Michael Kim has been flirting with catastrophe for some time now.
He has missed 13 cuts this season, three of which have come over the previous three weeks. He has just one top-10 this season, a T-6 at The American Categorical in January—his second occasion of the season.
Consequently, after final week’s Black Desert Championship, during which he missed the weekend by two strokes, Kim dropped right down to 129th within the FedEx Cup Fall rankings. The highest 125 gamers earn PGA Tour playing cards for the 2025 season, which means Kim had fallen outdoors the mandatory threshold to retain membership.
He wanted to make a transfer at this week’s Shriners Youngsters Open, as one other missed lower would ship him within the unsuitable route. Fortunately for him, he opened his first spherical with a strong 5-under 66.
He then carded a 1-under 70 throughout a weather-plagued second spherical, which noticed 50 mph gusts delay play. Kim, due to this fact, made the weekend with ease.
One other spherical within the 60s adopted on Saturday, however nothing in comparison with what he did throughout Sunday’s remaining spherical. Kim posted a 9-under 62, soared up the leaderboard to 18-under par, and walked off the golf course sitting inside the top-five. Higher but, the PGA Tour has Kim projected to complete 111th within the FedEx Cup Fall rankings after this week, proof that Kim’s remaining spherical helped him mightily.
“It’s not an enormous monkey off my again, however a decent-sized one,” Kim stated.
“Together with this one and the following few occasions can be large for maintaining my card for subsequent yr. To have the ability to pull off a spherical like I did at this time is a big increase of confidence for the upcoming tournaments.”
Kim won’t play at subsequent week’s ZOZO Championship, opting to take a number of weeks off to follow together with his swing coach, Sean Foley. He’ll return for the World Vast Expertise Championship in Los Cabos, Mexico, which is scheduled to start on Nov. 7. He’ll nonetheless face some strain at that occasion, which can be held on a Tiger Woods-designed course. Nevertheless it won’t be a whole struggle for his PGA Tour survival.
That should really feel good, and Kim, an avid X-user, famous as such after his 62 on Sunday.
“Golf is a humorous sport,” Kim added.
“I felt higher off the tee [on Saturday]; I simply couldn’t get the putts to go in. Right now, I used to be in a position to get some putts to go in. I had a few lucky breaks to return in, and I am glad to complete the best way I did.”
His electrical remaining spherical featured two huge highlights. First, Kim chipped in for birdie on the 249-yard par-3 eighth, probably the most difficult gap on the course. Then, the previous California Golden Bear rattled off 5 birdies in a row after making his solely bogey of the day on the eleventh.
“I believe after I bogeyed 11—type of a sloppy bogey. However then to make a birdie on 12 proper after, after which as quickly as I hit a extremely good tee shot on 13, felt like I may get on a run and was ready to take action,” Kim stated when requested if he knew when this spherical started to really feel particular.
Kim virtually added one other par-breaker on the par-4 18th, however his nine-footer simply slid by. Setting a brand new profession low was not meant to be.
“Should have kicked a little bit left coming in, however nonetheless pleased with the spherical for positive,” Kim stated of his remaining birdie strive.
But, he wanted that 62, a spherical that can assist safe standing for 2025.
“Making an attempt to get inside that 125, it’s large,” Kim stated.
“Making an attempt to lock up my enjoying privileges for subsequent yr, The Gamers and all that. So, it’s a great aid, however I additionally know I nonetheless should hold enjoying properly within the subsequent two or three occasions.”
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in Via. You’ll want to take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You may comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.
