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GREENSBORO, N.C. — Joohyung “Tom” Kim introduced his arrival on the PGA Tour when the 20-year-old South Korean closed with a 9-under 61 for a five-shot victory within the Wyndham Championship on Sunday, making him the second-youngest winner on tour since World Struggle II.
A marathon day due to storm delays changed into a dash for Kim. He completed the third spherical within the morning and was two pictures behind, after which shot 27 on the entrance 9 to depart the remainder of the sphere in his wake.
Nobody got here shut the remainder of the way in which.
The victory gave Kim immediate membership on the PGA Tour, making him eligible for the FedEx Cup playoffs that begin subsequent week. He’s No. 34, assured of taking part in two postseason occasions and with an inexpensive shot at attending to the finale at East Lake.
Sungjae Im, who completed seven holes Sunday morning to take the 54-hole lead, had a 68 and tied for second together with John Huh (67).
Kim is the primary PGA Tour winner born after 2000. Jordan Spieth was 19 when he received the John Deere Basic for his first tour win.
“I can not consider it,” Kim stated, after which including with fun, “I did not know golf was his hectic.”
It positive did not look that approach for Kim, who opened the event with a quadruple-bogey 8, laughed it off after which completed the week at 20-under 260 at Sedgefield Nation Membership.
It was a lot hectic for others, even those that weren’t taking part in.
The heartbreak belonged to Justin Lower, who was poised to maneuver into the highest 125 within the FedEx Cup to achieve the postseason and safe a full card for subsequent season.
However on the ultimate gap, Decrease hit his 60-foot birdie putt slightly too agency. That left him a 6-foot par putt that will have put him inside the highest 125. He missed it to the correct and was wiping away tears as he walked off the inexperienced.
“I do not actually know what I am pondering. It sucks to return up this brief,” Decrease stated. “Clearly had some assist with the LIV guys and whatnot — I do not even know if I am allowed to say that. However I do not know. There’s positives. However proper now, it simply flat out sucks.”
The tour has suspended gamers who signed on with Saudi-funded LIV Golf, and they didn’t depend towards the highest 125 within the FedEx Cup. Decrease was the equal of No. 128 going into the ultimate occasion of the common season.
Fowler seemed to be out of luck when he missed the minimize on Friday at No. 123. However sufficient gamers light on the weekend, equivalent to Brian Stuard, that Fowler will get to increase his season for not less than one other week on the FedEx St. Jude Championship subsequent week.
Two gamers have been knocked out of the highest 125 — Matt Wallace (124) and Austin Smotherman (125), who wanted par on the ultimate gap of the second spherical and took double bogey.
Max McGreevy, who was the equal of No. 126, tied for fifth to maneuver to No. 104. The opposite went to Kim, who was not a part of the standings till he accepted membership along with his win. Together with a pair of prime 10s, together with third place on the Scottish Open, Kim moved to No. 34.
Kim — he goes by “Tom” from his fascination as a child with Thomas the Tank Engine within the TV collection “Thomas & Associates” — moved to No. 21 on the earth rating. Solely Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy reached that prime within the rating at a youthful age.
And he did it in comparable trend to McIlroy successful his first PGA Tour occasion in 2010, when he shot 62 within the ultimate spherical at Quail Hole.
Kim rolled birdie putts of 20 ft and 25 ft on the second and third holes. He adopted with a 12-foot birdie putt at No. 4, an 8-foot eagle putt on No. 5 and an 18-foot birdie on the following gap. He closed out the entrance 9 with two extra birdies for a 27 and was on his approach.
Kim’s solely dropped shot was a bogey from discovering deep tough off the tee at No. 10. In any other case, the result was not often unsure the remainder of the way in which.
Kim was featured in a information convention with Greg Norman on the Saudi Worldwide earlier this yr when LIV Golf introduced it was upping its funding within the Asian Tour to $300 million this yr. Kim received his first Asian Tour title in Singapore at the beginning of the yr.
However he has stated his lifelong dream was to play on the PGA Tour, and he bought there in fashion.
Together with qualifying for the FedEx Cup playoffs, Kim ought to count on to be a part of the Worldwide group for the Presidents Cup subsequent month.
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