With three holes to play, Tom Kim appeared effectively on his approach to punching his ticket to Fort Pines Golf Membership in Colorado, the positioning of subsequent week’s BMW Championship—the second of three legs of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
He sat at 5-under for the championship by 15 holes, a spherical that included 4 birdies and no bogies to that time. He was among the many high 50 gamers within the FedEx Cup standings, the brink required to qualify for the BMW Championship. Whoever finishes among the many high 50 additionally qualifies for the eight Signature Occasions subsequent yr, an enormous incentive for these competing within the FedEx St. Jude Championship to play effectively.
Kim didn’t have his greatest stuff this week, not contending however as an alternative jockeying for place among the many high 50. He appeared to have finished so, till the ultimate three holes, through which he made three straight sixes. A bogey on the straightforward par-5 16 served as a harbinger of issues to come back. Kim doubled each 17 and 18 to complete at 1-under for the championship and 51st within the FedEx Cup standings. He discovered the water to the left of the green on the 72nd gap, which sealed his destiny.
“I used to be truly cruising. A bogey on 16 price me lots,” Kim mentioned.
“Then hit a superb drive after which one other actually poor missed shot, simply anyplace left is okay and missed it proper. I knew I wanted one thing particular on the final, and I wanted to hit a superb drive, however the wind switched, and the wind began to choose up, and it didn’t cowl.”
Kim’s unlucky end opened the door for Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley to sneak on because the Fiftieth-ranked participant.
“This season has simply been—it’s simply been like this. I’ve performed actually good golf after which had some powerful finishes. I really feel like 2024 has actually kicked me within the butt. However I’ve gotten so a lot better. I’ve fought actually exhausting simply to get myself many this example. I used to be 90-something earlier than we went on this run, and it appears to be like like I’m going to overlook by one. However it’s what it’s,” Kim mentioned.
“I instructed myself earlier than in the present day that if I didn’t play effectively, I actually felt like I used to be going to complete 51. I instructed myself, if that occurs, I’ve finished all the things I may to be inside that high 50 and hopefully give myself an opportunity on the Tour Championship. However I couldn’t, and I’m going to stay up for a very good low season as a result of I’m fairly drained.”
Kim has each proper to be drained. He performed for 9 straight weeks between the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and the Rocket Mortgage Basic, a stretch that included a runner-up end to Scottie Scheffler on the Vacationers Championship. Then, over the previous month, Kim tied for fifteenth on the Scottish Open, missed the minimize at Royal Troon, and threatened the rostrum in Paris with a solo eighth end—all earlier than this week in Memphis. It has been a whirlwind of a season for the gifted 22-year-old.
“It’s been an extended street. Mentally, I simply don’t suppose I used to be sharp sufficient for these previous few weeks,” Kim admitted.
“Fifty-one, 52, 50, it’s not going to matter. I’m simply trying ahead to getting some relaxation and preparing for subsequent yr.”
Kim will play for the Worldwide Crew at this yr’s Presidents Cup, the event through which he gained super notoriety two years in the past at Quail Hole. However he sounded indecisive about whether or not or not he’ll compete recurrently this fall. The lengthy, exhausting street of crisscrossing the nation—and, in some instances, oceans—appears to have caught as much as him.
“This yr has been actually powerful for me personally. I went by loads of modifications,” Kim mentioned.
“I performed some good golf and had in all probability 5 unhealthy rounds that price me presumably one high 5, one high 10 and one thing like this. First spherical, second spherical I believe I completed 5-over my previous couple of holes. When issues aren’t going your approach, issues aren’t going your approach. It reveals you in a good yr, this might have been like a thirtieth as an alternative of a 51st.”
He nonetheless saved it optimistic within the wake of defeat, one that can sting for fairly a while. However relaxation assured that Kim will bounce again in 2025, maybe with a significant victory.
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in Via. Make sure you try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You possibly can comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as effectively.
