While Tom Kim’s win in the Shriners Children’s Open was impressive in its own right, it also gave him the honour of becoming the first player to win two PGA Tour events before turning 21 since Tiger Woods.
After turning professional aged 20 in 1996, it didn’t take Woods long to claim his first two PGA Tour victories, with both coming that October over two months before his 21st birthday. Kim has had a similarly impressive start to his PGA Tour career. After earning his PGA Tour card following his 7th-place finish in July’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, he backed that up with his first win on the Tour, the Wyndham Championship, the following week. Kim then finished tied for 13th in the FedEx St. Jude Championship and tied for 54th in the BMW Championship, before claiming his second PGA Tour win at TPC Summerlin.
Kim's latest win, which has also led him to a career high of World No.15, came after he and Patrick Cantlay were tied for the lead going into the final hole. However, Cantlay’s triple bogey opened the door for Kim to claim victory - and the chance to stand alongside Woods.
Following the victory, he said: "I'm a five-year-old at Disneyland. It's really amazing. A few months ago I didn't have any status in the US and now being a two-time winner on Tour, having that place with Tiger, it's an unbelievable feeling for me. It's an honour and definitely a dream come true. I've worked really hard. My team has worked really hard to this point and I'm just really grateful. I'm having fun playing on the PGA Tour."
The victory came over eight months before Kim's 21st birthday, meaning he has ample time to move ahead of Woods - and all the signs are he will do just that. While winning twice in his last four PGA Tour events is impressive, Kim also won plenty of admirers in the International team’s Presidents Cup defeat thanks to his infectious enthusiasm and standout displays at Quail Hollow. Kim's latest win also means only Ralph Guldahl was younger than the South Korean when he won his second Tour title in 1932.
While he still has a long way to go to match Woods' 82 PGA Tour wins, Kim's performances continue to highlight his reputation as one of the world's brightest talents.
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