‘Special Temporary Member’ Kim Juhyung "Detroit Deployment"..."Feeling Anxious~"

Challenging PO Ranking 'Top 125' at Rocket Mortgage Classic, Davis Defends Title, Finau Aims for 2 Consecutive Wins

‘Special Temporary Member’ Kim Joo-hyung challenges the PO ranking ‘Top 125’ at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Six times advancing to the main event in seven tournaments."

This is the performance record of Kim Joo-hyung (20, CJ Logistics), ranked 39th in the world, on the PGA Tour this season. Notably, his 3rd place finish at the Genesis Scottish Open, co-hosted with the DP World Tour on the 11th, stood out. On a stage featuring big stars like 'Number 1' Scottie Scheffler (USA), he demonstrated exceptional power, and with a tied 47th place at The Open on the 18th, he reached 296 FedEx Cup points (PO), earning the status of 'Special Temporary Member.'

Kim Joo-hyung was last year's youngest triple crown winner on the Korean Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Korean Tour. Competing for the title in every tournament across 14 events, including his victory at the SK Telecom Open in June and three runner-up finishes, he swept the year-end money list (754.94 million KRW), the Player of the Year award (5540.56 points), and the lowest scoring average (69.16 strokes). After winning the Singapore International in January to become the Asian Tour money leader, he moved to the United States to challenge the world leagues.

He tied for 26th at the 3M Open, which ended on the 25th, and currently ranks 131st unofficially in the PO standings with 327 points. The Rocket Mortgage Classic (total prize money $8.4 million), opening on the night of the 28th (Korean time) at Detroit Golf Club in Michigan (par 72, 7,370 yards), has become even more important. He must break into the 'Top 125' through this tournament and the regular season finale Wyndham Championship ($7.3 million) to secure his PGA Tour card for next year. He is only 16 points behind 125th-ranked Webb Simpson (USA, 343 points), so the possibility is strong.

'3M Open champ' Tony Finau has embarked on a 'back-to-back victory march' at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Defending champion Cameron Davis (Australia) is aiming to defend his title. Last year, he triumphed after a five-hole playoff against Troy Merritt (USA) and Joaquin Niemann (Chile) on the final day at the 'Promised Land.' Merritt is dreaming of revenge. Locally, the big news is 3M Open champion Tony Finau's attempt at back-to-back wins. On the final day of the 3M Open, Finau shot 3-under par and remarkably overcame a 5-shot deficit, drawing even more spotlight.

Other contenders include 'PO champion' Patrick Cantlay and Will Zalatoris (both USA). Cantlay won four times last year but has only one victory at the Zurich Classic this year, causing frustration. Zalatoris is also in a tough spot, having finished runner-up three times?in January at the Farmers Open, in May at the PGA Championship, and in June at the US Open. South Korea's Kim Si-woo (27), Kang Sung-hoon (35, both CJ Logistics), and Noh Seung-yul (32) are also looking for opportunities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.