By Tim Hartin
Those were Ina Kim-Schaad’s thoughts approaching the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, shared during The Farrell at The Stanwich Club in mid-September.
It turns out the week produced all the feels and there was a lot to soak in and enjoy about the ride.
Kim-Schaad advanced through a gauntlet of a bracket at Monterey Peninsula Country Club in Pebble Beach, Calif., taking down two former champions and a stroke play co-medalist before even getting to the final. Then, the final itself packed plenty of excitement, as Kim-Schaad made birdie from 18 feet on the 23rd hole to become just the sixth player to win multiple U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur titles (2019).
The 23-hole final was the longest final match in championship history, something Kim-Schaad – who’s a golf mental performance coach – was prepared for.
“I kind of figured it was going to be a war of attrition,” said Kim-Schaad, 41. “The pins where they were today, you could not get on offense. It just felt physically impossible to be on offense. So, playing defensively, playing patiently and just letting the things happen and be a war of attrition was mentally where I had to put myself, and I was ready to play 36 if it had to be.”
As Kim-Schaad said leading up to the championship, family was a big part of the week and led to an even more memorable experience.
With the victory, Kim-Schaad is exempt into the next 10 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, the next two U.S. Women’s Amateur, and the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open Championship. Coincidentally, that will be played at Riviera Country Club, in Kim-Schaad’s hometown of Los Angeles, where there no doubt will be more feels and memories to be made.