Joohyun (Tom) Kim – photo Asian Tour Paul Lakatos
19-year-old Korean star, Joohyun (Tom) Kim, has claimed the Asian Tour Order of Merit following the completion of the final event of the extended 2020/2021 season in Singapore this weekend.
Kim’s win at last week’s Singapore International and this week’s runner-up finish at the Singapore yielded US$288,000 for Kim and swept him past the leader heading into these past two week’s Wade Ormsby who would eventually finish 3rd behind Kim and the winner of the Singapore Open Sadom Kaewkanjana.
Kim took over from Ormsby at last week’s Singapore International and Kaewkanjana also move ahead of Ormsby following this week’s victory, completing the season with US$508,000 in just eight events.
Kim now finds himself just inside the top 80 in the world having started the year in 131st position and further confirms the accolades being attributed to him by so many in the know.
Kim, who was based in Melbourne during some of the formative years of his golf, became familiar with Australasian golf fans when he led the New Zealand Open into the final round two years ago at the age of 18 before eventually finishing 4th.
Not only was it his incredible golfing skills that impressed at the Millbrook Resort in March of 2020, but the manner in which he conducted himself at such a young age.
Kim finished in a share of second this week at Sentosa Golf Club after a final round of 69 and, despite the R&A dropping the right for the winner of the Asian Tour Order of Merit to earn a start at the 2022 Open Championship, by finishing inside the top three in this weeks’ event and not otherwise exempt for the Open Kim will get to play the event at St Andrews in July.
The leading Australasian in this week’s event was New Zealander Ben Campbell who finished 8th, his best finish in nearly three years on the Asian Tour.
Ben Campbell best of the Australasians this week
