A marathon day due to storm delays turned into a sprint for Kim. He finished the morning’s third round two shots behind, then shot a 27 on the front nine to put the rest of the field behind him. No one came close the rest of the way. The win gave Kim direct entry to the PGA Tour, making him eligible for the FedEx Cup playoffs that begin next week. He’s the No. 34 seed, certain to play two postseason events and a reasonable chance to reach the final at East Lake. Sungjae Im, who finished seven holes Sunday morning to take the 54-hole lead, had a 68 and tied for second with John Huh (67).
The Youngest PGA TOUR Winners – The Last 60 Years
AgeJordan Spieth, 201319-352Joohyung Kim, 202220-47Matthew Wolff, 201920-88Raymond Floyd, 196320-194Phil Mickelson, 199120-208Tiger Woods 2929-2926Tiger Woods, 199120-208 Kim is the first PGA Tour winner born after 2000. Jordan Spieth was 19 when he won the John Deere Classic for his first tour win. “I can’t believe it,” Kim said, then added with a laugh, “I didn’t know golf was his stress.” It certainly didn’t look that way for Kim, who opened the tournament with a quadruple-bogey 8, put it in for a laugh and then finished the week at 20-under 260 at Sedgefield Country Club. It was very stressful for others, even those who weren’t playing. The upset belonged to Justin Lower, who was on pace to break into the FedEx Cup top 125 to reach the postseason and secure a full card for next season. But on the final hole, Lower hit his 60-foot birdie putt a little too steady. That left him with a 6-foot par putt that would have put him inside the top 125. He missed it to the right and was wiping away tears as he left the green. “I don’t really know what I’m thinking. It sucks to come out so short,” Lower said. “Obviously I had some help with the LIV guys and whatnot — I don’t even know if I’m allowed to say that. But I don’t know. There are positives. But right now, it’s just crap.” The tour suspended players who signed with Saudi-sponsored LIV Golf and did not count among the top 125 in the FedEx Cup. Lower was tied for No. 128 entering the final regular-season event. Fowler looked unlucky when he missed the cut Friday at No. 123. But several players faded over the weekend, like Brian Steward, so Fowler can extend his season at least another week at FedEx St. Jude Championship next week. Two players were knocked out of the top 125 — Matt Wallace (124) and Austin Smotherman (125), who needed par on the final hole of the second round and took the double bogey. Max McGreevy, who tied for No. 126, tied for fifth to move to No. 104. The other went to Kim, who was not part of the standings until he accepted inclusion with his win. Along with a pair of top 10s, including a third-place finish at the Scottish Open, Kim moved up to No. 34. Kim — called “Tom” from his childhood fascination with Thomas the Tank Engine on the TV series “Thomas & Friends” — moved to No. 21 in the world rankings. Only Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy reached that high in the rankings at a younger age. And he did it in similar fashion to McIlroy winning his first PGA Tour event in 2010 when he shot a final-round 62 at Quail Hollow. Kim made birdies of 20 feet and 25 feet on the second and third holes. He followed with a 12-foot birdie on No. 4, an 8-foot birdie on No. 5 and an 18-foot birdie on the next hole. He closed out the front nine with two more birdies for a 27 and was on his way. Kim’s only shot was a bogey that found deep rough off the tee on No. 10. Otherwise, the score was rarely in doubt the rest of the way. Kim was introduced at a press conference with Greg Norman at the Saudi International earlier this year when LIV Golf announced it was increasing its investment in the Asian Tour to $300 million this year. Kim won his first Asian Tour title in Singapore earlier this year. But he has said his lifelong dream was to play on the PGA Tour and he got there in style. Along with qualifying for the FedEx Cup playoffs, Kim should expect to be part of the International team for the Presidents Cup next month.
