Surrey teenager Kris Kim will return to action in this year’s THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, 12 months on from making headlines across the world by becoming the fifth youngest-ever golfer to make the cut on the PGA Tour.
Kim was just 16 years, seven months and three days old last May when he reached the final hole of his second round, the 552-yard par-5 18th at TPC Craig Ranch, needing par to secure weekend golf.
Was he nervous? “There’s always going to be nerves when you’re on the cut line,” he confessed afterwards, but he was about to prove that he has a wise head on young shoulders.
“It being a par-5 was helpful,” he explained of his decision to resist the temptation to go for the green in two. Instead, he laid up to wedge distance, knocked his approach inside six feet, and drained the putt for the sixth birdie of the round.
It was a stunning effort for the Walton Heath-based golfer and he has been granted the opportunity to back it up as a veteran 17-year-old.
Kim, who was the first European amateur golfer to sign an NIL (Named Image and Likeness) contract with Under Armour and TaylorMade, was also the first amateur golfer to be sponsored by the CJ Group who were delighted by the impact he made on his tournament debut in Texas.
“We were very impressed with Kris’s performance last year as he broke the record for the youngest player to make the cut at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson and almost made a hole-in-one,” said Ethan Kim, Sports Marketing Director of CJ Group.
“We expect THE CJ CUP to be a foundation for his continuing progress and wish this tournament can be a place where Kris gets inspiration from other great players.
“We believe this is just a start for Kris and wish him success in his golf career.”
Kim’s management group Trinifold Sports are also thrilled that he has a second chance to impress at the highest level.
“Everyone at Trinifold Sports would like to thank the CJ Group and PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan for the exemption to THE CJ CUP in Dallas, Texas,” said Trinifold CEO James Byers. “There is no price for giving young people opportunity and we should prioritise that in every walk of life.
“As for the invitation and playing in the event, Kris will be keeping everything calm with good preparation and he will once again utilising an exceptional caddie. He’s playing golf, that’s it, nothing changes.”
The caddie in question is Olly Brett, an Englishman who regularly loops for LPGA star Rose Zhang, and he was an invaluable guide for his youthful compatriot 12 months ago.
“It was pretty intense how hard Olly worked and helped me,” Kim said after learning of the second invitation. “Out on the course he kept me relaxed with jokes and chats that had nothing to do with golf.”
A multiple winner at age-group level, including the 2023 R&A Boys Amateur Championship, Kim was undefeated in Europe’s Junior Ryder Cup triumph in Rome ahead of the main event at GC Marco Simone two years ago.
PGA TOUR DEBUT
That experience in front of huge galleries proved vital ahead of his PGA Tour debut. “It was such a cool experience in Italy,” he said. “Because of the adrenalin rush I hit the ball so much further than normal and I was ready for that in Texas.”
The youngster was supposed to be revising for his GCSEs between rounds 12 months ago so how did he do in the exams? “I did all right with my results except for Religious Studies,” he admitted. “I revised the entirely wrong subject for that one!”
He’ll continue to be inspired by his mum Ji-Hyun Suh who was one of the early Korean pioneers on the LPGA in the 1990s. That said, the pair had a light-hearted disagreement about how well he would have performed in this year’s Masters.
After watching the thrilling and inspirational finale from his bed he revealed that he and his mum had been discussing how he would have fared behind the winner Rory McIlroy. “She thought I’d miss the cut,” he said with a laugh. “Thanks mum! I think I could have played the weekend!”
And that, of course, is the hope and expectation on his return to TPC Craig Ranch.
“First up, I’m making my senior debut for England against Spain which will be great competitive preparation and a real honour,” he said. “And from there I fly to Texas. It was so much fun the first time I just want to experience it all again – all four days of it.”
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in Dallas, Texas takes place 1-4 May 2025.
