up. When I went to the ceremony on Sunday, once they said Haeji Kang’s name in the No. 11 spot, I let out a big sigh. I was relieved to get one of those 10 cards.
DFT: So getting back to this week, are you more nervous, excited or scared about your spot in the LPGA tournament?
KW: I’m excited. I don’t think there’s anything to be nervous about. I want to see how I play with them.
DFT: Any thoughts on how it could be different from playing on the Duramed FUTURES Tour?
KW: I know there will be a ton more people there watching and I’ll be doing a few more things with the tournament director and the folks at Navistar. I’m playing in the pro-am and my sponsor from Rhode Island will be there. I just think it will be a fun week.
DFT: You are known for your sense of fashion. Any new outfits making a debut this week?
KW: Actually, I am going to be wearing Nike apparel with the Ka’anapali logo for this tournament [which is the resort in Hawaii where she won the “Big Break”]. I may even wear their logo next year [on the LPGA Tour].
DFT: Players who finished Nos. 6-10 on the Duramed FUTURES Tour’s money list have the option to go to the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to improve their status. As the 10th-ranked player, how do you feel about going to Q-School with some LPGA status in your pocket?
KW: I’ll just be playing for more time on the LPGA. I know I’ll be playing out there eventually, no matter what.
DFT: Your 2008 season will always be a milestone year. What makes you most proud of this season?
KW: Just getting my LPGA card. It’s a huge step for me, and getting my first win on the Duramed FUTURES Tour also was huge. Sure, I wanted to be in the top five, but I got [LPGA] status. I worked hard for it I’m proud of that.
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