Macarthur Kim mentioned the toughest part of his Thursday morning round at Sugarloaf Golf Club matter-of-factly, the way someone might describe chunking an approach shot into a pond.

“I shot 90, but I had a partial seizure on the 10th hole,” Kim said. “It’s been happening to me for a while now.”

Kim, 16, has battled epilepsy on and off the course for more than a year, since suffering his first grand mal seizure on July 10, 2013.

True to his form and personality, the Paris player found a way to finish the round and complete his 54-hole journey at the American Junior Golf Association Coca-Cola Championships. Kim’s opposition hailed from 14 other states, Canada and the Dominican Republic.

“It’s very challenging. This was the first time I ever played Sugarloaf. Robert Trent Jones did a beautiful job designing it, and they do a wonderful job maintaining it,” Kim said. “I enjoyed this summer so much. I was able to play in some amazing tournaments.”

In addition to a top-10 finish in the Maine State Golf Association Junior Amateur at Val Halla in Cumberland, Kim also was one of the youngest golfers to tee it up in the Maine Amateur at Woodlands Club in Falmouth.

He has chased it all while newly battling a neurological disorder that affects 65 million people around the world, including more than two million Americans. Notable athletes who have battled the condition include the NBA’s Bobby Jones, NFL’s Alan Faneca and champion cyclist Marion Clignet.

Six out of 10 suffer the seizures without a known cause. Kim, who said he has a 7-millimeter lesion in his brain, is in the minority. While there is no cure, treatment usually consists of medication and lifestyle changes.

“I’ve modified my diet,” Kim said. “I cut out carbs and all sugar. Just protein, water and vegetables. It has helped a lot. Medicine can really help, but sometimes it makes you feel loopy.”

For an active teenager, the seizures often put many rites of passage, such as obtaining a driver’s license, on the back burner.

Kim, who was the No. 2 player at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School as a sophomore, has seen an impact on his golf scorecard, as well.

“It has affected my game,” he said. “My handicap is three or four shots higher than it was before this happened. I just need to keep playing through it and trust in God’s plan.”

Of course, he acknowledged, veering away from the home cooking of Norway Country Club to some of the toughest courses in the state could have something to do with that.

Kim was credited with a tie for 72nd at the Maine Amateur, where he shot 83 and 85.

“I didn’t think the event was that intimidating. The course just kicked my butt,” Kim said. “But the more you play on hard courses, you learn to learn to play better and start to kick back.”

His best round at Carrabassett Valley was Wednesday’s second-round 85.

“I didn’t play as well I hoped, but it was a great experience,” Kim said. “I thank God for giving me the opportunity just to play. I know in the future I can do a little better. It was amazing competition.”

The medical issues have taught Kim patience.

It’s an element he admittedly hopes to employ more effectively on the golf course, especially the greens, where Kim said he tends to rush.

Speaking of which, there is no rest in the offing for Kim, who will start his fall season with the Vikings this week.

“We had the individual state champion (Cam Letourneau, now a senior) and were 12-0 in conference matches,” he said. “Hopefully it’s another great season.”

koakes@sunjournal.com

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