Tom Kim – photo Getty Images

I first became aware of Joohyung (Tom) Kim while involved in on course commentary at the 2020 New Zealand Open in Queenstown in New Zealand’s tourism playground.

Two of the coverage’s producers from the Asian Tour had suggested that Kim was the man to beat that week and placed bets on him at lucrative odds and while he had already won on the Asian Tour at that point at just seventeen years of age, I was keen to see whether this young man was able to live up the to the hype.

Kim never let us down that week and, although he did not win, he led into the last round and before finishing 4^th and impressed all involved with an amazing level of maturity and calmness, especially for one so young.

He quickly put aside any adversity he faced especially during the final round and an in interview I had done with him after the third round, he displayed a level of self-belief that suggested his final round would not be anything to be overawed by.

Admittedly he did not win that week but he left New Zealand and those behind with the impression that here was a young man heading for great heights and so it has proved.

Kim today won his second PGA Tour title just two months after winning his first in Greensboro and will improve to around 16^th place in the world ranking and after beginning the year in 131^st place he is now amongst the elite of the game and heading even higher.

Kim held off a strong final round challenge from the game’s 4^th ranked player Patrick Cantlay, the pair locked in a see-sawing battle throughout the final round until it was the more experienced Cantlay who cracked with a very messy triple bogey at the last to open the door for Kim’s second PGA tour title which he grabbed with both hands by parring the last to win by three.

For Kim, the US$1.4 million was his biggest cheque in the game but it might be that his performance at the Presidents Cup where he earnt nothing for himself, but was a star of the International team, that was the catalyst for this victory.

Kim won twice in the fourball and foursome matches and narrowly lost to the inform Max Homa in the singles, his effort at Quail Hollow proving to be a key factor in the comeback by the Internationals in the latter half of that event.

“It’s really amazing,” said Kim. “A few months ago, I didn’t have any status in the U.S., and now being a two-time winner on TOUR, having that place with Tiger, it’s an unbelievable feeling for me” (he is the first player since Tiger to win twice on the PGA Tour before the age of 21).

“It’s an honour for me, and it’s definitely a dream come true,” said the 20-year-old Kim, winner of the Wyndham Championship in August.

“Coming off a win, Playoffs, the Presidents Cup, and a win this week is – I mean, it’s absolutely amazing. I’ve just got to keep going, and I’m enjoying the ride, so hopefully, many more to come. I’ve still got a long way to go, and I want to hopefully have a long career on the PGA TOUR. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Australia’s Jason Day produced his best finish on the PGA Tour since a 3^rd place at the Farmers Insurance event at Torrey Pines in February when he finished in a share of 8^th, buoyed by a final nine of 29 for a round of 63.

“I don’t know — actually I’ve hit the ball pretty well the whole week, just round 2 got me, and I didn’t particularly putt that great on round 2,” said the 34 year old.

“Then I just started off with a birdie on 10 and then I knew that with the pin locations coming in, if I could just get it on the fairway, and I drove the ball really nicely this week, I could get some wedges in my hands, and then from there, just one thing after another.

“I think I was just so far out of it that you’re just not even really worrying. You’re just trying to keep pushing up the leaderboard..

“Yeah, obviously it’s a little disappointing sitting here and looking at my round on round 2. It could have been obviously a lot better. But it’s been a good step in the right direction this week. I know that I’ve got a week off next week, and I’m into CJ (the next but one event on the PGA Tour), which is nice. I’m looking forward to trying to keep that momentum rolling.”

SCORES

 

 

 

Rahm wins by six shots to claim his third Spanish Open – photo Getty Images

Perhaps predictably, world number six and by some margin the highest ranked player in the field, Jon Rahm, has won his own national open for the third occasion and his 8^th DP World Tour title with an emphatic six shot victory over Frenchman Matthieu Pavon in the acciona Open de España presented by Madrid.

Rahm had taken a one shot lead over Australian Min Woo Lee into the final round but by the turn he led by two over Lee and extended that lead to six with a final nine of 30.

Lee finished 3^rd after a final round of 68 was not enough to hold off Pavon whose bogey free round of 65 earnt him his third runner-up finish on the DP World Tour.

