MANSFIELD — Maybe the third time will be the charm for St. Peter’s golfer Joy Kim.

Now if the weather will just cooperate.

A senior, Kim will make her third trip to the Division II state tournament beginning Sunday at Firestone County Club’s Fazio Course in Akron. The two-day, 36-hole event concludes Monday.

Unless Mother Nature intervenes again.

Rain forced the cancellation of the second day of competition at last year’s event at Heatherwoods Golf Club in Springboro. Kim shot an opening-round 2-over 73, good for a tie for fifth place.

“I was only three stokes out of first place (after the opening round), so I just told myself I can do better tomorrow,” Kim said after a short range session at Deer Ridge on a sun-soaked Thursday afternoon. “But the second round was canceled because of the weather.”

Columbus Academy’s Eva Lim won the individual state title with a 1-under 70.

“Last year was really a heart-breaker because we were in it,” St. Peter’s coach Jason Crundwell said. “On the second day Joy was ready to go. We were absolutely heart-broken when they called it.”

Sunday’s opening round could be in jeopardy as remnants of Hurricane Isaias are expected to lash parts of Ohio during the overnight hours and into Sunday. The exact path of the storm isn’t known, but the region will almost certainly feel its effects.

“The last I heard it was going to stay south (of Akron),” Crundwell said. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

Kim played Firestone’s Fazio Course at the 2024 state tournament. She carded a two-day total of 164, finishing 13th.

“Having experience on this course should help me,” Kim said. “I think I can play better than I did two years ago.”

The road back to the state tournament has been a bumpy one for Kim. She finished second at the Valley View sectional with a 78 and tied for fourth at the Sycamore Springs district with an 87.

“I changed my swing a lot this year,” said Kim, who returned to Korea over the summer to work with her personal coach. “I’ve been working on a lot of things, trying to get comfortable.”

Crundwell isn’t concerned.

“Joy has struggled with a few things this year, but she knows how to fix it,” Crundwell said. “With the caliber of play she’s going up against, she always steps up.”

Kim will face a loaded field in Akron. All four of the golfers who finished ahead of her at last year’s state tournament qualified again this year.

So what are her expectations?

“I just want to play my best,” Kim said. “I don’t care what place I get as long as I play well.

“It’s my last year to play at state, so I hope I can do better than I did last year.”