Michael Kim has been flirting with catastrophe for some time now.
He has missed 13 cuts this season, three of which have come over the previous three weeks. He has just one top-10 this season, a T-6 at The American Categorical in January—his second occasion of the season.
Consequently, after final week’s Black Desert Championship, wherein he missed the weekend by two strokes, Kim dropped right down to 129th within the FedEx Cup Fall rankings. The highest 125 gamers earn PGA Tour playing cards for the 2025 season, that means Kim had fallen outdoors the mandatory threshold to retain membership.
He wanted to make a transfer at this week’s Shriners Kids Open, as one other missed lower would ship him within the flawed path. Fortunately for him, he opened his first spherical with a stable 5-under 66.
He then carded a 1-under 70 throughout a weather-plagued second spherical, which noticed 50 mph gusts delay play. Kim, subsequently, made the weekend with ease.
One other spherical within the 60s adopted on Saturday, however nothing in comparison with what he did throughout Sunday’s remaining spherical. Kim posted a 9-under 62, soared up the leaderboard to 18-under par, and walked off the golf course sitting throughout the top-five. Higher but, the PGA Tour has Kim projected to complete 111th within the FedEx Cup Fall rankings after this week, proof that Kim’s remaining spherical helped him mightily.
“It’s not an enormous monkey off my again, however a decent-sized one,” Kim stated.
“Together with this one and the subsequent few occasions could be large for conserving my card for subsequent 12 months. To have the ability to pull off a spherical like I did right now is a big enhance of confidence for the upcoming tournaments.”
Kim won’t play at subsequent week’s ZOZO Championship, opting to take a couple of weeks off to follow along with his swing coach, Sean Foley. He’ll return for the World Huge Know-how Championship in Los Cabos, Mexico, which is scheduled to start on Nov. 7. He’ll nonetheless face some stress at that occasion, which can be held on a Tiger Woods-designed course. Nevertheless it won’t be an entire battle for his PGA Tour survival.
That should really feel good, and Kim, an avid X-user, famous as such after his 62 on Sunday.
“Golf is a humorous recreation,” Kim added.
“I felt higher off the tee [on Saturday]; I simply couldn’t get the putts to go in. In the present day, I used to be in a position to get some putts to go in. I had a few lucky breaks to return in, and I am joyful to complete the way in which I did.”
His electrical remaining spherical featured two massive highlights. First, Kim chipped in for birdie on the 249-yard par-3 eighth, essentially the most difficult gap on the course. Then, the previous California Golden Bear rattled off 5 birdies in a row after making his solely bogey of the day on the eleventh.
“I believe after I bogeyed 11—sort of a sloppy bogey. However then to make a birdie on 12 proper after, after which as quickly as I hit a extremely good tee shot on 13, felt like I may get on a run and was in a position to take action,” Kim stated when requested if he knew when this spherical started to really feel particular.
Kim nearly added one other par-breaker on the par-4 18th, however his nine-footer simply slid by. Setting a brand new profession low was not meant to be.
“Will need to have kicked a little bit left coming in, however nonetheless pleased with the spherical for positive,” Kim stated of his remaining birdie attempt.
But, he wanted that 62, a spherical that may assist safe standing for 2025.
“Attempting to get inside that 125, it’s large,” Kim stated.
“Attempting to lock up my enjoying privileges for subsequent 12 months, The Gamers and all that. So, it’s an excellent aid, however I additionally know I nonetheless must preserve enjoying properly within the subsequent two or three occasions.”
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By means of. You’ll want to try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.
