Chan Kim leaves his success on the Japan Golf Tour. Now he has a PGA Tour card

Chan Kim was making a snug residing on the Japan Golf Tour, profitable eight occasions over 5 seasons at tournaments just like the Japan Open and the Dunlop Phoenix. He was sixth on the Order of Advantage final 12 months, making simply in need of $600,000.

However when the Official World Golf Rating revamped its system, the 33-year-old from Hawaii determined to attempt a full season on the Korn Ferry Tour in an try to earn his PGA Tour card.

It paid off in an enormous approach over the past two weeks.

Kim, who performed his faculty golf at Arizona State, shot 64 within the ultimate spherical to win the inaugural Magnit Problem. Per week later, Kim had a 64-64 weekend to win the Albertsons Boise Open. That moved him from No. 54 to No. 2 within the factors standing, and he’s assured of getting a PGA Tour card subsequent 12 months.

“Positively means the world to me. That is what I got here right here to do,” mentioned Kim, who nonetheless lives in Arizona. “I took the chance of coming over right here to play as an alternative of simply taking part in in Japan. To realize this purpose is nice. Now I’d like to complete off sturdy within the final three.”

Kim already has performed PGA Tour Canada and the Problem Tour in Europe. His largest scare was after his finest season in 2017 when he gained thrice. A again harm saved him out all of 2018, and he questioned if he had a lot of a future.

“I went to eight completely different docs each right here and in Korea and acquired myself again in form,” Kim mentioned. “And I’m simply lucky to be taking part in golf proper now.”

A month in the past, his purpose was to complete within the high 60 to a minimum of safe a spot within the ultimate stage of Q-school this 12 months. Now he’s making an attempt to complete atop the Korn Ferry Tour factors listing, which might give him full entry to PGA Tour occasions (aside from $20 million signature occasions), together with a spot in The Gamers Championship and the U.S. Open.

HOLD THOSE BALLOTSFor the final 9 years, the Tour Championship would finish and ballots had been despatched to gamers throughout the week for them to vote on participant of the 12 months and rookie of the 12 months.

However whereas the FedEx Cup season is over, the 12 months just isn’t. Nonetheless on the schedule are seven tournaments, and whereas they solely decide who retains full playing cards and which 10 can play their approach into $20 million occasions early in 2024, the awards must wait.

Ballots don’t exit till after the year-ending RSM Basic in November.

It gained’t change the candidates for participant of the 12 months — Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland could be the main three, and nothing that occurs within the fall would change that. However the fall will decide rookie of the 12 months. And whereas this isn’t a voting award, nonetheless to be decided is who wins the Vardon Trophy for the bottom scoring common.

Scheffler would appear to have that locked up at 68.629 in contrast with 68.777 for Rory McIlroy, who isn’t taking part in a PGA Tour occasion within the fall.

MAGIC NUMBERSDavid Kocher closed with a 59 within the Albertsons Boise Open on the Korn Ferry Tour and set a brand new customary in golf. It was the sixth sub-60 in skilled golf this 12 months, probably the most 59s or decrease in a single season.

The others had been Bryson DeChambeau (58) at LIV Golf-Greenbrier; Casey Jarvis on the Stella Artois Gamers Championship on the Sunshine Tour; Lauri Ruuska within the Vierumäki Finnish Problem on the Problem Tour; and Mac Meissner within the Lecom Suncoast Basic and Michael Feagles within the BMW Charity Professional-Am, each on the Korn Ferry.

The earlier mark was 5 sub-60 rounds in 2017, two of these in consecutive weeks on the PGA Tour (Justin Thomas on the Sony Open, Adam Hadwin on the CareerBuilder Problem).

Scores are coming down, as they’ve performed for 100 years. And maybe that’s finest illustrated by how typically golf’s “magic quantity” has been shot over the past decade.

From 1977 by means of 2013, there have been 20 rounds of 59 or decrease in skilled golf worldwide. There have been 31 sub-60 rounds within the final 10 years.

BAD TIMINGJon Rahm acquired one factor proper concerning the FedEx Cup finale. He mentioned earlier than the Tour Championship that somebody may very well be No. 1 and win each match going into East Lake, have a foul week and end thirtieth.

“And now you’ll ceaselessly be often called thirtieth within the FedEx Cup this season,” he mentioned.

He was the No. 4 seed, had a foul week and completed in a tie for 18th. And he’ll ceaselessly be identified this season because the Masters champion.

Moreover, it’s exhausting to shed a tear for the Spaniard on two fronts.

He’s not the one one who had a foul week at East Lake that price him some huge cash. It was solely 4 years in the past when Patrick Cantlay was the No. 2 seed on the Tour Championship and tied for twenty first. Final 12 months, Sam Burns was the No. 5 seed and tied for twenty fourth.

Plus, he was rewarded for his glorious play this 12 months. Rahm was No. 1 within the FedEx Cup for the common season, which earned him a $4 million bonus from the Comcast Enterprise High 10 program. He’ll be OK.

SPACING BUT STILL A SLOW PACEOne upside to the small fields within the FedEx Cup playoffs is that there wasn’t a variety of ready round. PGA Tour guidelines officers lengthy have argued sluggish play is principally a product of huge fields. This 12 months, the sphere sizes went from 70 to 50 and 30.

That didn’t imply it went faster. Twosomes nonetheless had been approaching the four-hour vary, and British Open champion Brian Harman is aware of why.

“On some golf programs, particularly this one the place the greens are so quick and also you’re ending up with 3- and 4-footers, it’s going to be sluggish,” Harman mentioned. “It doesn’t take a lot to bottleneck a golf course, even in twosomes. After which with the implications … you get an enormous match, it’s going to occur. Until we’re tapping in for par … and nobody faucets in right here.”

Velocity of greens, walks from greens to tees and principally giant fields are a far larger concern than gamers utilizing AimPoint for his or her putts. And thus, the notion of sluggish play gained’t go away.

“I don’t know what to do,” Harman mentioned. “If you need golfers to play quicker, the programs must be simpler. After which guys are going to shoot decrease.”

DIVOTSLucas Glover was the one participant at East Lake this 12 months who additionally accomplished within the first FedEx Cup postseason in 2007. The opposite 29 gamers weren’t even on tour then, so the FedEx Cup is all they know. … Anna Davis and U.S. Beginner champion Nick Dunlap had been amongst six gamers chosen to symbolize the US within the World Beginner Group Championship in October at Abu Dhabi Golf Membership. The opposite males had been David Ford and Gordon Sargent, whereas Rachel Kuehn and Megan Schofill will be part of Davis. … Sargent gained the Mark H. McCormack Medal for having the longest stint this 12 months as No. 1 on the planet beginner rating. The award will get him into the U.S. Open and British Open subsequent 12 months. … Xander Schauffele has gained, had three runner-up finishes and has but to complete worse than a tie for seventh in his seven years taking part in within the Tour Championship. … Rory McIlroy is credited along with his tenth consecutive high 10 on the PGA Tour, his longest such streak. However with a uncooked rating at East Lake — not the staggered begin, resembling 7 beneath for him — McIlroy tied for eleventh on the Tour Championship.

STAT OF THE WEEKAdam Schenk made $4,862,291 this season, greater than he made in his earlier 5 years mixed on the PGA Tour.

FINAL WORD“We all know the historical past. That’s all of the previous. We wish to create new recollections.” — Collin Morikawa on the US dropping each Ryder Cup held in Europe since 1993.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf