When Sara Im qualified for her first U.S. Women’s Open as an amateur, she signed up for a qualifier, not knowing what to expect. In fact, the sophomore golfer didn’t expect much at all.
“I think I was 17, and I went to [a qualifier]; usually, whether you’re playing well or not, you go to a qualifier just to drive. Like, why not?” Im told the Hustler. “[Part of me] I knew I could, but could I? [Suddenly], I was going to qualify.”
Im started her golf journey when her dad introduced her to the sport at a young age — but, surprisingly, that wasn’t the sport she showed a passion for at the start of her athletic career
“I didn’t even start playing golf by playing golf,” Im said. “[My Dad] used to throw one of those wiffle balls at me, and apparently I would hit it really solid with a bat. He didn’t want me playing softball, because he just didn’t want me getting hurt, so he decided to start me on golf.”
The Duluth, Georgia, native then began to compete in junior tournaments. At age 13, she won the Drive, Chip & Putt competition at nationals in her home state of Georgia, winning at Augusta National Golf Club — where the Masters is played. A member of the American Junior Golf Association, she played a rigorous tournament schedule, qualifying four times on tour as an AJGA Rolex Junior All-American.
“I feel like I had a pretty good junior career,” Im said. “I’ve played most of the tournaments with the best competitions or fields. Honestly, it was just a great experience overall, meeting all those people and having all those experiences before coming here.”
For Im, nothing compares to winning her first event on the AJGA tour, which she won at the age of 14.
“Winning [the tournament] back [at the age of] 14 gave me confidence to know that I can compete against these great players, and gave me the push to pursue golf even more,” Im said. “[I thought]: maybe [I can] work harder on [golf] and maybe I can do this.”
When the recruiting process started, Im didn’t have a school in mind. With no dream school, she began to look everywhere, searching for a place that was the perfect distance from home. Vanderbilt came into play late into the recruiting process — in fact, the Commodores’ coaches were the last ones that Im talked to.
“I think I started talking to schools back in June of the summer going into my junior year, and I ended up talking to Vanderbilt later in August, so [it] kind of came in late in the game,” Im said. “The reason why I decided to come here is because, when I visited, everything just felt very right.”
Im competed in six events as a first-year, highlighted by an 11th-place finish in the St. Andrews Links Collegiate and a career-low 70 in the third round of the Carmel Cup. She also competed in the SEC Championships and in the first round of the NCAA Championships.
After her first year wrapped up at Vanderbilt, Im set about using the summer to improve. But one tournament from that summer stands out: the Georgia Women’s Amateur Championship. With a birdie on Hole 18, Im won the event for the second time in her career (2020), earning an exemption into the U.S. Women’s Amateur Golf Championship.
“I love that tournament just because I have so much history with that tour,” Im said. “GSGA hosts that tournament, and I have so much history with them. I was honored just winning it once — not a lot of people get to win the Georgia Women’s Amateur, so winning it twice was just amazing.”
But for Im, the tournament meant so much more than just a win.
“I was going through a really rough patch my freshman year,” Im said. “I was not playing well; I wasn’t really playing the lineup. But over the summer, I was gradually getting better. With golf, results don’t come in an instant. So I feel like that was a really big turning point — me winning that tournament — just knowing that my hard work did pay off. It’s hard when you’re not playing well to keep your confidence up, [so] you just really have to believe in yourself that the results will come if you just keep working hard.”
The sophomore credits her coaches and Vanderbilt’s team culture for helping her get through that first-year rough patch.
“My coaches helped me find the right people to go to for me to get my game in the right place,” Im said. “And then my team — they’re always so supportive. Even through my rough patch, so many people came to me and asked if [I] needed any help or if [I] needed someone to talk to. I love them.”
Im took off running her sophomore season, posting three top-10 finishes and five top-20 performances. She finished 10th individually at the Carmel Cup, contributing to Vanderbilt’s win with a 2-under 70 to finish the final round of the tournament. The Black and Gold had four top-three tournament finishes throughout the fall and spring.
