Kim Joo-hyung Is Second Youngest Winner On PGA Tour

Kim Joo-hyung entered the Wyndham Championship knowing that if he managed to secure victory, he would achieve the feat of being the second youngest winner since 1932 on the PGA Tour. And with that in mind, the South Korean stuck to task and recorded a victory that saw him finish twenty under par.

Joo-hyung, 20, who goes by the nickname Tom, turned professional in 2018 and competes on the PGA Tour, the Asian Tour and the Korean Tour. And, after recording a couple of victories on the Asian Tour and seven elsewhere, he set himself the challenge of getting off the mark on the PGA Tour.

And, you could say that Joo-hyung got off to the worst start possible in his search for glory at the Wyndham Championship. He began with a dismal quadruple bogey and suddenly found himself in a terrible position, with his chances of success dealt a hammer blow from the off.

However, despite the terrible start, Joo-hyung managed to finish five strokes ahead of Im Sung-jae, who also hails from South Korea, as well as American John Huh. It was a remarkable turnaround for the youngster, with Joo-hyung delivering a round of nine-under-par to finish on 61 on Sunday to secure his maiden PGA Tour victory. 

After his success, Joo-hyung said, “I stayed very patient this week.

“Instead of getting angry and depressed, I stayed in the moment, and I can’t believe I won with a quadruple bogey on the first hole.

“Hopefully, that doesn’t happen again, but it’s definitely a week that I will remember forever.”

Joo-hyung’s card on Sunday saw him complete the first nine holes in just twenty-seven strokes, which is the joint second-lowest nine-hole total ever recorded on the PGA Tour. So, it could prove to be a momentous occasion of a new star of golf arriving on the scene. The South Korean is now also the first player to be born in the 200s to win on the tour.

Moving forward, Joo-hyung will now be regarded as a full member of the PGA Tour. Up until recently, he’d been operating on a special temporary membership, but he’s now competing as a fully-fledged member, which is another bonus after being victorious in North Carolina. And the perks of his success don’t end there, as there are plenty more to come.

Joo-hyung is now in a position where he will be added to the FedEx Cup standings. He will be installed immediately into 34th place, and this means that England’s Matt Wallace will be out of the play-off positions. Compatriot Im Sung-jae is currently ranked 10th after playing twenty-three events, with the challenge now on for Joo-hyung to build on his recent success and begin climbing the rankings by picking up more points. He’s currently eight behind American Keegan Bradley, who is sat in 33rd on 925, but more than in reach of his grasp.