South Korea’s Tom Kim tees up in his maiden Tour Championship on Thursday as he chases a slice of golf history, with a chance to become the youngest to lift the FedExCup and Asia’s first winner.
The 21-year-old will be joined by compatriots Im Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo, the first time three South Koreans have qualified for the elite 30-man field, at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
The trio will begin the first round on two under and eight strokes back from top-ranked Scottie Scheffler in the staggered-start format based on rankings after last week’s BMW Championship. Scheffler starts at 10 under for the second straight year, followed by last week’s winner Viktor Hovland (eight under), McIlroy (seven under) and Jon Rahm (six under).
A victory for Tom Kim would earn him US$18 million and make him the youngest champion, surpassing Jordan Spieth, who was triumphant at 22 years and two months in 2015.
“I think it’s always possible,” Kim said, despite suffering an ankle sprain last month. “It’s eight strokes off, and there are a lot of great players out there who can win anytime, and I think I’m also in that position. I just think if I don’t get [ankle] pain and hit the ball well, I always have a chance.
“I want to do my best and put everything into this tournament because it’s my last week of the season. I want to play without regrets this week. That is my goal.”
At last season’s Wyndham Championship, Kim opened with a quadruple bogey but amazingly fought back to a stunning five-shot triumph after a closing nine-under 61. It made him the second-youngest winner since World War II.
Interestingly, when McIlroy prevailed for a record third FedExCup success 12 months ago, the Northern Irishman started with a triple bogey and bogey before edging Scheffler and Im by a single stroke. McIlroy credited Kim for not throwing in the towel although he was 10 off the lead early in the first round.
“He started with a quad and ended up going on to win the golf tournament,” McIlroy said. “It is possible.”
World No 16 Kim enters the final week backed by some stellar form, having finished tied for sixth, second, 24th and 10th in his last four starts. It includes low rounds of 66 and 63 last weekend. Following a second tour title at the Shriners Children’s Open last October and seven other top-10s during the season, he said he was happy to tick off his main goal but had mixed feelings.
“My biggest goal was to make it to the Tour Championship,” Kim said. “I didn’t make it last year, so I’m very happy to be playing for the first time.
“To be honest, I didn’t feel like I played as well as I wanted to. I wasn’t in contention for a title as I much as I wanted to. I’m trying to stay positive because I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn.
“Golf is a sport that is judged on results, so I’m disappointed I didn’t win this year, but I feel I learned a lot … I gained experience and made improvements.”
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