Slightly over a month in the past, Michael Kim left Utah feeling down on his luck. He had simply missed his third straight reduce and dropped additional down the FedEx Cup Fall rankings and outdoors the highest 125. His PGA Tour membership for 2025 was now in large peril.
However fortunately for him, Kim’s swing coach, Sean Foley, saved the day. Foley, who spent 4 years working with Tiger Woods over a decade in the past, couldn’t catch a flight out. Hurricane Milton had shut down all of Florida, and due to that, Foley couldn’t make it again to his house in Orlando. So, Foley spent an additional day working with Kim, totally on his ball place.
“I struggled somewhat bit off the tee of the opening spherical of the Black Desert event,” Kim mentioned Thursday.
Certainly, he did. Within the first two rounds, Kim ranked 96th and 84th in strokes gained off the tee. He couldn’t put himself in a main place together with his tee ball, so it’s no marvel he wanted to attempt one thing new.
“We made somewhat little bit of a ball place change,” Kim added.
“I missed the reduce, however I knew I used to be heading in the right direction.”
Properly, that change has helped the previous California Golden Bear exponentially. His closing spherical 62 on the Shriners Kids’s Open the next week in Las Vegas propelled him to a top-5 end. He additionally moved as much as 112th within the course of.
Three weeks later, Kim tied for thirtieth on the World Broad Applied sciences Championship in Mexico—not a terrific consequence however definitely higher than lacking the reduce altogether. After which, most just lately, Kim completed T-12 in Bermuda and started this week’s RSM Traditional ranked a hundred and tenth within the standings. He may have a PGA Tour membership in 2025, because it’s mathematically unimaginable for him to drop out of the 125, even when he misses the reduce.
However after spherical one in Georgia, Kim sits nicely above the cut-line. He carded a 5-under 65 and sits in a tie for sixth.
“I hit the ball very well as we speak off the tee particularly,” Kim mentioned of his first spherical.
“I simply by no means actually bought myself in an excessive amount of hassle and was capable of hit plenty of greens. Bought fairly fortunate with my second shot on my tenth gap to go in for an eagle and general actually pleased with the beginning.”
Having began on the tenth gap, Kim’s hole-out eagle from 142 yards really got here on the par-4 1st gap on the Seaside Course. It was an added bonus.
However having Foley as a coach and a mentor is a good higher bonus.
“We’ll see what occurs,” Kim mentioned when requested about his targets for this week.
“I’ve tried to set larger requirements for myself. I spent so lengthy lacking so many cuts a number of years again that you find yourself solely trying on the cutline, however Sean and I’ve talked quite a bit about elevating the requirements and actually making an attempt to go for a win. If I’m capable of put myself in competition on Sunday, I believe that might be nice, and perhaps even pull off a victory.”
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By means of. Make sure you try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.
