Tom Kim Just Did Something That Hasn't Been Done Since Tiger Woods In 1996
Tom Kim is such a legend. You thought he was just a blip on the radar at the Presidents Cup? Think again.
Young Tom has been lighting up the Tour since pretty much the minute he joined it. He's placed in the top 10 in nearly half his starts and already has his 2nd win after taking the Shriners Open today.
He had to go toe to toe with a bona fide stud in Patrick Cantlay today and did the job. This course is Cantlay's bread and butter. He's won here once and finished runner up 3 times now in 5 total starts at TPC Summerlin. 20 year-olds are not supposed to do that against Top 5 players. They're supposed to wet their pants and shoot 75. That's not who Tom Kim is.
It feels like the ceiling is the roof for this kid. We've been flooded with young stars the past decade, but hardly anybody comes close as it relates to just how young Tom is and how instantly he's seeing success. Closest comparison is Jordan Spieth, of course. Spieth was right there with the Masters in his crosshairs at age 20 and couldn't finish the job. Of course, Spieth's age 21 year was one of the greatest in golf history, so Tom's got a lot to live up to.
It'd be easy to go overboard with expectations here. He's obviously in elite company. Tiger Woods is as elite of company as there is. There's no way he reaches Tiger levels, but we could be looking at the next big thing in golf. Could be a global superstar that takes South Korea to the next level and gives the International Presidents Cup team the weapon they need to be competitive for years to come.
All of that said, there's so much to love about Tom Kim. Let's try to keep expectations at a minimum and just enjoy the ride.
PS: your boy cleaned up another pick at +2200 on Tom Kim this week. You're welcome and if you're not riding with B, figure it out.