Talented English amateur Kris Kim took to his PGA Tour debut like a duck to water as he shot a three-under 68 in the first round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas.
The 16-year-old chipped in twice during his first round with the big boys, including for an eagle on the last, as he finished his debut just five shots off leader Matt Wallace at TPC Craig Ranch.
Kim made five birdies and that eagle to finish in 53rd and in with a shout of making the cut – which would make him the fifth-youngest player to do so in a PGA Tour event and youngest since Guan Tian Liang made the cut at the 2013 Masters and Zurich Classic of New Orleans aged 14.
“I thought it was pretty fun today,” said Kim after his round. “Made a lot of birdies, but couple bogeys in there as well. I think overall I played really well.
“First couple holes the nerves were definitely there, but as we got on it was just playing golf.
“Conditions out there were pretty easy today, especially with the greens having a bit of rain. But, yeah, I would say three under I would definitely take.”
Kim’s mother, who is also his swing coach, is former LPGA player Ji-Hyun Suh, and she had some final words of advice for him ahead of his round.
“She told me at the end of the day it’s just hitting a golf ball around, and then whatever you shoot, you shoot.”
Kim’s effort is the latest sign of some talented youngest of young guns coming through the ranks – with 15-year-old Miles Russell becoming the youngest player to make the cut in a Korn Ferry Tour event two weeks ago.
An chip-in eagle at the last for 16-year-old Kris Kim! A 3-under round in his PGA TOUR debut 👏 pic.twitter.com/zdDyHOxAGEMay 2, 2024
Finishing T20, Russell became the youngest player on record with a top 25 finish on the PGA Tour or Korn Ferry Event – and now Kim is effortlessly mixing it on the big stage.
And even more impressive is the way Kim is handling the situation, the crowd and the course – with two chip-ins showcasing his short game.
“I would say short game is my strength, but just got lucky a bit today,” he added.
“I like it. Especially when you hit a good shot and everyone is clapping. Just makes it everything better.”
Kim was a star of Europe’s winning Junior Ryder Cup team at Marco Simone last year, where he was undefeated as he contributed 3.5 points in the…
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