Kim Joo-hyung not letting early PGA success get to his head
Tom Kim kisses the trophy after winning the Shriners Children's Open golf tournament, Sunday, Oct. 9, in Las Vegas. AP-Yonhap
His birth certificate may say he is 20 years old, but Kim Joo-hyung, now a two-time winner on the PGA Tour following a bogey-free victory in Las Vegas on Sunday, feels like he is "a 5-year-old at Disneyland."
Such is the level of excitement that borders on disbelief for Kim, who shot 24-under 260 to claim the Shriners Children's Open at TPC Summerlin, three shots over Patrick Cantlay and Matthew NeSmith, both of the United States.
Kim is the first player since Tiger Woods in 1996 to reach two career wins on the tour before turning 21.
And this is quite the heady stuff for Kim, who did not have full-time status on the tour just this summer and used his special temporary membership to collect FedEx Cup points for tour card this season. Kim capped off that impressive run with his maiden victory at the Wyndham Championship in August, and win No. 2 came about two months later in his first tournament of the 2022-2023 season.
"It's really amazing. A few months ago, I didn't have any status in the U.S., and now being a two-time winner on the tour, having that place with Tiger, it's an unbelievable feeling for me," Kim said at his press conference. "It's an honor for me, and it's definitely a dream come true."
It has been a whirlwind of a few months for Kim. After his rookie season ended, Kim also made his mark for the International Team at the Presidents Cup. Even though his team lost to the U.S., Kim was considered one of the brightest stars, with clips of his exuberant celebrations going viral.
Asked if he was dealing with any fatigue in the midst of all this, Kim smiled and said, "I'm playing on the PGA Tour as a 20-year-old. It's hard to get tired from this. I'm a 5-year-old at Disneyland, for sure."
"My expectations were just to be out here and just hopefully I can win," Kim said. "But I'm not going to lie; I've been very fortunate, and hopefully, I have a lot more in the bag."
Tom Kim plays his shot from the 12th tee during the final round of the Shriners Children's Open at TPC Summerlin on Oct. 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP-Yonhap
Kim's fellow tour players have already recognized his talent, publicly anointing him as the future world No. 1, major champion and, in the words of the American player Max Homa, "a rock star."
Kim insisted before the Shriners Children's Open that he was still the same person, and his perspective didn't change even after the victory.
"I've still got a long way to go, and I want to hopefully have a long career on the PGA Tour," he said. "There's a lot of guys out here who have a lot more success than me, so I've got to learn and I've got to keep playing better."
Kim was locked in a match play-like duel with Cantlay down the stretch. The two began the final round as the co-leaders at 19-under. Kim saw his two-stroke lead disappear with two holes to go, and they were still tied at 24-under standing on the 18th tee.
That's where disaster struck for Cantlay, who found waste bunker off the tee and then water in front of the green en route to a triple bogey.
Even as his playing partner was falling apart, Kim said he wasn't paying attention to what others were doing.
"When you have a two-shot lead and you have a guy like Patrick coming at you, no lead is safe," Kim said. "I just had to really focus on my own game. Whether I win or not, as long as I execute my shots and do what I need to do, that's all I focused on, and I'm just grateful to be on top. I just stayed really patient."
Kim declined to share specific career goals for himself ― "I think goals really stay within the team," he said ― and reiterated his need to keep working on his game.
"There's some weaknesses that I need to get better at, and I need to keep the strengths that I have," he said. "I can't get satisfied at all. I've just got to keep working on my game, and hopefully there's a lot of good things along the way." (Yonhap)