S.H.

Kim

Kim has opened his rookie campaign with finishes of T36 and T13 at the Fortinet Championship and Sanderson Farms Championship. He showed no signs of slowing down this week and walked out of Las Vegas with a new personal best on the PGA TOUR. The highlight of his week was his driving as he walked off the course ranked 2nd in the field in strokes gained off-the-tee (+4.4). Kim bagged five top 10s on the Korn Ferry Tour last season and he’s proving early that his game translates to the big stage.

Kim opened his rookie campaign with a T36 in Napa, a result bettered by only four other rookies. He was T3 after day one that week and finds himself in a similar spot today. He was also T2 thru 36 holes of last season’s CJ CUP so he continues to flash into contention early in his TOUR career. The highlight of his round today was a hole-out birdie from the greenside bunker at the par-4 17th. He walked off the course ranked inside of the top 10 in strokes gained around-the-green as well as putting. It’s still early in the season but he’s quickly established himself as one of the leading candidates for Rookie of the Year.

The South Korean was playing his first round as a PGA TOUR member and admitted to feeling the nerves. “Definitely the first two holes I was really nervous, nerve wracking, but then I had a birdie on No. 3 and a couple more birdies after that, I felt more comfortable.” He opened his day with a seven-footer to save par but that birdie at the third is what settled him in. He would go on to pelt 14 greens and gain 2.8 strokes putting. This is just his first PGA TOUR start but won’t be his first taste of success as he was T2 thru 36 holes of THE CJ CUP last fall.

The 23-year-old South Korean, who also finished solo third at the 2022 Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, came into the week at No. 190 in the Official World Golf Ranking and was the only player in the field ranked inside the top 200. He moved up to No. 166 in the world rankings on Monday. Kim earned his spot on the KFT this year after finishing on the number (T-39) at the Qualifying Tournament last November, guaranteeing himself starts in the first eight 2022 events. Kim has several international victories on his resume including the 2021 Japan PGA Championship on the Japan Golf Tour, and the 2020 KPGA Championship, where he became the first player in the history of the Korean Tour to win an event as a Monday qualifier.

World No. 190 cracked the field this week through his position on the OWGR (two other Koreans on that exemption category were Byeong Hun An and Sung Kang). For Kim, he’s making good use of his rare opportunity to play on the big stage. Last year’s CJ CUP was his debut on the PGA TOUR (T52). This week, he’s off to the races with 12 birdies and an eagle with just one bogey to his name. Where has he been getting the job done? It’s been a well-balanced attack with 1.96 strokes gained off-the-tee, 2.37 strokes gained on approach, and 2.38 strokes gained putting. Regardless of how he finishes, this week will surely be a confidence booster to see himself contended with some of the world’s best.