It’s easy to forget that there are things in life that are just bigger than golf. It should go without saying, but let this story be a gentle reminder that though this game may mean a lot to a lot of us—it’s not everything.
The word cancer often feels like a dark cloud suspended around you. For many of us, it’s a word that’s scary, unnerving, and just flat out uncomfortable to wrap your mind around. Though not all cancers are created equal—there’s still quite a stigma around what to do when someone is faced with a diagnosis.
Now put yourself in then 33-year-old Kim Kaufman’s shoes. You’re about to enter the final week of competition on the Epson Tour, the official qualifying tour of the LPGA, and you’re ranked 14th in the Race for the Card competition. Those who are in the top 15 of that list earn LPGA status for the following season. You shoot an opening round 74 at the Epson Tour Championship, where ultimately miss the cut, finish 16th in the standings, and you missed out on your LPGA card by one spot.
It was a brutal, heartbreaking reality that Kaufman was faced with, but what came next made a missed cut seem frivolous.
A week after the championship, Kaufman was diagnosed with stage 2b breast cancer after doctors found a mass during a routine exam in September 2024.
On December 3rd, 2024, the week of Q School, she took to Instagram announcing her diagnosis and that she would be unable to compete in the final stage of Q School. Kaufman wrote, “I underwent a lumpectomy about 3 weeks ago and will start radiation (and possibly chemo) in the coming weeks. Obviously, Q School was just not possible this year. While I am a little bummed after having my best season in several years, those that have faced a similar diagnosis will understand that golf seems so insignificant right now.”
For more than a decade, Kaufman has battled the woes of professional golf. Missing cuts, embarking on the Q School journey after difficult seasons, but this year, she was forced to undergo a different type of battle—and she made it out the other side.
It was nearly a seven month long treatment process, but in April of this year, the now 34-year-old finished her chemo and completed her radiation in June and doctors deemed her cancer-free.
And though she wasn’t back to full competition mode on Epson, Kaufman was putting in the work and grinding it out in the pre-qualifying and qualifying stages of Q-School.
“I’ve been at this for 12 years, playing on the Epson Tour in my 30s. I’ve been struggling a bit, but I really missed it,” Kaufman said in a story for the LPGA. “I was watching golf on TV, and I was like, ‘Man, I want to get out there.’ And I have been so motivated to practice and in the gym. So honestly, it was a little bit of a reboot, and I got kind of re-inspired.”
During the second stage in October, Kaufman finished 29th to advance to the final stage with a two-shot margin. But the golf wasn’t where her focus lied. This time around she was playing a little bit more freely. She wasn’t holding herself hostage in focusing on the leaderboard and certain score, but rather putting her energy in enjoying the game she loves.
“I came in with the goal of committing to every shot, really focusing on the process, not getting caught up in the leaderboard and the scores, Kaufman said after advancing to LPGA Q Series.
Kaufman’s athletic mentality allowed her to approach her recovery with a clearer mind, understanding that the fight against cancer is every bit of a mental disease as it is a physical one—and that’s what makes her such force as we look to Q Series.
It’s golf’s greatest test. With 90 holes of competition, these players will be pushed to the absolute limits, but you can’t play scared. When your dreams are on the line you have to go for every single shot, and I believe that there’s isn’t a person in the field that understands that more than Kim Kaufman.
She’s a warrior, and her next battle begins Thursday, December 4th, 2025 at 8:22 a.m. ET. Almost a year to the day, when she let the world in on her biggest feat yet. There isn’t a person I’m rooting for more than her.
And to every man and woman reading this, please schedule a visit to get a breast exam—it just may save your life.
Related: 12 Players to Watch at LPGA Q School
