16-year-old amateur Kris Kim impresses in PGA Tour debut
05 May 2024
by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Kris Kim Rankings
SHARE:
Kris Kim (Junior Ryder Cup Photo)
16-year-old
Kris Kim can add a successful PGA Tour debut to his long and impressive resume.
Kim shot rounds of 68-67-70-73 to finish the CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Tex., in solo 65th place. He fell off the pace a little in the final round, shooting a 2-over 73, but he finished under par in his first three rounds to make the cut.
The young golfer from England and Junior Ryder Cup star is the fifth-youngest player to make the cut in a PGA TOUR event and the youngest since Guan Tian Liang made the cut at the 2013 Masters and Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
In the first two rounds, Kim recorded eleven birdies, an eagle, and six bogeys to get to 7-under with rounds of 68-67 en route to making the cut.
In his third round, he recorded four birdies and three bogeys to shoot 1-under 70, his third round under par of the week. He made all four birdies on the front nine after a bogey on his first hole, making the turn at 33. However, he made two bogeys and no birdies to shoot 37 on the back nine. He almost aced the par-3 No. 4 with his parents watching on.
He is the youngest to ever make the cut at the Byron Nelson, two months younger than Jordan Spieth, who made the cut in his debut.
"It's been so fun this week," Kim told the PGA Tour. "I didn't even realize that I was the youngest."
He made a chip-in eagle in the first round to punctuate a first-round 3-under 68.
“I would say it was pretty good,” Kim told the PGA Tour after his opening round. “Conditions out there were pretty easy today, especially with the greens having a bit of rain. But, yeah, I would say 3-under I would definitely take.”
TaylorMade Golf made Kim their latest NIL signing, making him the first European amateur to sign an NIL deal with the company.
The English amateur golfer had an impressive 2023, where he won the Fairhaven Trophy, McGregor Trophy, and British Boys. He also won the European Boys Championship, where he set a new course record.
Kim earned the sponsor exemption into the event as a brand ambassador for CJ Cup.