‘Expectant Dad’ Kim Si-woo "Switching Back to a Regular Putter Instead of a Broom"

Challenging First Personal Back-to-Back Win at Sony Open on the 11th
Using Old Putter Instead of Broomstick Putter
"Aiming for at Least One Win This Year and Participation in the Final Tournament"

‘Expectant father’ Kim Si-woo has returned to using a conventional putter.

In a virtual interview with domestic media on the 9th (local time), two days before the start of the PGA Tour Sony Open (total prize money $8.3 million), he revealed, "I changed my putter. I think I regained confidence with the No. 1 putter. I practiced a lot with a conventional putter during the off-season." Kim Si-woo, who had been struggling with putting, started using a broomstick putter at the 2022 Presidents Cup. He adopted the ‘broom putter’ following advice from Adam Scott (Australia).

Kim Si-woo

However, this year he decided to go back to the old way. He also took out a conventional putter at last week’s season opener, The Sentry. He said, "It was my first time in a while, but it wasn’t bad. It was easier to judge distance," adding with a smile, "I always carry the broomstick putter, so I don’t know when I’ll switch back again."

Kim Si-woo secured his fourth PGA Tour win at last year’s Sony Open. He won the tournament for the first time after marrying Oh Ji-hyun, who has seven wins on the Korean LPGA (KLPGA) Tour. His wife is due to give birth in March. At the Sony Open, he aims to defend his personal title. Kim Si-woo smiled, saying, "It was the tournament I came to right after the wedding as a honeymoon, and I was so happy to win," and added, "I’m glad to come back to relive last year’s memories."

Fortunately, his start has been smooth. He finished tied for 25th at The Sentry. Reflecting on his performance, Kim Si-woo said, "I was worried because my game sense had declined and I couldn’t practice well until the very end," and added, "From the second day, I tried to trust myself and play the way I wanted, which seems to have led to a good score." He expressed optimism, saying, "If I have confidence and conviction this week as well, I think I can play well without any major problems."

Last year, Kim Si-woo entered the top 10 five times, including one win. He said, "I’m a bit disappointed that I didn’t achieve my goal of two wins, but I’m satisfied because it was probably my most stable year of play," and added, "I hope this year continues just like last year." Kim Si-woo also said, "I definitely want to win at least once again this year. I hope I can finish well through the season finale, the Tour Championship."

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