Tom Kim: Asian star determined to conquer the world 11:04, 04/01/2023

As the breakout star of the Presidents Cup 2022, Tom Kim is becoming a character that attracts the attention of the golfing public. The golf star from Korea is the pride of the young generation of Asian golfers.

Kim turned pro and competed on the Philippine Golf Tour at the age of 16. Until 2019, he mainly played ADT tournaments and achieved many impressive achievements. In 2020, Kim finished in the top 4 final at SMBC Singapore Open - the tournament within the qualifying framework of The Open, and that result helped him get a place to attend the first major in his career.

In the 2021-22 season, the 20-year-old golfer's career is like a kite in the wind. Opening with the Singapore International and T-3 Genesis Scottish Open titles, along with a record of the T-47 Open Championship, Kim received a temporary PGA Tour membership card. Just a month later, he was crowned the Wyndham Championship, becoming the first person born after 2000 to win a PGA Tour event.

At the Presidents Cup 2022, Kim was a shining element of the international team and devoted to the team's top matches. He continued to extend his record with the Shriners Children's Open title in early October to follow in the footsteps of Tiger Woods to become a golfer who won two PGA Tour championships before the age of 21. End 2021 with 131st in the world, after not yet After a year of explosive competition, the Korean golfer rose to hold the top 15 position on the OWGR World Golf Ranking.

An young Korean golfer loves Tiger Woods

When Tom Kim was 5 or 6 years old, he remembers going to a golf tournament in Australia and somehow running after Tiger Woods into the club bathroom, then stopping right behind the legendary golfer.

“I still remember wearing a Tiger Woods hat, it was too big for my head at the time. Woods was walking about three feet in front of me and I was like, 'Go, come on, Tiger, put on your hat and go to the bathroom,'" Kim recalls. “And then thousands of people started running in just to wait for him to come out. That was my first interaction with Tiger.”

Kim also said he did not join the crowd that was chasing Tiger at the tim:  "I wanted to give him privacy."

The Asian star is determined to conquer the world golf record

In October 2022, Quail Hollow Club exploded with indescribable emotions from fans as well as golfers competing in the Presidents Cup 2022 event, when Tom Kim hit the pinnacle putt in the fourball that put the ball into the hole from 10 feet away. When the ball rolled into the hole, Tom Kim threw his hat to celebrate the victory. That emotional action recalls the image of the legendary Tiger Woods.

Although he hasn't reached Tiger level yet, Kim proved his star power after a visit to his home country of Korea late last year.

“In the past, if I wore golf clothes and went to the golf course, people would recognize me. But if I just dress normally, go out with friends, very few people know who I am," Kim said. “But now every time I go out, no matter what, at least a few people come up to me and want to take a picture with me. People may think I've changed, but really, I'm still Kim."

Compared to when he first met Tiger, Kim may have grown a lot, but he still has a special admiration for his idol. And for him, it was a privilege to work with his childhood idol at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas this past December.

“I consider Tiger as a friend. I've met him a few times, but being able to talk to him is great," Kim said.

Kim said compared to the time of his debut in the first official Tour event as well as the first major at the PGA Championship 2022, he now feels much more confident. He learned a lot from watching the DVD of Tiger's winning series at Augusta National.

The Korean golfer is determined to follow Tiger's other world records on the Tour where he dreamed of playing as a child.

“I want to play where all good golfers dream,” Kim said. “Look at the careers of Tiger, of Jack Nicklaus, they've all come from the PGA Tour and are the legacy of professional golf. So I hope to do the same and stay here as long as possible."