Yim Takes Aim at Junior World Title

More than 800 golfers from 34 countries will get together this week in San Diego to play in the Junior World Golf Tournament, an event whose past champions include some of the biggest names in the sport--Nick Price, Ernie Els, Corey Pavin, John Cook, Billy Mayfair, Tiger Woods, Laura Baugh and Amy Alcott.

Woodbridge High’s Yon Yim is one of many golfers hoping to improve her profile this week. Yim is a contender to win the girls’ 15- to 17-year-old division. Yim, who will be a junior at Woodbridge High, was the low qualifier in Southern California last month with a 73 at Yorba Linda Country Club. Yim has been on a roll lately, winning the Southern Section girls’ individual title and finishing third in the CIF-Southern California Golf Assn. tournament.

The girls’ 15-17 division will be played on Torrey Pines North, a course perfectly suited to Yim’s game, said Tracy Roberts, Yim’s high school coach.

“I’d give her a chance to win the tournament,” Roberts said. “She handles fast greens well and those greens at Torrey are fast. The North course is tighter than the South and that also plays to her advantage because of how accurate she is with her irons.”

Roberts wouldn’t have given Yim a chance to win much of anything the way she was playing this spring.

“She had a great summer last year, but she was trying to do everything perfect in the spring season,” Roberts said. “She was really pressing, but I had a long talk with her, as long a talk as we’ve ever had. After that, she really seemed to relax.”

Yim, a recent immigrant from South Korea, is the only girl on her high school golf team. But Roberts said her game has helped her become one of the boys.

“The guys love her to death,” Roberts said. “They still call her ‘franchise.’ There’s not much not to love about her. She’s a great kid, plus she can flat shoot the lights out.”

Yim will begin shooting at Torrey Pines’ flags Tuesday morning. The girls’ 15-17 tournament will run through Friday. Last year’s winner, Kimiyo Yoshida of Japan, is not entered. Four of the past five girls’ 15-17 champion have been from other countries.

The boys’ 15-17 division will play Torrey Pines South Tuesday through Friday. Guy Karlovich, who will be a junior at Kennedy this fall, was the low qualifier in his division. He shot a two-under 65 at Fullerton last month. Boyd Summerhays of Utah, boys’ 15-17 champion last year, is entered again.

The 10-and-under boys’ division starts today and continues through Thursday at Presidio Hills Golf Course. The boys’ 11-12 division and the girls’ 13-14 group will play at Singing Hills in El Cajon and the boys’ 13-14 division at Mission Trails.