KAHUKU — Kimberly Kim's overall assessment of her opening-round 1-over 73 in the SBS Open at Turtle Bay?

"I didn't want to be over par, but I guess it was kinda OK," said the 15-year-old Hilo native, who got an exemption to play in her first LPGA event as the reigning U.S. Women's Amateur champion.

Her goal for today's second round in the LPGA Tour's season opener at the Palmer Course?

"I want to shoot under par."

Kim, who now lives in Arizona, certainly had her chances yesterday as she averaged 291 yards on the two measured drives at 10 and 12.

But she had three three-putts, including one from 7 feet at the par-4 17th hole where she went from birdie to bogey in a heart beat.

"She hit the ball solid. Except for the three-putts, she played very well," said Kent Chase, Kim's caddie and swing coach.

Kim three-putted right out of the gate at the par-4 first hole. She made a "fantastic shot from the left rough," according to Chase, to set up a birdie at the par-5 third to get back to even, but three-putted the par-3 fourth.

She then bounced back with a birdie at No. 5.

"That's how the round went. Bogey, birdie, bogey, birdie," said Kim, who last summer became the youngest Women's Amateur champion in the 106-year history of the USGA event at the age of 14.

Still, she scraped through her round for a reasonable chance to survive today's 36-hole cut. Kim is tied for 51st with 12 others and the cut is 70 and ties.

"I want to make the cut, that's for sure," said Kim, who headed right for the putting green after her late afternoon round.

"I made a lot of up-and-downs," Kim said about her par saves. Her best came at the par-4 10th when she pitched to 2 feet from a gnarly greenside lie halfway down the back of the green.

Her only errant tee shot of the day — into the trees on the next hole — led to the only bogey that wasn't the result of a three-putt.

Again, showing a resiliency belying her youth, Kim came back with a two-putt birdie at the par-5 12th to pull even again for the day.

She ran off four straight pars until the 17th, and wound up with 31 putts for the round.

"I was hitting my driver really solid, but the greens weren't holding that well for me. But I made a lot of saves, too," said Kim, who along with Arizona teenager Taylore Karle, are the only amateurs in the 138-player field.

Kim wasn't intimidated playing against the LPGA pros.

"It's not that different like a junior tournament. It's just golf," she said.