Rolex All-Americans Bailey Shoemaker, Frances Kim Sign With USC Women's Golf
Rolex All-American standouts Bailey Shoemaker from Dade City, Fla., and Frances Kim from Rolling Hills Estates, Calif., have signed national letters of intent with the USC women's golf team Trojan Head Coach Justin Silverstein announced Wednesday (Nov. 9).
Shoemaker is a two-time Rolex All-American, including a first-team selection this year whose impressive 2022 season has seen her reach the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur, make the cut at the 2022 U.S. Open and debut at the Augusta National Women's Amateur.
Kim earned Rolex All-American second team honors this year during a strong 2022 that saw her post one AJGA win, three more top 3 finishes and another two in the top 16.
"Bailey is coming to USC with one of the best junior golf and amateur golf records we have ever recruited," Silverstein said. "She has been committed to USC for a very long time and we appreciate Bailey and her family trusting us with her academic and athletic future. We expect Bailey to come in and be an immediate contributor and help keep us in the top tier of college golf. I know her expectations far exceed ours and we look forward to working with her to get her golf game to the absolute highest level possible.
"(Assistant Coach) Tiffany (Joh) and I are also so pumped to have Frances sign and be part of our program. Over the past couple of years, few, if any, junior golfers have improved at the rate that Frances has. We believe that our player development system combined with her talent and work ethic will help lead her game to new heights. Frances is an amazing student who has also shown the ability to play great team golf throughout her high school career."
Shoemaker's 2022 featured numerous highlights. She tied for 49th at the U.S. Women's Open and also made the cut at The Ascendant LPGA Benefiting Volunteers of America (in her second appearance there), tying for 65th. During a brilliant debut at the U.S. Women's Amateur, her run to the semifinals featured a win over her future USC teammate Amari Avery.
Shoemaker qualified for the U.S. Open by winning the Willoughby Golf Club qualifier at 1-under 143 not long after she was runner-up in the U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball Championship. She played in her first Augusta National Women's Amateur and also became the first junior to win the Florida Women's Amateur in the event's 93-year history.
For all of that, she was named the 2022 Florida State Golf Association Women's Amateur Player of the Year.
In 2021, Shoemaker represented the U.S. in the Junior Solheim Cup and won the Sung Hyun Park Junior Championship. She is a three-time New York State Girls Junior champion and has twice earned low-amateur honors in the Florida Women's Open. In 2018, she tied for second in the Girls 12-13 Division of the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship.
"We are super excited to bring Bailey and Frances into our family," Joh said. "Bailey's golf resume obviously speaks for itself, but I'm really excited about the fire and competitive spirit that she'll bring to the team. I think with our strength of schedule and the player development program Justin has at USC, it will elevate her even further as a golfer."
Kim, a senior at Palos Verdes (Calif.) High, won the UNIQLO/Adam Scott Junior Championship in February of 2022, took, second at the Se Ri Pak Desert Junior and tied for third at both The Rochford Foundation / Dave Stockton Junior Championship and Ping An Bank Junior Championship.
She won a trio of SCPGA events in 2021 and had two other top 10s.
"Frances is another really accomplished golfer who is also a local player from just down the 110 freeway," Joh said. "She has been tearing up the junior golf circuit this past summer and I'm really excited to see her bring her strong work ethic to our program and add some additional depth to our squad."