With three holes to play, Tom Kim appeared nicely on his option to punching his ticket to Fortress Pines Golf Membership in Colorado, the positioning of subsequent week’s BMW Championship—the second of three legs of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
He sat at 5-under for the championship by way of 15 holes, a spherical that included 4 birdies and no bogies to that time. He was among the many prime 50 gamers within the FedEx Cup standings, the brink required to qualify for the BMW Championship. Whoever finishes among the many prime 50 additionally qualifies for the eight Signature Occasions subsequent 12 months, an enormous incentive for these competing within the FedEx St. Jude Championship to play nicely.
Kim didn’t have his greatest stuff this week, not contending however as an alternative jockeying for place among the many prime 50. He appeared to have achieved so, till the ultimate three holes, through which he made three straight sixes. A bogey on the simple par-5 16 served as a harbinger of issues to return. Kim doubled each 17 and 18 to complete at 1-under for the championship and 51st within the FedEx Cup standings. He discovered the water to the left of the golf green on the 72nd gap, which sealed his destiny.
“I used to be truly cruising. A bogey on 16 price me rather a lot,” Kim stated.
“Then hit a superb drive after which one other actually poor missed shot, simply wherever left is ok and missed it proper. I knew I wanted one thing particular on the final, and I wanted to hit a superb drive, however the wind switched, and the wind began to select up, and it didn’t cowl.”
Kim’s unlucky end opened the door for Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley to sneak on because the Fiftieth-ranked participant.
“This season has simply been—it’s simply been like this. I’ve performed actually good golf after which had some robust finishes. I really feel like 2024 has actually kicked me within the butt. However I’ve gotten so significantly better. I’ve fought actually onerous simply to get myself many this example. I used to be 90-something earlier than we went on this run, and it appears like I’m going to overlook by one. However it’s what it’s,” Kim stated.
“I instructed myself earlier than at the moment that if I didn’t play nicely, I actually felt like I used to be going to complete 51. I instructed myself, if that occurs, I’ve achieved the whole lot I may to be inside that prime 50 and hopefully give myself an opportunity on the Tour Championship. However I couldn’t, and I’m going to look ahead to a extremely good low season as a result of I’m fairly drained.”
Kim has each proper to be drained. He performed for 9 straight weeks between the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and the Rocket Mortgage Traditional, a stretch that included a runner-up end to Scottie Scheffler on the Vacationers Championship. Then, over the previous month, Kim tied for fifteenth on the Scottish Open, missed the lower at Royal Troon, and threatened the rostrum in Paris with a solo eighth end—all earlier than this week in Memphis. It has been a whirlwind of a season for the proficient 22-year-old.
“It’s been a protracted street. Mentally, I simply don’t suppose I used to be sharp sufficient for these previous few weeks,” Kim admitted.
“Fifty-one, 52, 50, it’s not going to matter. I’m simply trying ahead to getting some relaxation and preparing for subsequent 12 months.”
Kim will play for the Worldwide Group at this 12 months’s Presidents Cup, the match through which he gained large notoriety two years in the past at Quail Hole. However he sounded indecisive about whether or not or not he’ll compete repeatedly this fall. The lengthy, onerous street of crisscrossing the nation—and, in some circumstances, oceans—appears to have caught as much as him.
“This 12 months has been actually robust for me personally. I went by way of loads of adjustments,” Kim stated.
“I performed some good golf and had in all probability 5 unhealthy rounds that price me probably one prime 5, one prime 10 and one thing like this. First spherical, second spherical I feel I completed 5-over my previous few holes. When issues aren’t going your method, issues aren’t going your method. It exhibits you in a good 12 months, this might have been like a thirtieth as an alternative of a 51st.”
He nonetheless saved it optimistic within the wake of defeat, one that may sting for fairly a while. However relaxation assured that Kim will bounce again in 2025, maybe with a significant victory.
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By way of. Make sure to try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You possibly can observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.
