Vacationers: Tom Kim leads, celebrates twenty second birthday in type

CROMWELL, Conn. — Tom Kim produced some magic on his final day as a 21-year-old.

He blistered TPC River Highlands, posting an 8-under 62 to take management of the Vacationers Championship after spherical one. Kim leads Akshay Bhatia, Rickie Fowler, Kurt Kitayama, and Will Zalatoris by two strokes after day one.

“I hit the ball within the fairway lots. Clearly, this course, if you happen to begin hitting the ball within the fairway, you’ll be able to go at some pins and have some good alternatives,” Kim defined.

“Clearly, I putted effectively. Whenever you shoot 62s or 64s, you need to putt effectively, and I took care of these alternatives.”

Kim made eight birdies to zero bogies, exhibiting no blemishes in his sport on day one. He ranked fourth in strokes gained placing and first in strokes gained general.

The Seoul, South Korea native plotted his approach across the course fantastically, simply choosing and attacking his targets.

“I picked actually good targets on the market with my method pictures,” Kim added.

Picture by James Gilbert/Getty Pictures

“When you’ve 8-irons in, typically you need to go for the pin lots, however on the similar time, you simply go into this headspace the place, okay, that is the place I would like to select my goal, I don’t really feel like I must push or something and simply sticking to that sport plan.”

He performed fantastically from tee to inexperienced, however essentially the most exceptional side of Kim’s play Thursday is that this week marks his eighth straight occasion on the PGA Tour.

“I felt like my sport was there, nevertheless it wasn’t actually exhibiting in tournaments. I really feel like I’m enjoying effectively, however for some purpose, I can’t present it off in golf tournaments,” Kim stated.

“I feel that’s why I’m enjoying much more than I usually ever would as a result of if you happen to maintain getting reps in tournaments, you retain sharpening, sharpening, sharpening, and that’s what’s taking place. So I’m glad to see it truly come out although.”

Kim’s eight-week stretch started on the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, the place he tied for 52nd regardless of taking pictures rounds within the 60s all 4 days.

Within the six occasions since, his greatest end got here north of the border, the place he tied for fourth on the RBC Canadian Open. He didn’t miss any cuts, however his common order of end over the past seven weeks is 31.7—enormously exaggerated by that strong efficiency in Canada.

“It wasn’t like I used to be enjoying terribly; it was only a few issues that didn’t go my approach, and I couldn’t adapt to it and rating effectively,” Kim added.

“It’s not prefer it was a foul week, however a foul spherical value me that week. However at the least it’s a twenty sixth or twenty fifth end; it’s not like I’m ending fiftieth or lacking the lower. It exhibits me that my unhealthy weeks are shut, which provides me the arrogance to exit and know that I truly am enjoying effectively and simply attempting to maintain using this momentum.”

Kim will rejoice his twenty second birthday using a giant wave of momentum, hoping to fend off the highest gamers on this planet, together with Scottie Scheffler. Humorous sufficient, Kim and Scheffler share the identical birthday, and these two gamers have developed a pleasant rapport and rejoice collectively annually.

So earlier this week, Kim and Scheffler went to Sally’s Apizza in New Haven, Connecticut, which has world-famous pies. Kim added that he wouldn’t indulge like that in a event, however it’s his birthday, so he needed to rejoice someway.

However he additionally will get to rejoice his marvelous 62 as an early birthday current, which probably tastes higher than Sally’s, one thing arduous to do.

Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By means of. Make sure to try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You possibly can comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as effectively.