Im’s best individual performance in stroke play was at the Mason Rudolph Championship, Vanderbilt’s only home match of the season at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tennessee. Im shot a career-low 6-under 66 during Round Two, propelling the ‘Dores to a top-five finish. For the sophomore, that tournament stood out among the others.
“We only get one home event every year. Like other sports, you get multiple, but you just get one with golf,” Im said. “I played really well over there. It was really nice because obviously all the families come out, all the friends come out. I [had] just finished on [Hole] 18, and I missed a 10-footer to tie the lead at the time, [and] everyone was so supportive. They all kept just saying ‘I’m so proud and happy for you,’ just because they know what I’ve been through and how hard I’ve worked. It reminded me that I just honestly love my team and [that] they’ll be with [me] through highs and lows.”
The biggest thing that changed for her, though, came off the greens, sands and ponds of the golf course.
“The one thing that has gone better that I haven’t talked about is my mental game,” Im said. “I’m not so anxious about hitting a bad shot, and honestly, playing good golf makes golf a lot more fun. I’m just trying to have a lot of fun out there on the golf course.”
The key to achieving that mentality? Being a goldfish.
“One thing you have to do out on the golf course is forget a bad shot. Forget it happened, because if it stays in your head, it’s just gonna stay with you the whole round,” Im said. “Moving on and being a goldfish — remembering again you’ve worked hard for this — will show off if you just be patient. A lot of things with golf are just being patient, if you can’t tell, but the mental game has changed a lot because I play shot by shot now. I don’t think ahead. I’m in the present.”
Im’s biggest priority for the seasons ahead is to focus on helping her team. She wants to be the best version of herself at every tournament the Commodores enter.
“I want to be able to contribute to what our team does for this program, whether that be inspiring young golfers or just winning the first round of [the] SEC [Tournament],” Im said. “I just want to be able to do my best out there and not give up because every stroke matters out there.”
Im’s ultimate goal is to go pro — and she’s well on her way to doing so. She has already played in one U.S. Women’s Open, qualifying for the 2022 tournament by shooting a 5-under-par 139 at Dunwoody Country Club in Atlanta, Georgia, to earn the second and final qualifying spot at that location.
“It’s one day, 36 holes and that’s it, but I was having a really good day,” Im said. “I was hitting every green, and I was making every putt. After [Hole] 18 I was playing pretty well, and I was like, ‘I’m not gonna look at the leaderboard.’ I [didn’t] want to get caught up in what other people are shooting. So after [Hole] 36 I was up by four strokes. It was kind of surreal; I was like, ‘Wait, I’m literally playing the U.S. Open at [age] 17.’ It was an unbelievable feeling. That just gave me more confidence, knowing hopefully I can do this one day later on, and just knowing that I’m able to compete against the best.”
Despite missing the cut with a final 36-hole score of 6-over, after the first two days of play at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina, Im said that the experience gave her even more confidence than she had from qualifying.
“Going to the U.S. Women’s Open was like another unreal experience,” Im said. “Even though I didn’t make the cut, I still played [decently] and it was amazing to see how the pros played, how they thought and how they communicated with their caddies. I’ve never had a professional caddy; it’s usually just like my dad, but it was really cool seeing how they interacted. Hopefully, I could do [this] again sooner rather than later.”
Even though she has one more season until then, Im is looking forward to what the future — specifically her senior year — will bring.
“Even though it’s a stat, I think I’ll be crying a lot senior year because I [won’t] want to leave,” Im said. “I’ve seen a few seniors go by and they seem so excited for the next chapter and what they’re gonna do after [Vanderbilt]. The two seniors that I have seen went pro. That’s ultimately my goal: to be on the LPGA [tour] and be No. 1 at one point. My senior year, I can give my all and have no regrets.”
Im and Vanderbilt Women’s Golf will compete in the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships at Keene Trace Golf Club in Lexington, Kentucky, in the Lexington Regional from May 5-7.
