To call Sunday a special day for Joohyung Kim would be an understatement. The 20-year-old South Korean golfer:
- Tied for the second-lowest nine-hole score in PGA Tour history (27 on the front nine).
- Became the first player born in the 2000s to win a PGA Tour event.
- Became the second-youngest player to win a PGA Tour event since World War II.
- And became the youngest player to win the Wyndham Championship.
All of that, and he clinched a place in the FedEx Cup Playoffs which begin Thursday.
Kim’s momentous win also secured him a full exemption on the PGA Tour and made him the youngest player since 2013 to win a Tour event. Jordan Spieth was 19 when he won the John Deere Classic and 22 when he won the FedEx Cup.
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“I just want to say thank you to all the PGA Tour fans for supporting me this week. You know, it’s been an amazing road and, to be a first-time winner, it’s an incredible honor,” Kim, who goes by Tom as his first name, said in a video after his round Sunday.
"To be a first-time winner, it's an incredible honor."
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 8, 2022
Soak up the moment, Joohyung Kim 🏆 pic.twitter.com/oXOKPPoMrS
Here’s what to know about golf’s newest star.
When did Joohyung Kim turn pro?
Kim has been golfing professionally since 2018 when he stated on the Philippine Golf Tour. Prior to that, he won the Philippine Junior Amateur, the Philippine Amateur Open Championship and the W Express RVF Cup Amateur Championship.
His success continued after joining the Asian Development Tour in 2019. After a pair of runner-up finishes, Kim won the PGM ADT Championship in Malaysia in June of that year. He won two more tournaments before securing a spot on the Asian Tour. On the Asian Tour, he won the Panasonic Open India, becoming the second-youngest winner on the tour at just 17.
In 2020, Kim secured a spot in the Open Championship at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England, by finishing fourth at the SMBC Singapore Open. He eventually had to withdraw from the 149th Open (which was postponed until 2021) because of COVID-related travel restrictions.
Kim started his 2022 season on the Asian Tour and continued his winning ways, taking the Singapore International. In July, he started on the PGA Tour in earnest, taking third at the Genesis Scottish Open. He tied for 47th at the Open Championship, which granted him temporary Tour membership for the remainder of the season.
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Then, in back-to-back weeks, Kim finished seventh at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit with a score of 18 under, which earned him his PGA Tour card for next season. On Sunday, he won the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., to clinch a FedEx Cup playoff spot. He finished at 20 under, capped by a 9-under 61.
Why does Joohyung Kim go by Tom?
Kim goes by Tom for a shockingly simple reason.
“Actually, it was Thomas,” he said at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in 2020, per Golf Magic. “I got it from Thomas the Train when I was young. As I grew older, some people started calling me Tom and I thought it was just shorter and more simple. I think by the time I was 11 I just went by Tom.”
So, there you have it. Tom comes from Thomas the Tank Engine.
“My brother even calls me Tom,” Kim said. “It was kind of natural. And my family calls me Tom as well, my friends call me Tom, so it kind of just came natural to me. It was that kind of name.”
Who is the youngest player to win the FedEx Cup?
The FedEx Cup playoffs began in 2007. Tiger Woods won the first edition at age 31. Spieth is the youngest player to win the Cup; he was 22 when he won it in 2015.
This means, if Kim comes out on top after the Tour Championship in late August, he would become the youngest winner of the FedEx Cup.
Of course, that’s putting several carts before the horse, but with his success throughout his young career, it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility.
The FedEx playoff field could be reduced if a restraining order is not granted to LIV Golf players in their suit against the PGA Tour as they look to compete in the playoffs.
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When are the 2022 FedEx Cup playoffs?
The 2022 FedEx Cup playoffs will run from Aug. 11 through Aug. 28 at three courses: TPC Southwind in Memphis; Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Del.; and East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Kim will enter that gauntlet along with the top players on the Tour as part of the opening 125-player field. Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Smith, Sam Burns, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay will be among those also playing.
Kim enters the playoffs 34th in the standings with 917 points.