Juhyung Kim 'Achieves First 2 Consecutive Wins'... "I am the PGA's Draw Card" (Comprehensive)

Schriners Children's Open Victory by 1 Stroke
Third Career Win... 2 Billion KRW Prize Jackpot
Hadwin 2nd, Cole 3rd, Lee Kyung-hoon 7th

World No. 16 Kim Joo-hyung successfully defended his first career title.

The ‘PGA crowd-puller’ Kim Joo-hyung shot a 5-under 66 in the final round of the PGA Tour Shriners Children’s Open (total prize money $8.4 million) held at TPC Summerlin (par 71, 7,255 yards) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on the 15th (local time), securing a one-stroke victory with a total score of 20-under 264. This marks his second win of the season and third overall, one year after winning this tournament last year. The winner’s prize money was $1,512,000 (approximately 2 billion KRW). Including Im Sung-jae in 2021, this is the third consecutive year a Korean player has won this tournament. The Korean contingent’s back-to-back PGA Tour wins is the second in history, following Lee Kyung-hoon (AT&T Byron Nelson).

Kim Joo-hyung is smiling brightly after making the winning putt on the 18th hole green in the 4th round of the Shriners Children's Open. [Las Vegas, USA = AFP·Yonhap News]

With this victory, Kim Joo-hyung earned PGA Tour status for two years and qualifications to participate in the ‘King of Kings’ Sentry Tournament of Champions, the fifth major The Players Championship, the prestigious Masters Tournament, and the major PGA Championship. Kim Joo-hyung chose not to defend his title at the Wyndham Championship, where he won his first title last August, due to an ankle injury that prevented him from participating.

Starting the final day tied for the lead by one stroke, Kim carded seven birdies and two bogeys. He gained momentum with birdies on holes 1, 3, and 4, but was abruptly halted by consecutive bogeys on holes 5 and 6. However, a birdie on the 9th hole (par 5) shifted the momentum, followed by back-to-back birdies on holes 12 and 13, which propelled him into sole possession of the lead. After adding another stroke on the 15th hole (par 4), Kim held off his competitors’ chase to secure the victory.

Kim’s accuracy on the final day was outstanding. He achieved an 85.71% fairway hit rate and an 83.33% greens in regulation rate. His average putts per hole were 1.67. He started strong by shooting 3-under in both the first and second rounds, then exploded with a 9-under 62 on ‘Moving Day’ (third round), laying the foundation for his come-from-behind win.

In a post-victory interview, Kim said, "Although I hadn’t won this year, it was a time to gain a lot of experience and improve," expressing joy that "winning after a long time feels like giving a gift to domestic fans." He explained, "My shot-making was good, and I believed that if I created chances, I could win. Focusing on the game and playing calmly led to this victory." Kim added, "I plan to participate in the DP World Tour season finale, the Tour Championship (November 16-19) next month," and promised, "After that, I will practice hard and show a good performance."

Kim Joo-hyung is smiling while holding the trophy immediately after winning the Shriners Children's Open. [Las Vegas (USA) = AFP·Yonhap News]

TPC Summerlin, the ‘battleground’ for Kim Joo-hyung, is an unforgettable place. It is the ‘promised land’ where he earned his second career win just two months after the Wyndham Championship last August. At that time, he became the youngest player in PGA Tour history to win twice at 20 years and 3 months old, surpassing ‘Golf Emperor’ Tiger Woods (USA). Notably, he played a ‘bogey-free’ tournament while racking up 24 birdies over four days. This was the third-ever ‘no-bogey win’ in history, following Lee Trevino in 1974 and J.T. Poston in 2019 (both USA).

Kim Joo-hyung is gaining attention as one of the hottest players in the global golf scene with his fluent English skills and fighting spirit. He has even signed a contract with Nike, which sponsors stars like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), and Scottie Scheffler (USA). Above all, he possesses a competitive nature. In September last year, he showcased outstanding skills at the Presidents Cup, an international men’s golf competition excluding the USA and Europe, scoring back-to-back eagles and emerging as the top star. By successfully defending his title this time, Kim Joo-hyung has firmly established himself as a leading drawcard for the PGA Tour.

Adam Hadwin (Canada) chased with a 4-under round but had to settle for runner-up (19-under 265). A mistake on the 16th hole (par 4), where his second shot landed in the water, resulting in a bogey, was a regretful moment. Eric Cole (USA) surged to a tie for third place (18-under 266) with a daily-best 9-under round. Lee Kyung-hoon of Korea shot 3-under to finish tied for 7th (17-under 267), marking his fourth top-10 finish of the season.

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