Las Vegas may not need another star, but it got one anyway with Tom Kim’s victory at the Shriners Children’s Open on Sunday.
The 20-year-old Kim, who introduced himself with a victory at the Wyndham Championship in August and then became the emotional heartbeat of the International team at the Presidents Cup last month, further stamped his new, lofty place in the game with his win at TPC Summerlin, just a few miles from the Las Vegas strip where they’re in the business of selling the possibility of dreams coming true.
Kim has a personality as big as his game. With his second victory in short order, he became the youngest player since Tiger Woods to have two wins at such a young age. Only Ralph Guldahl won two PGA Tour events at a younger age than Kim.
It helped that the normally reliable Patrick Cantlay made a hash of the final hole.
“I got very lucky on the 18th; I’m not going to lie,” Kim said after shooting a final-round 66 to finish at 24-under-par 260. He did not make a bogey in 72 holes.
Having arrived at the 18th tee tied with Kim, Cantlay pulled his 3-wood tee shot into a bush in a scruffy patch of desert and wound up closing with a triple bogey after leading the field in strokes gained off the tee until the 72nd hole.
Golf being the curious game that it is, one day earlier, Cantlay had a putt for 59 (he shot 60) on the same finishing hole.
“I made a bad swing, and it went where it went,” Cantlay said. “I played well all week, for the most part. One bad swing at the end. Obviously I would have liked to have closed the deal out today, but sometimes that's golf.”
Age is a relative concept with Kim, who plays more like a veteran than his resume would suggest. He blitzed the field with a closing 61 in his win at Greensboro and in a duel with Cantlay, one of the steeliest players on tour, Kim seemed unfazed as Cantlay made up a two-stroke deficit midway through the back nine.
Working with caddie Joe Skovron, who recently parted ways with Rickie Fowler after a long run together, Kim gave credit to his new partner after their second individual event together.
“We had a really good game plan, and it paid off,” Kim said.The same can be said of his blossoming career.
Asked late Sunday afternoon whether he is surprised by his success, Kim was philosophical.
“Yes and no,” he said. “I’ve worked really hard, and my team has worked really hard to get to this point. I’m really grateful and fortunate to have an opportunity like this.”
Ron Green Jr.