South Korea’s Kim Joo-hyung, 20, soars to historic first PGA Tour win

August 8, 2022

The 20-year-old shot a nine-under 61 to clinch a snug five-shot victory in North Carolina, making him the primary participant born within the 2000s to win on the Tour. Jordan Spieth, a 19-year-old champion on the John Deere Basic in 2015, is the one participant to have carried out so at a youthful age since 1932.

Compatriot Im Sung-jae and American John Huh tied for second at 15-under.

The triumph sees Kim mechanically be a part of the Tour as a full-time member and stamps his ticket to the FedEx Cup Playoffs subsequent week, the place he’ll compete to qualify for the Tour Championship at East Lake, Atlanta, in August.

After six tournaments in below two months — together with top-50 finishes on the US and British Opens — the teenager’s latest breakneck journey appears set to be prolonged.

“I have been dwelling two weeks this 12 months, so I used to be like, ‘You already know what? Safe my PGA Tour card for subsequent season, I can return and chill out for per week,’ however I assume that is not going to occur,” Kim informed reporters.

“It will be my eighth week in a row if I make it to the Tour Championship. It is loads of golf, however I am having fun with it and I am honored to play on the PGA Tour, it is unbelievable.”

Thomas the Tank

It was a historic win recorded in historic style as Kim, having shot a quadruple bogey on his opening gap of the occasion, tore by way of the front-nine on the closing day.

After capturing 67, 64, 68 on the par-70 course, the South Korean started Sunday at nine-under. By the flip, he was 17-under after 5 birdies and an eagle on the fifth noticed Kim’s 27 tie the second-lowest nine-hole rating in PGA Tour historical past, in accordance to the Tour.

A bogey on the tenth supplied the only blemish on the 20-year-old’s scorecard, as back-to-back birdies on the fifteenth and sixteenth put the gloss on a powerful win, made all of the extra spectacular given the disastrous begin.

Kim is the primary participant because the PGA Tour’s hole-by-hole information monitoring started in 1983 to shoot a quadruple bogey or worse on the opening gap and win, in accordance to the Tour.

“It is loopy. I’ve by no means gained a golf event beginning with a quad,” Kim mentioned.

“I informed myself from the beginning of the week, ‘Simply have enjoyable, get pleasure from it, you’ve got received your card already, simply get pleasure from each single second of it and simply have enjoyable and simply do not get too intense about it.’

“However this again 9 was loopy, it was most likely probably the most intense spherical I’ve performed. My putter felt like 200 kilos at this time, I am not going to lie.”

Quizzed on his nickname, Kim mentioned he had named himself as a baby after the beloved fictional prepare, Thomas the Tank Engine. Pushed on by chants of ‘Let’s go, Tom’ all through, one among Kim’s golf equipment incorporates a image of the famed blue prepare.

“You are imagined to let your dad and mom identify your self and I used to be like, nope, I am to call myself Thomas,” Kim revealed.

“I cherished the present as a child. I have never watched it or something, however apparently, I actually cherished the prepare … as years went on, individuals began calling me Tom, it was shorter, so I went with Tom after that.”