Si Woo Kim stated that he had nothing at stake, so he focused aggressively on his chip shot on 17th hole of the Sony Open in Hawaii. He chose a great time for birdie chip-in.
Kim stated, “It cannot get any better than this.”
The South Korean 27-year old tied for first with a dramatic chip in at the par 3. He also added a two-putt birdie at 42 feet at 18 to match Sunday’s low score.
Kim’s 6 under 64 at Waialae Country Club, Honolulu saw him win by one stroke over Hayden Buckley to claim his fourth PGA Tour title. This impressive total includes the 2017 Players Championship. Kim still needs to catch Ji Hyun Oh, his bride. Ji Hyun Oh turned professional in 2014. She has seven wins on KLPGA. They were married on December 19.
He said, “Feel like you’re on your honeymoon because we arrived here early last week.”
Kim stated that he would approach the final round at the Sony Open with an entirely different mindset and not be so focused on winning the tournament.
He said, “Just play the course.”
It worked, no matter what it cost. Kim, who was trailing by three strokes at start of day, went out firing with birdies and marking six circles on his card on the first 12 holes to take a one-stroke advantage over Buckley.
Kim was the International team’s representative in the Presidents Cup in September. After playing with Adam Scott for a practice round, Kim adopted Scott’s putting style. He used a broomstick-length putter that week. He used it to beat Justin Thomas from the U.S. in singles, en route for going 3-0-1 in this competition. Kim attempted to minimize the significance of Thomas’ win, calling it “just another lucky day,” but he later admitted that it gave him confidence.
He said, “My game was a little down at the end of this season, but that gave me some momentum.”
SI WOO HIM (TAG0)
Amazing chip-in by Si Woo Kim to @HBuckley13s birdie @SonyOpenHawaii. pic.twitter.com/0cgRc3cfKD
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR), January 16, 2023
Kim beat Buckley, the 54 hole leader, on Sunday. He started with a birdie, but his putter began to cool off, and he made his first par of the day at No. Kim fell one stroke behind at No. 11.
Buckley admitted that he felt the putting was a bit shaky.
Buckley’s putter briefly woke up from its sleep as he made a 17-foot birdie in 12 and a 29 foot birdie in 14 to climb into first. It was very shaky, especially within 10 feet. Buckley missed a par-4 putt on the left at 15, to tie the lead at 15 under, but bounced back one hole later with a birdie.
Buckley hit a 16-foot birdie shot at 16 to regain the lead. Just when it seemed that Buckley was on the verge of winning his first title, Kim responded with a dramatic chip-in from 28ft over the 17 green. His fist pump celebration rivaled Tiger Woods’s.
Kim said that Buckley’s birdie-putt at 16 was “right before that, I heard the sound, I knew it.” It was a difficult lie, into the grain. I had to be aggressive because I didn’t have anything to lose. And it went in.
Kim drove into the left fairway bunter at 18. His second shot, a 5-iron at 236 yards at the par-5, was stunning. He bound on to the green, stopping 42 feet short. For the go-ahead par, he putted in two putts. Kim shot a pair 64s over the weekend, finishing with a total 72-hole score of 18-under 262. Buckley had the chance to tie the match and force a playoff, but his 10-foot birdie at 18 missed on the left. Chris Kirk, who was trying end an almost eight-year drought without a win, shot 68 to finish third.
By: Adam Schupak
Title: Si Woo Kim steals 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii title with clutch late birdies
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/01/15/si-woo-kim-pga-tour-2023-sony-open-hawaii/
Published Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2023 01:04:03 +0000
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