Rahm matched his hero Seve Ballesteros’ three wins and in his post tournament media conference reflected on that accomplishment.

“You might have to ask me in a few days as I take quite a while to process these things, but it was the goal coming in,” said Rahm.

“You know, Seve (Ballesteros) is a great hero of mine and to do something he took his whole career to do in just a few years is quite humbling, I’m not going to lie. It might not be the strongest field I play all year but sometimes this could be the hardest to win, right? when I’m at home, I’m supposed to win, everybody is betting on me to win and to come out and play a Sunday like I just did it’s hard to describe.

“My lowest round, my lowest score out here, it was pretty much a perfect week and the only thing that would make it better was if my wife and kids were here. It was the first one, the newest one with Eneko so I’m glad that’s it’s certainly after each kid that I’ve won a tournament, but yeah, I have a lot of family here I don’t see throughout the year.

“I haven’t had time to process anything, it’s truly an honour. Seve was the winner of this, the Spanish player of the Spanish Open and to join him in just four attempts is very unique, and to beat his lowest scoring record on this course and to do it in this fashion, I don’t know how to describe it.

“It sometimes takes me a while to get off golf mode and competition mode right, but I’m almost at a loss for words. I’ve been able to join Seve on many lists in the history of this game, the Spanish history of this game, and this one could be the most meaningful.”

Lee made a jump to 62^nd from 88^th in the DP World Tour ranking and with the leading 50 gaining access to the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in five weeks’ time he is heading in the right direction to take him place in that field.

Maverick Antcliff was the only other Australian to make the weekend but finished well back in 62^nd place.

SCORES

Cameron Davis – file photo Bruce Young

Several of the international players who performed with distinction at the recent Presidents Cup have backed up with impressive starts to the PGA Tour event in Las Vegas, the Shriners Children’s Hospital Open.

Mito Pereira leads the event through 36 holes at 12 under and one ahead of Robby Shelton who is back on the PGA Tour after another good season on the Korn Ferry Tour.

The rising star of the game, Tom Kim, is tied for 3^rd at 10 under par along with fellow International team member Si Woo Kim and Australian Cameron Davis put together a round of 66 to be tied for 6^th at 9 under and just three from the halfway lead.

Pereira, the Kims and Davis were all part of the International Presidents Cup team and, as if buoyed by the experience, have followed up their encouraging weeks at Quail Hollow with an opportunity to contend late into this event at the TPC Summerlin.

Sure, the four golfers were part of a losing team but they all experienced some level of success during the week in Charlotte and they appear to have benefited from the experience of being involved at that level.

For Davis, who was out early on day two, he bogeyed early in his round but bounced back immediately with four birdies and an eagle in his next five holes and although he could only play the final nine holes in even par he had done enough o put himself right in the mix for the weekend.

Davis’ eagle came at the reachable par 4 15^th which was his 6^th hole of the day when he drove 308 yards to 10 feet and converted.

The Sydney golfer confirmed the benefit the experience at Quail Hollow had.

“Everything at Quail Hollow is a positive experience for me. I mean, it’s always great to experience playing really good golf under the highest pressure that I’ve experienced playing this game.

“I mean, it was so much fun being in that environment, but to actually have a few stretches there where I played some awesome golf. It’s one thing to tell yourself you can do it, but nothing to experience it. It’s just a few more memories in the back of my mind whenever I’m trying to hit an important shot that I can do this.

“That was just a great experience of dealing with pressure regardless of where your game’s at normally. You only experience that when you’re playing really good golf and you’ve worked your way into that position.

“When you start on the 1st tee every day at the Presidents Cup and it feels like you’re in the last round of a major, which I actually don’t know what it feels like being in a final group on the last day, you have to figure out a few strategies to make that work. And yeah, I got a lot of really good stuff out of that.

“My game’s in a decent place. Not playing super great in terms of how everything feels, but in terms of decision-making and the plan that Andrew and I are putting together around this place, it’s been working pretty well so far.”

Jason Day and Lucas Herbert are tied for 38^th at 5 under par and seven from the lead, while Harrison Endycott produced an all important late birdie to sneak inside the cut line, making the weekend for his second time in three PGA Tour starts since earning his playing rights via the Korn Ferry Tour this season.

SCORES