PORTLAND CLASSIC

August 13, 2026

Grace Kim

Columbia Edgewater Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Here with Grace Kim after her first round here at the Standard Portland Classic. Got off to a really great start; three birdies in a row. How did that maybe set the tone for the rest of the round?

GRACE KIM: I mean, I always enjoy coming back to Portland. Columbia Edgewater is obviously one of the nicest golf courses out here. The greens are rolling pure.

So, yes, having that three-birdie start is just a nice feeling to kickstart things. Knowing that there is still heaps more to play, only round one, and another half of the field to go, yeah, just wanted to keep going.

Q. A lot of scoring opportunities for and you a lot of the other players out here. What's kind of the key to putting yourself in those scoring opportunities here?

GRACE KIM: I think, you know, a lot of us out here are pretty straight, fairways and greens. But in terms of holing all those putts -- knowing that the greens roll quite true and not as bumpy, it's really nice to just put a stroke on it and see where it would normally go.

So, yeah, making sure you hole all those putts. I think what I had today was, yeah, really nice.

Q. Really took advantage of the par-5s as well. How much of an importance was that to this round?

GRACE KIM: Yeah, I mean, knowing there are those gettable holes, making sure you do take opportunity where you can push it to hit it on the green for two and, you know, might be a pretty simple two putt, but at the same time, not really taking advantage, like not thinking too far ahead I guess.

It's still a par-5. There is still water in play or bunkers in play. So making sure you do really stay in the present but at the same time, stay aggressive.

Q. And then only 24 putts for you. Was that just a product of you were rolling the putts in or hitting it short with your approach game? What was the key there?

GRACE KIM: I think it was a combo of both, which is always nice; hitting some close where I just have an easy tap-in. But I think I hit a lot of putts -- or holed a lot of putts that were inside ten feet, and that definitely boosted my confidence going onto the next few holes.

So just seeing them go in the hole, my lines and pace match up was really comforting.

Q. And then last one: What do you take away from this round heading into the rest of the week?

GRACE KIM: Yeah, I mean, again, like you said, it's a birdiefest out here, so making sure I stay in the present, not get too greedy, and, yeah, just try and make heaps of birdies out there.