Korean star Tom Kim became the first golfer to successfully defend the Shriners Children’s Open in 24 years after he closed with a 5-under 66 on Sunday, clinching a one-stroke win over Canada’s Adam Hadwin.
The 21-year-old Kim, who shot a remarkable 62 on Saturday to earn the co-third round lead alongside Hadwin and Lanto Griffin, carded seven birdies against two bogeys to successfully defend his title at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, finishing with a winning total of 20-under 264.
The last player to win the Shriners Children’s Open in successive editions was Jim Furyk in (1998-99) and in achieving this, Kim also became the fourth youngest player in PGA Tour history to secure three wins at the age 21 years, 2 months, and 13 days, following Gene Sarazen (20 years, 5 months, 23 days), Horton Smith (20 years, 8 months, 19 days), and Tiger Woods (21 years, 13 days).
“It’s very sweet. I feel like the first two wins came at me really quick. It took a lot longer than my first two wins to get my third one. But it’s very sweet,” said Kim. “This is really for the team. I’ve worked really hard personally, but without their help, I would not even be close to getting my third win. This is really sweet for us.”
Hadwin, who was chasing his first win since the Valspar Championship in 2017, posted a closing 67, while Korea’s K.H. Lee, with a commendable 68, bolstered the Asian representation on the leaderboard, finishing tied seventh.
Kim’s successful defence was memorable given the fact that he was forced to miss his Wyndham Championship defence in August due to an ankle injury. “It was so hard for me to be – the week of Wyndham, to just be at home. It was so hard for me to just sit on my couch and not really be able to do anything,” he recalled. “It was very frustrating personally as a player because it was my first win, and I was so determined to come back to Shriners at least being healthy and at least have a chance to win as a defending champion.
“Winning this week is just making me miss that week even more, my first win. Not to have even a chance to compete out there, as a player, it’s hard. But I really do want – obviously this win is dedicated to the people here but I also want to dedicate it to the people at Wyndham.”
A pivotal moment in Kim’s victory came on the 15th hole following a 12-foot birdie putt, his seventh of the day. Hadwin’s hopes were dashed following a costly bogey on the par-5 16th, but he ensured a solo second finish a closing birdie.
“It was pretty intense really. It was just me and Adam, and I feel like it was almost match play once we got past 14. It was whether I wanted it or he wants it, and we both just see what happens,” said Kim. “It was probably the most emotional final round I’ve experienced win-wise the last year and a half.”
Hadwin settled for his second runner-up finish since the Rocket Mortgage Classic and paid tribute to Kim. “Tom is just so steady. I mean, it’s kind of shocking actually there to see him bogey 5 and 6. He’s just so steady. Fairways and greens, he never gets out of rhythm, out of pace,” said the world No. 56.
“5-under was seemingly the absolute worst he would have shot today. I knew it was going to take a good round to compete and to win.”
Despite coming up short in his bid for a third PGA Tour win, Lee was delighted with how the week unfolded. Lee resiliently rebounded from early bogeys on the first and third holes, carding five birdies to secure his fourth top-10 finish of the season. While he remains 76th in the FedExCup Fall Series standings, he’s determined to perform well for the rest of the season, aiming for a better playing status in 2024.
“It was unfortunate that I was unable to cut my strokes over the final five holes when I needed to, which put me out of contention for the win, but overall it was a week where I saw a lot more improvement,” he said. “I need to improve my ranking in the remaining fall series so that I can compete in the big tournaments next year. I don’t think my season is over yet. I want to keep up the good momentum for the rest of the tournaments, starting with Zozo Championship next week, so that I can tell my Korean fans that I won the title before the year is over.”
