With three holes to play, Tom Kim appeared properly on his approach to punching his ticket to Fort Pines Golf Membership in Colorado, the location of subsequent week’s BMW Championship—the second of three legs of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
He sat at 5-under for the championship by 15 holes, a spherical that included 4 birdies and no bogies to that time. He was among the many prime 50 gamers within the FedEx Cup standings, the edge required to qualify for the BMW Championship. Whoever finishes among the many prime 50 additionally qualifies for the eight Signature Occasions subsequent 12 months, an enormous incentive for these competing within the FedEx St. Jude Championship to play properly.
Kim didn’t have his finest stuff this week, not contending however as a substitute jockeying for place among the many prime 50. He appeared to have achieved so, till the ultimate three holes, during which he made three straight sixes. A bogey on the simple par-5 16 served as a harbinger of issues to come back. Kim doubled each 17 and 18 to complete at 1-under for the championship and 51st within the FedEx Cup standings. He discovered the water to the left of the green on the 72nd gap, which sealed his destiny.
“I used to be really cruising. A bogey on 16 price me so much,” Kim stated.
“Then hit an excellent drive after which one other actually poor missed shot, simply wherever left is okay and missed it proper. I knew I wanted one thing particular on the final, and I wanted to hit an excellent drive, however the wind switched, and the wind began to choose up, and it didn’t cowl.”
Kim’s unlucky end opened the door for Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley to sneak on because the Fiftieth-ranked participant.
“This season has simply been—it’s simply been like this. I’ve performed actually good golf after which had some robust finishes. I really feel like 2024 has actually kicked me within the butt. However I’ve gotten so significantly better. I’ve fought actually onerous simply to get myself many this case. I used to be 90-something earlier than we went on this run, and it seems like I’m going to overlook by one. However it’s what it’s,” Kim stated.
“I informed myself earlier than as we speak that if I didn’t play properly, I actually felt like I used to be going to complete 51. I informed myself, if that occurs, I’ve achieved every thing I may to be inside that prime 50 and hopefully give myself an opportunity on the Tour Championship. However I couldn’t, and I’m going to sit up for a very good low season as a result of I’m fairly drained.”
Kim has each proper to be drained. He performed for 9 straight weeks between the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and the Rocket Mortgage Basic, a stretch that included a runner-up end to Scottie Scheffler on the Vacationers Championship. Then, over the previous month, Kim tied for fifteenth on the Scottish Open, missed the reduce at Royal Troon, and threatened the rostrum in Paris with a solo eighth end—all earlier than this week in Memphis. It has been a whirlwind of a season for the proficient 22-year-old.
“It’s been an extended street. Mentally, I simply don’t assume I used to be sharp sufficient for these previous few weeks,” Kim admitted.
“Fifty-one, 52, 50, it’s not going to matter. I’m simply trying ahead to getting some relaxation and preparing for subsequent 12 months.”
Kim will play for the Worldwide Crew at this 12 months’s Presidents Cup, the match during which he gained super notoriety two years in the past at Quail Hole. However he sounded indecisive about whether or not or not he’ll compete recurrently this fall. The lengthy, onerous street of crisscrossing the nation—and, in some instances, oceans—appears to have caught as much as him.
“This 12 months has been actually robust for me personally. I went by plenty of modifications,” Kim stated.
“I performed some good golf and had most likely 5 dangerous rounds that price me presumably one prime 5, one prime 10 and one thing like this. First spherical, second spherical I believe I completed 5-over my previous few holes. When issues aren’t going your manner, issues aren’t going your manner. It reveals you in a good 12 months, this might have been like a thirtieth as a substitute of a 51st.”
He nonetheless saved it constructive within the wake of defeat, one that can sting for fairly a while. However relaxation assured that Kim will bounce again in 2025, maybe with a significant victory.
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in Via. Remember to take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You may observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.