LAS VEGAS — Tom KimTwo months ago, he still hadnt been granted PGA Tour status. He is now a two-time winner and is being mentioned in the same space. Tiger WoodsIt is the highest-ranked Asian player in all of sports.
Kim even feels like her life is moving at warp speeds.
A win in North Carolina The FedEx Cup playoffs. The Presidents Cup. Las Vegas wins.
Kim stated, Its been crazy. It doesnt feel like its slow, thats certain. I just have to keep going and Im enjoying every minute of it. I hope there are many more.
His Sunday victory in the Shriners Childrens Open wasnt shocking in its end. Patrick CantlayOne bad swing can quickly turn into a huge mess.
Kim and Cantlay were tied when Cantlay hooked his 3-wood in a desert bush in the ravine, tried and hack it out of the fairway, took penalty drops, went into water, and then putted a 35-footer for triple bogey.
Kim ended a week without bogeys at the TPC Summerlin, with a simple par for a 5-under-67 and a three-shot win.
Cantlay, who could easily have reached No. With a win, Cantlay was ranked 2 in the World.
Kim became the first player to win twice on PGA Tour since Tiger Woods in 1996, before turning 21. The 20-year old South Korean player won the Wyndham Champion in August to earn a Tour Card. Hes been flying high ever since.
Im having a lot of fun playing on PGA Tour. Kim said that it was amazing .
He needed some assistance from Cantlay after a long back-and-forth on the back nine at TPC Summerlin.
They were tied going into the 18th. Cantlay was the first to play, hooking a 3-wood from the fairway into a ravine desert bush.
Kim pushed driver into the fairway and, by the time he played his second shot to green, Cantlay was four feet from the bottom of the pond.
Cantlay tried to blast out of the bush but to no avail. He was assessed a penalty. He then hit the desert sand and into a pond. Cantlays triple bogey of a 69 earned him a share in second place. Matthew NeSmith (66).
Cantlay stated that he decided to try playing from the bush because he believed there was no other way to win. I played well – one bad swing at it. I would have liked to close the deal today, but thats golf.
Kim was the first player to sign since J.T. PostonThe 2019 Wyndham Championship was the first PGA Tour event to be won without making bogey. No one could afford to lose any shots with the way the back nine was playing.
Cantlay birdied the 11th hole and the 12th to tie Kim for first. Kim responded with birdies on the two next holes to restore a two shot lead. Cantlay had 30-foot eagle opportunities on the next two holes. He drove the par-4 14th green using a 3-wood, and reached the par-5 15th hole in two. Kim had to settle with pars.
Cantlays 35-foot shot for triple bogey was worth $160,000 but that was a small consolation. It was his third disappointment at Las Vegas, where he had won his first PGA Tour title. He lost in a playoff. Kevin NaIn 2019, and had a share in the 54-hole lead the next year, until a poor last round to tie for eighth.
Kim had a rather quiet celebration.
Kim stated, I played solid this weeks — no bogeys for 72 holes. I was extremely lucky on the 18th. Im not going lie. Patrick played brilliantly and to win is a great feeling.
Woods was just 20 when he won at Las Vegas and then at Disney. He has won seven tournaments since turning professional. Kim is now the second-youngest player in PGA Tour history to win two events before turning 21. He is a month behind Ralph Guldahl, who won the 1932 Arizona Open for his first win.
Kim, who learned his game in Australia and the Philippines before turning professional, has had a great year. Kim started the year winning the Singapore International, and finished second in the Singapore Open on Asian Tour.
After winning the Wyndham championship, he made a debut in the Presidents Cup. He was 2-3-0 for International and delivered one of his biggest moments with a 10-foot par putt in fourballs. Xander Schauffele.
Kim is next up at the Zozo Championships in Japan, where he goes to No. 15th in the World and the highest-ranked Asian Player, moving ahead Hideki MatsuyamaJapan