21-year-old Korean Tom Kim captured his third PGA Tour title when he outgunned Canadian Adam Hadwin down the stretch at the Shriners Children’s Open at Las Vegas’ TPC Summerlin.
In one of the most heavily bunched leaderboards in recent memory, defending champion Kim was one of a trio who shared the 54-hole lead, but there were a further 14 players within three shots of the lead.
Ludvig Aberg maintained his impressive first few months as a pro with an early nine-under 62 to take the clubhouse lead, but at -16 and with such a strong cohort in the early stages of their rounds, it was never likely to hold up.
Three birdies in his opening four holes saw Kim take solo ownership of the lead, and even though he’d bogey five and six, another birdie at the ninth ensured a one-stroke cushion heading into the back nine.
The bogey-free three-under he’d shoot on the back side may have looked relatively stress free on paper, but with playing partner Hadwin breathing down his neck, it would be the Canadian’s loose second shot at the par-5 15th, finding water and leading to a bogey that would prove crucial in the end.
From here, Kim carded three pars, never having to hole a putt longer than five feet, and took a two-stroke lead to the last. Hadwin’s closing birdie saw him climb out of a five-way tie into solo second, and Kim had the honour of tapping in a six-incher to become the youngest player to make it to three PGA Tour wins since a certain Tiger Woods back in 1997.
“It’s very sweet,” Kim said in the post-tournament press conference. “I feel like the first two wins came at me really quick. It took a lot longer than my first two wins to get my third one. But it’s very sweet.
“This is really for the team. I’ve worked really hard personally, but without their help, I would not even be close to getting my third win. This is really sweet for us.”
Having battled injury at various stages throughout the season, Kim was denied the opportunity to defend his Wyndham Championship title, so there was extra fuel in the belly to make it and be in good shape to defend his second victory.
“It was so hard for me to be — the week of Wyndham, to just be at home,” he said. “I was so determined to come back to Shriners at least being healthy and at least have a chance.”
Back-to-back 68s to open were solid starters, but it was the third-round 62 that really drove him up the leaderboard and was the primary reason he was able to hold off the bunch on Sunday.
When Kim last won in Vegas, he wasn’t old enough to sample the Vegas nightlife, so naturally, how he’d choose to celebrate this victory was one of the talking points.
“I knew I was going to get this question,” with a grin, but what followed wasn’t the expected answer from a 21-year-old who’s just pocketed a cheque for $1.5 million.
“I’m going to finish a piece of chocolate that I wanted to finish,” he started, explaining he’s not going to take the red-eye back home, instead opting for the 6:30 a.m. flight. He planned to return to the hotel, order room service, and then eat his chocolate before he called it an early night.
“I brought it from a trip from Europe. It’s a Ferrero Rocher white chocolate. It’s great. Like I’ve saved it, and it’s going to taste so good tonight.”
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