‘PGA Success Card’ Kim Joo-hyung: "My Strength Is Accurate Shots"

Juhyung Kim Exclusive Interview with PGA Tour Ahead of Zozo Championship
"The Key to Success is Experience," "Honored to be Compared to Woods," "I Will Strive for Bigger Goals"

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Kim Joo-hyung (20, photo), the ‘PGA crowd-puller,’ cited his precise shots as his strength.

On the 13th, ahead of the PGA Tour Zozo Championship (total prize money $11 million) held at Narashino CC in Chiba, Japan, Kim told the PGA Tour in an interview, "Since I am not a long hitter, I have to select specific spots on the fairway carefully before hitting the ball," adding, "I choose the wider parts of the fairway to hit. My strategy is to hit accurate shots rather than powerful ones."

He continued, "To keep my swing consistent, I have to eliminate unnecessary movements," and added, "Thanks to that effort, I think I have been able to produce steady good shots without fluctuation in both driver and iron shots. That definitely played a big role."

Kim Joo-hyung won his first career victory as a ‘special member’ at the Wyndham Championship on the PGA Tour last August, and then collected the winner’s trophy again two months later at the Shriners Children’s Open last week. At 20 years and 3 months old, Kim reached two PGA Tour wins faster than the ‘Golf Emperor’ Tiger Woods (USA), who won his second PGA Tour title at 20 years and 9 months. A new star is born.

Kim cited ‘experience’ as the driving force behind his rapid success on the PGA Tour. "Before succeeding on the tour, I had many opportunities to compete in the U.S.," Kim said. "I earned the right to participate in major tournaments and received invitations here and there, which gave me time to adapt," he smiled, adding, "Growing up in various environments while dreaming of the PGA Tour also seems to be a secret. I was also very lucky."

Kim said he is running toward even higher goals. "I haven’t achieved the goals I want yet. Winning twice after entering the PGA Tour is just a part of it. There are more goals, and these are just stepping stones. I am grateful for what I have achieved so far, but there are still many things I want to do and accomplish."

Regarding breaking Woods’ record as the youngest to win twice, he said, "I can’t believe it. Breaking Tiger’s record is such a great honor," and did not hide his expectations, saying, "If I maintain good performance, I can show even more."

"It’s great to be back in Asia after a long time, with plenty of rice and foods I like," Kim said, adding, "I want to eat as much as I want, but I have to hold back because I’m currently on a diet," which caused laughter.

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