Tom Kim’s Scottish Open winning streak ended with a Tiger Woods record

Three years isn’t a very long time unless you’re 24 and the golf world has spent a lot of time wondering what happened to your game.

Tom Kim arrived as a teenager, turning pro at age 15 and winning three times on the PGA Tour before he was old enough to legally rent a car. With a sparkling personality to match his game, he emerged as a fan favorite and seemed destined to become one of golf’s next superstars. Then came the woes, the sickness, the drought of victory and, inevitably, the questions.

On Sunday at the Genesis Scottish Open, Kim responded emphatically, closing with a six-under 64 to finish at 17 under, two shots clear of Min Woo Lee for his first PGA Tour victory since the 2023 Shriners Children’s Open – making Kim just the fourth non-American player to win four PGA Tour events before the age of 25. The other three? Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, and Hideki Matsuyama.

“I’m trying to close my mind to it,” said a dejected Kim afterward. “The round I played today was a lot of work.”

Long regarded as one of the game’s brightest talents, Kim saw his game slide over the past two seasons, a slide often referred to as the balky putter. After ranking among the Tour’s best players on the green early in his career, he dropped to 102nd in Strokes Gained: Putting. In 2024, he again withdrew from the Players Championship after suffering from a mysterious illness that forced him to retire from the game.

Kim didn’t disappear completely. His fiery play and emotional celebrations powered the International Team in two Presidents’ Cups. He also found himself in the first round as a member of Tiger Woods’ TGL team. But when Sunday afternoon rolled around, Kim wasn’t showing much on TV.

Signs of awakening have been seen this year. The return to Scotty Cameron’s regular putter was accompanied by a tie for 15th at the RBC Canadian Open, followed by a third-place finish at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills. If Kim’s game was in good shape, there was no better place to show it than the Renaissance Club in Scotland, where he still has fond memories. In 2022, he finished T-3 for the first time in the top 10 on Tour, and added another strong showing with a T-17 last year.

“It’s really good not only to win but also to win this event,” said Kim. “Here I was out of shape and I came third to give myself a chance to get out of here, I’m at a loss for words.”

Given his role as a cornerstone of TGL, it was fitting that the first text Kim received after returning to the winner’s circle was from Woods.

“Obviously playing TGL, being on Tiger’s team and being able to ask him a lot of questions about things and being very helpful a lot of the time,” Kim said after his win. “You know, this was my first win in three years and the first person who texted me was Tiger Woods. This shows you the type of person he is, how much he cares.”

Kim’s long road back was extended even further on marathon Sunday. Although he was playing for the second-to-last team, he started the day just after sunrise to complete the third round which was cut short due to fog on Saturday. With clear and calm conditions replacing Saturday’s cooler air, he opened with a birdie and added two more before turning.

In trying to keep up with the modern power play during his winless streak, Kim has sacrificed some of the precision that once defined his play. At the Renaissance Club, that version of Kim was back, painting the course with a neat tee-to-green game. Of the key shots, none was more important than a four-iron from 205 yards on the par-4 16th, which sat five feet from the hole. Kim birdied the putt to keep up the pace that her competitors couldn’t match.

Playing partners Chris Gotterup and Robert MacIntyre faltered early, and Rory McIlroy, after a third-round 73 ended his chances, matched Kim’s low round of 64 for the day, but didn’t come close enough to exert much pressure.

Kim’s victory also stands in stark contrast to that of one of his closest friends on Tour. Kim and Scottie Scheffler, who share a June 21 birthday and regularly play practice rounds together in Dallas, arrived in Scotland in very different ways. Scheffler missed the cut, his first in 78. Kim walked away with the trophy.