S.H. Kim of South Korea (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
Justin Suh was named the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year, as voted by Korn Ferry Tour membership. Suh was awarded the Jack Nicklaus Trophy, given annually to the Player of the Year honouree, alongside South Korea’s S.H. Kim, who was named 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Rookie of the Year.
In a vote by fellow Korn Ferry Tour players, Suh secured Player of the Year honours over Carl Yuan and Taylor Montgomery, who were named finalists for the award. Suh finished No. 1 on both the Korn Ferry Tour’s season-long and Finals Eligibility Points Lists, joining Scottie Scheffler (2019) and Chesson Hadley (2017) as the only players in history to win both points lists.
In 24 starts last season, Suh led the Korn Ferry Tour with 10 top-10 finishes, including his maiden professional victory at the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance.
Suh opened 2022 with two missed cuts and finishes of T50 and T55 in his first four starts, but he finished inside the top 20 in 16 of his final 20 starts, including five top-10s across the last six Korn Ferry Tour events.
By sweeping the No. 1 spots on both Korn Ferry Tour Eligibility Points Lists, Suh has fully exempt status for the 2022-23 PGA Tour season, an exemption for the 2023 Players Championship and, for the first time in history, an exemption for the 2023 U.S. Open.
A native of San Jose, California and graduate of the University of Southern California, Suh played four seasons with the Trojans en route to a decorated collegiate career. A two-time first-team All-American, Suh recorded the two lowest single-season scoring averages in program history (68.73 in 2017-18; 69.39 in 2018-19). As a junior in 2018, he set the school record in individual wins (five) and was named the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year. Additionally, Suh was a member of the victorious 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup team alongside teammates Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala and Davis Riley.
Kim enjoyed a successful rookie season on the Korn Ferry Tour which consisted of three top-three finishes in his first seven starts (solo-third at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club, T2 at LECOM Suncoast Classic, solo-second at Lake Charles Championship). In 22 starts last season, the 24-year-old South Korean recorded nine top-25s, including five top-10s.
Kim earned membership by playing his way through the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament, ultimately finishing T39 at Final Stage to earn guaranteed starts. Prior to joining the Korn Ferry Tour, Kim was a four-time winner internationally, boasting victories on the Korean Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Abema TV Tour, and Srixon Tour. Kim is one of two players in history to win both the KPGA Championship and Japan PGA Championship, with the other being Hyung-Sung Kim.
Both Kim and Suh are in the field this week at The RSM Classic in St. Simon’s Island, Georgia. While Suh’s best finish this season is a T29 at The CJ Cup in South Carolina last month, Kim sits No. 37 on the current 2022-23 FedExCup Standings off the strength of a T4 at the Shriners Children’s Open last month.
