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- Tom Kim is a South Korean pro golfer
- He became the first player since Tiger Woods to win twice on the PGA Tour before turning 21
- The ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ super fan has been called the next big thing in the sport
Tom Kim may be a new name in the world of professional golf, but fans should get used to hearing it as the player is poised to be one of the greats! The Korean phenom, 20, made his Masters debut at the famed golf tournament in 2023, playing his first practice round with his idols Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Golf Legend Fred Couples was also part of fabulous foursome and couldn’t help but praise the budding sports star.
“I love Tom Kim,” the 1992 Masters winner said, per The Augusta Chronicle. “I think he was a little excited to play with Rory and Tiger. He had a blast, and they love him. Rory has played a few times with him. I don’t think Tiger ever has, but he’s a really sharp player. He hits the ball really, really good.”
The star-studded experience on the links wasn’t lost on Tom, as he shared some snaps from the practice round to his Instagram, captioning them, “@themasters#DreamsDoComeTru.”
With Tom on the verge of becoming the youngest player to win The Masters, let’s learn more about him, below.
Where Did Tom Learn To Play Golf?
Tom was born Joohyung Kim to parents Changik Lee and Kwanjoo Kim in Seoul on June 21, 2002, per The Athletic. Changik knew the golf game as a “mini-tour pro turned teaching professional” and taught his son the ins and outs of the game. Being a veteran, Changik quickly saw the potential in his child and so he and Kwanjoo quit their jobs and moved the family around the globe to facilitate Tom’s abilities, according to the outlet. “My parents stopped working to support me,” Tom explained. “So it was just about me accomplishing my goals and pursuing my dreams.” He was playing professionally by the time he was 15.
And the responsibility for the family finances is simply par for the course, according to Tom. “Oh, yeah. I definitely understood how hard it was for them to be parents and how hard it is to put food on the table, stuff like that,” Tom told GQ. “It was a very valuable lesson that, instead of learning at 35 or 40, I learned at 15 or 16. But I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
He Named Himself After Thomas The Tank Engine
With his family moving around to set up Joohyung for success, they eventually landed in Australia when he was 5. There he would learn English and become a world-class junior player. During this time, the young athlete grew fond of the children’s show Thomas The Tank Engine. So much so, he had all the toys and merchandise and started going by the name “Thomas”, per The Athletic. By 11, everyone was calling him “Tom.”
What’s The Big Golf Deal With Tom Kim?
To summarize his meteoric rise, Tom became the first player since Woods to win twice on the PGA Tour before turning 21 and this all happened within a few months of 2022, a year he began with a pro status only on the Asian Tour! In August, Tom won the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina and two months later, he took home the trophy for the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas. He is the now No. 19-ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking.
After his tremendous showing at the Presidents Cup in September, Trevor Immelman, the International Team captain for the tournament, gushed to The Athletic, “Tom Kim is absolutely poised as the next global superstar. He has an uncanny ability to have amazing self-confidence but still be humble. He’s like a shining light. He makes you want to root for him.”
He Just Scored A Nike Deal For Undisclosed Amount
In January 2023, Tom scored a sweet endorsement deal with Nike for an undisclosed amount, per The Athletic. “He wants to be the GOAT,” Ben Harrison, Kim’s agent, told the outlet. “And, you know, if you want to be the GOAT, you’ve got to be among them. So, for him, as a brand, Nike is such an elite global brand. All the best athletes in the world, at some point, have been with them.”
He Spent Christmas With Golf Idol Jordan Spieth
For the 2020 holidays, Tom shared a flight back to Dallas on one of his idols, 2015 Masters winner Jordan Spieth’s, private plane, per GQ. With his parents out of town and no plans, Tom ended up spending Christmas with Jordan and his family. “I thought they were just being really nice and I really appreciated the gesture,” Tom explained to GQ.
Even with all the recent accolades and hanging out with his idols, Tom appears to understand how the world of golf works, even at his young age. “Golf can be the most frustrating thing ever and sometimes it can be the most joyful thing ever. That’s why the highs are so high and sometimes the lows are so low. It’s just an emotional rollercoaster,” Tom admitted to the outlet.
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