With his first full PGA Tour season almost in the books, South Korean youngster Tom Kim thinks he is a completely different golfer than he was a year ago, in more ways than one.
The 21-year-old won his first start of the 2022-23 season, the Shriners Children's Open in October 2022. He became the first golfer since Tiger Woods to have two career PGA Tour victories before turning 21. More Woods-esque success seemed inevitable for the golfer oozing with potential.
Kim hasn't won since, though he has played well enough to qualify for this week's Tour Championship in Atlanta, where only the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings will be battling for US$18 million bonus money.
Even while he was missing cuts and struggling to find his game, Kim, whose Korean first name is Joo-hyung, said he learned valuable lessons.
"Compared with last year, I've changed so much, whether it's my mindset during a tournament or the way I approach the game," Kim said in an online interview with South Korean media Tuesday night -- Monday morning in Atlanta. "I am constantly surrounded by great players, people who have won major titles. I've been getting advice from them, and I can't help but keep maturing."
Specifically, Kim said he learned how to take care of himself off the field when he wasn't playing, so that he could stay prepared himself for competition.
"There were little things that I thought had nothing to do with golf, but I learned how they can all add up and can still influence the way I play on the course," Kim explained. "Golf is like chess. I've realized how careful I have to be with each and every move."
Kim said he has spent a lot of time practicing with Scottie Scheffler, world No. 1 and his fellow Dallas resident. Though Kim wouldn't divulge exactly what advice the American star had offered him -- "It will stay between us" -- Kim did say Scheffler helped him stay on his feet during some trying times in the middle of this season.
As for his game, Kim said his ball speed numbers have improved from a year ago. He has also bulked up, though the downside of the changed physique was that it took him some time to adjust his swing to the new body. Kim said data has shown that his ball striking is still as consistent as last season, while he feels he is better around the green than before.
Kim said the best moment of his season came not at the Shriners Children's Open, but at the Open Championship in July, when he played through a sprained right ankle to tie for second place.
"Even though I was the runner-up by six strokes, it was still a great moment for me to finish so high at a major championship," Kim said. "Memories of struggling through the season, growing impatient when wins weren't coming, came flooding back to me then."
Kim said his ankle, which he sprained at his rental home in England after the first round, is still not fully healed. Doctors initially figured Kim would need eight to nine weeks of recovery but told him that he could start playing in tournaments sooner if he could handle the pain.
After sitting out for a couple of weeks -- he missed his title defense at the Wyndham Championship earlier this month -- Kim played in each of the first two FedEx playoff events. He tied for 24th at the FedEx St. Jude Championship two weeks ago and then tied for 10th at the BMW Championship last week.
He arrived at the Tour Championship ranked 16th in the FedEx Cup standings. Under the "starting strokes" system, the No. 1 player in FedEx Cup points, Scottie Scheffler, will start the Tour Championship at 10-under. Kim, on the other hand, will begin at two-under.
Kim said there was a time during this season when he didn't think he could qualify for the Tour Championship. Now that he is in Atlanta as the youngest of the five first-timers, Kim wants to give it everything he has and leave the Peach State with no regrets.
"Nothing is impossible in golf. I am starting eight strokes off the lead, but I think I can get it done," Kim said. "As long as I can play my shots without pain, I believe there will always be a chance."
Source: Yonhap News Agency