Catching up with Ina Kim-Schaad
Ina Kim-Schaad with the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship Trophy & her U.S. Women's Open invitation and player's badge inset.
Last summer, Ina Kim-Schaad earned an impressive victory in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Forest Highlands Golf Club in Flagstaff, Ariz., punctuating her return to golf after more than a decade away from the game. With the win, the three-time winner of the Women’s Met Amateur earned a spot in this year’s U.S. Women’s Open Championship and will tee it up among the world’s best players, Dec. 10-13, at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas.
| MGA | You had stepped away from the game as you focused on your career. What did your expectations look like as you returned to competitive golf several years ago? | |
| Ina Kim-Schaad | Honestly, I thought that picking golf back up again would be much like riding a bike, so my expectations were high. However, I discovered that I had a case of pseudo-arrested development, having quit the game at age 21, and picking it back up at 33. So my golf mentality and overall approach to the game had the shortcomings of my 21-year-old self; I would say that was the steeper part of the learning curve rather than the physical aspect, which came much quicker. | |
| MGA | What has your success since your return meant to you? | |
| Kim-Schaad | It’s been a crazy journey of ups and downs and a lot of learning about both myself and the game. I went through a tough period a couple years ago when I was putting so much pressure on myself and getting lost in results. After much concerted work and effort, once I was able to take a step back and reassess and reframe my outlook, I was able to enjoy the process again, and then, I started seeing results. Being able to come out on the other side with a brighter and more balanced mentality has been the most gratifying part because it took a lot of hard work to get there, and I’m certainly having a tremendous amount of fun. | |
| MGA | Were you able to play a lot this summer and what did your season look like in terms of competitive golf? | |
| Kim-Schaad | Unfortunately, I didn’t play as much this summer as I would have liked and my competitive season virtually evaporated. I spent much of quarantine, like many folks, just being thankful for a healthy family and trying to expand my mind a bit during the downtime. | |
| MGA | Looking back more than a year later, what do you remember most from your victory in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur? | |
| Kim-Schaad | I don’t know if there was a “most” cherished memory, because the entire week was so special. But a few things that stand out are: the amazing teamwork I had with my husband, the camaraderie amongst the mid-ams, some wonderful home-cooked meals and banter we shared in our house with the Stasi's and the Dulmans that week, and of course, all the outpouring of love and support from family and friends near and far. | |
| MGA | What are you most looking forward to about competing in the U.S. Women’s Open? | |
| Kim-Schaad | I think we all play golf because it’s this never-ending challenge that constantly demands the best we have to give, every day - even when we don’t have our best. I am really looking forward to being able to compete against the best of the best; to really take in and learn from the experience - both of myself and of the other players. I hope I can truly be present to soak it all in. | |
| MGA | How do you think Champions Golf Club will fit your game? | |
| Kim-Schaad | Honestly, Champions Golf Club is not exactly the type of course that is perfect for my game, but I’m also not entirely certain it matters. That’s the fun of competitive golf that fuels creativity and challenge, so I’m looking forward to it. The distance will probably be the most challenging part for me, so I’ll have to be scrappy out there. | |
| MGA | What will your preparation look like as the U.S. Women’s Open approaches? | |
| Kim-Schaad | I will be trying to get in competitive games with friends and keep refining my short game in particular. Every player gains their particular confidence in different ways; mine tends to be through reps. The more repetition I can get in, the more at ease I feel. So, you’ll see me around the chipping and putting greens a lot in the next few weeks and actually keeping score, which I don’t typically do. |
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