For the Wisconsin women’s golf team, a rising star has begun to shine bright.
Redshirt sophomore Kimberly Dinh earned a first-place finish in the BYU Entrada Classic March 19. Dinh finished with 216 strokes at even par to edge-out the second-place finisher, teammate and junior Kris Yoo, to earn her first individual collegiate title.
Following her winning performance in St. George, Utah, Dinh was given Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors March 20.
“It is definitely a boost knowing I can play well and compete and win a college tournament,” Dinh said. “It’s just given me a lot of confidence going into these next couple tournaments that we have knowing I can put up numbers consistently.”
Entering the final round, Dinh was already in prime position to win the tournament. She led the field after posting a 70 and 72 in the first two rounds of play – a career-best 18-hole and 36-hole performance.
Dinh finished the last 18 holes at two-over par, earning two birdies in the round to seal in her top-place finish.
“My putting was a lot better that week,” Dinh said. “A few days before we left, I made a minor adjustment in my putting set up and so I saw some puts go.”
Assistant coach Katie Elliott watched the young Badger battle the pressure with confidence and skill, seeing Dinh utilize her rigorous preparation and capitalize on her biggest asset: her short-game.
“She just knew where she wanted to hit the ball and she was able to. If she got herself in trouble she got out of it and made some really good putts,” Elliott said. “She hit the ball pretty well throughout the course of the week, and, a lot of times, it comes down to the short game.”
For Dinh, the personal victory was met with excitement, but in her eyes, the success was, most importantly, a push in the standings for the team towards a successful finish.
Her performance helped seal Wisconsin’s first team tournament title of the season. The top-10 finishes by Dinh, Yoo and senior Lindsay Danielson propelled UW atop second place finisher Minnesota by just six strokes.
After completing her final putt, Dinh knew she had a successful outing but with Minnesota on the team’s tail, the excitement was overshadowed with the tension of waiting for the rest of the field to finish.
“I was trying to stay calm because we knew Minnesota was making a run. And then after we finished we didn’t know what the team standings were so it was really exciting but nerve wracking at the same time as we waited for the rest of the girls to come in and see how things would shake out in terms of the team win,” Dinh said.
After redshirting her first year, Dinh played in eight of Wisconsin’s 10 tournaments last season but found herself competing each week to travel with the team.
This season she has competed in all 15 tournaments, scoring in 11, and with the recent top-place finish, she has proven her ability to be a regular competitor for the Badgers.
“It is really encouraging more than anything. She is a player that came into our program and has really just worked her way up,” Elliott said. “Initially when she came in she was fighting week-in and week-out for a spot and now she has started to solidify that spot a little more.”
Following the successful tournament, the team finished tied for 13th in the Briar Creek Invitational – Dinh finished tied for 63rd at 24-over par – with tough course conditions and heavy wind plaguing the competition.
Elliott believes her team is heading in the right direction but needs to continue working on controlling the ball, especially in adverse conditions. Dinh also noted while her putting remains a reliable asset, managing her play and minimizing mistakes will be crucial moving forward.
“Kim is definitely a leader on the team. Academically, she is extremely bright and works really hard. She is out there practicing day-in and day-out,” Elliott said. “She is just one of those kids that has the right mentality and work ethic. It is really exciting to see, and I think her teammates really enjoy seeing that too.”
Dinh and the rest of the Wisconsin squad will look to bring their recent success to Dallas for the SMU/Dallas Athletic Club Invitation this coming weekend.
