School Bulletin: Young golfer at the gateway to pro status
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Brookfield golfer is hoping to drive, chip and putt well enough to earn a green jacket, but he might have to wait a few years for that honor.
Alex Kim is playing at the Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday, April 2, though. He'll compete in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals. The 15-year-old is just one of two kids from Wisconsin to earn a spot at this year's tournament and play amongst the top junior golfers from around the country.
"Definitely more pressure, but there is that side of having fun and being in the moment," Kim, a Marquette University High School sophomore, says.
40 boys and 40 girls will compete in this tournament leading up to The Masters. Points are awarded for accuracy, and one champion will be named from each age-gender division.
Kim says he has felt a little nervous, but it's also just another chance to play the game he loves.
"I really just like being outside and playing on the course -- just hitting those good shots, seeing the ball in the air," Kim says. "And just having fun with so many different people. You can play rounds with strangers and just get to know them."
Swing Coach David Roesch says Kim's game has improved tremendously in just the last two years, and he called him a consistent and disciplined young man.
"He's not afraid to get up early when he has off of school," Roesch says. "When most kids are sleeping in, Alex is working with me. So, he's ready. He knows what to do."
Getting to the DCP finals hasn't been easy though. Kim says he suffered a hip stress fracture before the regional qualifier in October, but he played through.
"I kind of didn't think about it. I didn't use it as an excuse to not do well," Kim says.
Kim's family will be cheering him on at Augusta, albeit quietly, and his dad will be his caddy, which he says means a lot.
"My dad is an avid golfer, and he constantly just pushes me be the best I can," Kim says. "I definitely look up to him whenever I need support or inspiration."