South Korean golf star Tom Kim finds balance, ready for big season in 2024 on PGA Tour

When young South Korean star Tom Kim qualified for his maiden Tour Championship appearance in August by being among the elite 30 golfers on the PGA Tour, he was asked how he would grade his 2022-23 season.

The 21-year-old gave himself a C-minus.

It certainly felt Kim was being extremely hard on himself, as his first full season on the elite circuit had at the time included one victory and seven other top-10s, including at two of the Majors.

“It’s just the truth,” said Kim without batting an eyelid. “I won a title this season, but it wasn’t this year, and it was about 10 months ago.

“However, I also had some good results in the Majors, so it’s a positive. I gained confidence and comfort in those events. Golf is a sport that is judged by results, so I’m disappointed I didn’t win this year.”

When quizzed on what he needed to have given himself a better grade, he simply replied – “start winning” – which he duly delivered with a sensational third PGA Tour victory when he retained his title at the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas in October.

Kim’s self-deprecating attitude, coupled with a winning mentality and an abundance of talent, are ingredients that should propel him towards his goals of winning golf’s biggest tournaments and becoming world No. 1.

He will end 2023 as the highest-ranked Asian golfer at world No. 11, eclipsing the likes of countrymen Im Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo and Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama.

The year was no doubt a tale of two halves for Kim, who struggled for consistent results after ramping up his ball speed. He enjoyed a couple of top-10s early in 2023 before hitting a flatline.

“Technically, my ball speed has gone up a lot from last year, so my timing is a little different,” he said.

“I needed to find new balance with my body and my swing.

“As these things improved in the second half, my results improved and I made the most progress in my short game and mentality.”

He recalled flushing a pure four-iron approach to perfection on the final hole of the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club in June, which produced a closing birdie and a career-first top-10 at a Major.

It proved to be the catalyst for a strong summer, as he went on to finish tied-sixth at the Scottish Open and runner-up at the British Open, despite playing with a sprained ankle.

He feels the biggest change for him since bursting through in 2022 with two Tour titles and delivering a memorable outing at the Presidents Cup is his mindset and mentality.

“I feel like I am a completely different person now,” Kim said.

“I have a really good team around me.

“Whenever I am hard on myself, they always give me perspective.

“I’ve seen the results of after a tough round the attitude that I go into the next day... if I have a great attitude, I always play better.

“I’ve had days when I played bad and the next day had a bad attitude and played horrible. I’ve definitely had to learn.

“Also, when I play with the best players in the world, I learn a lot, not only about golf, but also about life.”

With a base firmly established in Dallas, Kim is ready to take his career to new heights in 2024, which will include the Paris Olympic Games.

“For the first time in my life right, I’m feeling the balance of knowing where I’m playing every year and what my schedule is going to look like next year,” he said.

“I don’t need to bounce around houses or hotels, don’t need to worry about booking an Airbnb.

“I can just go back to my house and that balance in general, it’s just the biggest thing.”