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 immediate entry into the PGA TOUR, making him eligible for the FedExCup Playoffs that begin next week. He’s No. 34, certain to play two Playoffs and a reasonable chance to reach the TOUR Championship 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). 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 victory. “I can’t believe it,” Kim said, then added with a laugh, “I didn’t know golf was so stressful.” 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 poised to break into the top 125 of the FedExCup standings 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 that short,” Lower said. Rickie Fowler looked unlucky to miss the cut Friday at No. 123. But several players faded over the weekend, including Brian Stuard, so Fowler can extend his season at least another week at FedEx St. Jude Championship next week. Two players were eliminated from the top 125 – Matt Wallace (124) and Austin Smotherman (125), who needed a 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 — going by “Tom” from his childhood fascination with Thomas the Tank Engine on the TV series “Thomas & Friends” — moved to No. 21 in the Official World Golf Ranking. 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. Along with qualifying for the FedExCup Playoffs, Kim should expect to be part of the International team for the Presidents Cup next month.
