Siwoo Kim on the Rise, Eyes Another 2017 Miracle

Aiming for Victory at The Players Championship

2017 Champion Returns to the "Promised Land"

Second and Third Place Finishes in Seven Tournaments This Year

Siwoo Kim is making a bid for the championship at the "fifth major" for the first time in nine years.

On March 12 (local time), he will compete in the PGA Tour's The Players Championship, held at the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course (par 72, 7,352 yards) in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, United States.

Established in 1974, this year marks the 52nd edition of the tournament, which is considered to have prestige on par with the four major championships. The total prize fund is $25 million (approximately 36.86 billion won), which surpasses last year's US Open purse of $21.5 million. The winner’s prize alone is $4.5 million (approximately 6.6 billion won). This year, 123 top-ranked golfers will participate.

Siwoo Kim challenges for victory at The Players Championship. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

Among Korean players, Siwoo Kim holds the highest world ranking at 28th. He has had a strong start to the season, having competed in seven tournaments this year, finishing second and third once each. He has recorded three top-10 finishes, with his lowest result being a tie for 45th at last month's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

He claimed the trophy at this tournament in 2017. Back then, he started the final round in fourth place, two shots behind, and shot a three-under-par to secure a come-from-behind victory by three strokes. He also set a remarkable record as the youngest champion in the tournament’s history. Siwoo Kim is aiming for his fifth career PGA Tour victory on this "promised land" after nine years.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (USA) and No. 2 and defending champion Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) are strong favorites to win. Scheffler secured back-to-back victories at this tournament in 2023 and 2024. For McIlroy, his withdrawal from last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational after the second round due to back pain remains a variable.

Brooks Koepka (USA), who returned to the PGA Tour this year after leaving LIV Golf, is competing in this tournament for the first time in four years since 2022. In addition to Siwoo Kim, the Korean contingent includes Sungjae Im and S.H. Kim. Sungjae Im, who made his season debut at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational after a wrist injury, missed the cut.

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