Kris Kim is at an age where he’s still prone to growth spurts.
For many teenagers, that means shopping for clothes. For the 17-year-old Kim, you can add new golf apparel and getting his clubs re-fit.
“I think last year I want to say I was around 5-10, I want to say. I think I’m maybe 6-foot now,” Kim said Tuesday, adding that he checks in with his club fitter “every six months or so.”
The English prodigy made history at last year’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson when he made the cut in his PGA Tour debut at age 16. A year older and wiser, he’s back at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, this week to compete in the tournament again on a sponsor exemption.
“I feel like mentally I’m a bit stronger compared to last year, and a bit stronger physically,” Kim told reporters. “I feel like I’ve grown a little bit more and just hitting it a bit longer in general.”
Kim shot rounds of 68 and 67 to open the tournament last year. He wound up in 65th place at 6 under par at week’s end. More impressively, he was the youngest player to make the cut in any PGA Tour event since 16-year-old Kyle Suppa at the Sony Open in 2015.
Kim also beat Texas fan favorite Jordan Spieth’s record at the Byron Nelson. Kim was three months younger than Spieth was when he made the cut at the 2010 edition.
The son of Korean professional golfers, Kim was raised in Surrey, England. He said it can be tough to grow up so far away from his parents’ homeland.
Kim earned a sponsorship from the South Korean conglomerate CJ Group, which became the title sponsor of the Byron Nelson last year.
Still an amateur, Kim hopes to improve on his placement from last year, but acknowledged it will be a difficult task.
“(The course is) so different,” Kim said. “The greens are a lot quicker. I feel like a lot better as well. The rough’s a lot thicker as well.
“Yeah, it’s definitely playing a bit tougher than last year with the wind and the weather expected as well. Should be a lot tougher than last year.”
The field is also substantially strengthened by the presence of World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. The Texan missed last year’s tournament after the birth of his first child, but he will compete this week.
“I haven’t had a chance to say hello just yet. I figured I’d leave him alone during his practice round,” Kim said. “Yeah, he’s a huge idol of mine.”
–Field Level Media
