Sharon Heights Tests the Best, and Hyo Joo Kim Is Rising to the Occasion

After 35 years covering professional golf, I’ve learned that the best tournaments reveal something true about the players who thrive in them. Friday’s action at the Fortinet Founders Cup told me plenty about where Hyo Joo Kim’s game is headed—and why the LPGA field should pay attention.

Kim’s four-stroke lead after two rounds looks commanding on the surface, but what impressed me more was how she navigated Sharon Heights’ particular demands. This golf course isn’t flashy. It won’t make highlight reels with dramatic eagle runs. Instead, it’s a precision instrument that punishes wayward tee shots and rewards course management—exactly the kind of venue that separates the tactically sound players from the ones who rely on feel and flair.

A Course That Demands Respect

Listen to what the players themselves are saying about this layout. Jeeno Thitikul, the world’s top-ranked player, put it plainly after her solid 66 in the afternoon:

“You have to be on the fairway first. Find the fairway. The rough was rough.”

That’s not poetry. That’s not even particularly clever commentary. It’s honest assessment, the kind you hear from professionals who’ve just spent four hours in combat with an unforgiving course. And it matters.

In my experience caddying for Tom Lehman back in the ’90s, I learned that Tom thrived on courses like this—tree-lined, demanding accuracy, where the greens don’t give you second chances. Those events revealed who had genuinely worked on their craft versus who was coasting on natural talent. The Founders Cup appears to be that kind of stage.

Nelly Korda, who skipped the Asia swing to rest after her season-opening victory in Florida, added another layer of insight:

“It’s tricky. You really have to shape it out here. Some of the trees are a little bit intimidating and the greens are tough, too. Not only are they really undulated, but sometimes they’re a little bit harder to read, too.”

That combination—intimidating visuals, reading greens—describes exactly the kind of mental challenge that separates good weeks from great ones.

Kim’s Quiet Resurgence

Here’s what strikes me about Hyo Joo Kim’s position: she’s not dominating through pure fireworks. Yes, she made that spectacular eagle on 18 Thursday for a 9-under 63. But Friday, she shot a 70 while expanding her lead. That’s the mark of a player whose game has matured.

The South Korean star is ranked eighth in the world, and she’s playing like someone who understands exactly what these early-season events demand. She bogeyed two holes, recovered with three birdies, and closed her round with a clutch 6-foot birdie on the par-3 eighth. That’s not lucky golf. That’s disciplined golf.

What’s particularly interesting to me is Kim’s trajectory. She won the 2015 Founders Cup as a rookie—a memory she described as

“unforgettable because it was my first win as an LPGA member.”

Eleven years is a long drought between titles at this particular event. But she’s coming into this week off a third-place finish in Thailand, which tells me her game is traveling well. She’s also the defending champion at next week’s Ford Championship at Wild Horse Pass in Arizona. That’s back-to-back weeks where she can stake a serious claim on relevance heading into the major championship season.

The Depth Below

I’d be remiss not to acknowledge the field packed behind Kim. Gaby Lopez at 7-under is playing steady golf. Thitikul and Korda sit just two shots back at 6-under, alongside an impressive group that includes Minjee Lee, Aditi Ashok, Karis Davidson, Hye-Jin Choi, and Jin Hee Im.

Lee’s comment after her round perfectly captured the mindset of serious contenders:

“A little bit of things to clean up, but I think I’m in a pretty nice position going into the weekend.”

That’s the sound of a player who knows where she stands and believes she can tighten things up over 36 more holes. The fact that eight of the top 10 players in world rankings are here suggests the LPGA has successfully created an early-season event with legitimate teeth.

Why This Matters Beyond This Week

The Founders Cup kicks off a critical four-tournament stretch in the West before the first major championship of the year. In my decades covering professional golf, I’ve noticed that winners in these foundational weeks often carry momentum into the majors. They’ve solved problems, gained confidence, and learned about their games in real competitive conditions.

Kim looks poised to be that kind of winner. But Sharon Heights won’t hand her anything. The course’s design—those intimidating trees, those undulating greens that lie about their slopes—demands that she execute for 72 more holes. Four strokes is cushion, not insurance.

If she closes it out, it’ll say something important: that Hyo Joo Kim is no longer searching for her next win. She’s found her form, and the LPGA’s best players need to be ready for what comes next.