Those who were there for the first two rounds of TPS Sydney at Bonnie Doon Golf Club in February were convinced.

Convinced that a young player en route to the LPGA Tour would continue to expertly dissect the golf course and street a field of Australia’s best men and women, including a number of established LPGA Tour players.

Consecutive rounds of seven-under 64 had put Grace Kim three shots clear of Brendan Jones, Daniel Gale and amateur sensation Jeffrey Guan, barely a missed shot across the 36 holes played in blustery conditions.

Winning pro-am partners just two days earlier, Sydney Sixers star Daniel Christian emerged on the south-east corner of the property to watch Kim finish her second round.

Another of their pro-am team-mates, Sydney Roosters captain James Tedesco, was receiving live updates via text message from tournament host, Braith Anasta.

And then something astonishing happened.

The tournament that everyone expected was Kim’s for the taking suddenly wasn’t.

From seemingly out of nowhere, a third round of four-over 75 sent her tumbling down the leaderboard. She was seven shots off the lead when the final round began.

A closing three-under 68 for a tie for 20th was not the weekend the now 22-year-old had planned yet her response reaffirms her position as our next major winner in waiting.

Rather than seeing it as a setback, Kim and coach Khan Pullen saw it as another step forward in her preparation for a maiden season on the LPGA Tour.

That approach was vindicated last week when, in just her third start of the season, Kim won the Lotte Championship in Hawaii in a playoff.

She won in her rookie year also on the secondary Epson Tour on her way to promotion to the LPGA Tour last year, continuing her history of winning at every level.

Last week’s victory resulted in a 98-place jump in the world rankings to 80th, now third behind Minjee Lee (No.4) and Hannah Green (No.24) as Australia’s highest-ranked players on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking.

She is one of six Aussies in the field this week for the first women’s major of 2023 – The Chevron Championship at The Club at Carlton Woods – and will begin her second major championship in the perfect frame of mind.

“She just knows what to do when she is in and around the lead,” Pullen said.

“More specifically, recently she seems to have this ‘inner peace’ and general comfort of who she is as a person both on and off the course.

“The messaging for her this year has been about being patient and settling in and enjoying being on the LPGA Tour this year.

“I would say she has done a great job with that to date!”

Round 1 tee times AEST
LPGA Tour
The Chevron Championship
The Club at Carlton Woods, The Woodlands, Texas
10.48pm              Hannah Green, Madelene Sagstrom, Ally Ewing
10.48pm*            Grace Kim, Lizette Salas, Celine Boutier
11.21pm*            Lydia Ko (NZ), Lexi Thompson, Charley Hull
3.15am Stephanie Kyriacou, Matilda Castren, Pia Babnik
3.37am*              Sarah Kemp, Maddie Szeryk, Elizabeth Szokol
4.21am Minjee Lee, Nelly Korda, In Gee Chun
4.54am*              Karis Davidson, Caroline Inglis, Moriya Jutanugarn

Defending champion: Jennifer Kupcho
Past Aussie winners: Karrie Webb (2000, 2006)
TV times: Live 1am-5am Friday on Fox Sports 505; Live 8am-10am Friday on Fox Sports 503; Live 1am-5am Saturday on Fox Sports 505; Live 8am-10am Saturday on Fox Sports 503; Live 4am-8am Sunday on Fox Sports 505; Live 8am-10am Sunday on Fox Sports 503; Live 4am-8am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo Sports.