GREENSBORO (N.C.) — Joohyung Kim, also known as Tom, started the Wyndham Championship with a quadruple bogey at the first hole. He wasn’t too bothered. The youngster seems to be moving at a rapid pace. Kim, who was already assured a PGA TOUR Card for next season, made a good start on Friday with a 6-under 64 that earned him a share in the lead with Brandon Wu (and Ryan Moore) in the final PGA TOUR event. Kim, a South Korean 20-year-old, must win at Sedgefield Country Club in order to qualify for the FedExCup playoffs. He will not be considered a PGA TOUR Member until September, when the new season begins. He is only eligible for membership if he wins. He doesn’t feel any extra pressure to do it. Kim is content with where he is now, considering where he was one month ago. Kim, who goes by Tom because of his childhood fascination with Thomas the Tank Engine and the TV series “Thomas & Friends”, finished third in the Scottish Open. He also made it to the British Open and 3M Open. Last week, he was seventh in the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He was able to earn enough points to secure a next-year card. He has demonstrated in just two days that it is difficult to stop this train. On Thursday, he took eight shots to reach his first hole. Kim, Wu (67), and Moore (67) have made 14 birdies since then. They are now at 9-under 131. Kim stated, “If you had told me yesterday, where I’d end up after two days,” Kim said. He said that it was just one hole. “Told me, “You know what? It’s just one bad hole. I have plenty of holes to make it back. I played well on the next 35 holes. “I played better than I thought, so it’s an advantage.” John Huh opened with a 61 and finished with a 72. He was one shot behind Russell Henley (65) and Sungjae im (67). Due to heavy rains late in the afternoon, the second round was delayed until Saturday morning. There will be consequences. Chris Gotterup had to make a par on 18th hole in order for his cut to be at 2-under 138. He went into a bunker and blasted hard, but he was faced with a 4-foot putt on the 18th hole when he returned to the course. He could finish below 1 under which could allow as many as 23 players to the weekend. Austin Smotherman was however 1 under with a 12-foot birdie on No. 8. His 17th hole. Smotherman is the equivalent to No. Smotherman is the equivalent of No.125 in the FedExCup and must make the cut to continue his hopes of making it to the postseason. Moore also needs a big weekend. Moore will not be able to recover his full card next season if he doesn’t have a solo second because of a back injury. Moore isn’t thinking about it as much as he is taking the time to get his back in order and resting. According to him, there is some deterioration at the junction of the spine and rib joints. Swinging a golf ball is not the best therapy. He can see the end, and a good result this week will help his confidence and status going forward. What about the top 125, who are eligible for the postseason? He said, “I’m so far removed from it, it doesn’t even matter at the moment.” “I have been dealing with this injury for some time. Now I know exactly what is wrong. It’s just that I need to take the time to fix it. It’s trying to find some form, some confidence to get me through this fall.” Rickie fowler is taking time off that he doesn’t need. After three straight bogeys in the first round, he rallied to score a 69. He was at par for the tournament and missed the cut. Fowler is the equivalent to No. Fowler would be ranked 123, and most likely would drop out of the top125, which would mean that he will miss the postseason for the second year in a row. Brian Stuard began at No. He started at No.137 in the FedExCup, and then followed his 65 with a 68 to finish two shots behind the leader. He could climb to the top 125 with a strong weekend. DIVOTS: Jason Day resigned due to illness. He had started with a score of 67. Former Masters champion Danny Willett was heading for a missed cut. He will finish in the top 125.
Title: Tom Kim going places in a hurry, among leaders at Wyndham
Sourced From: www.pgatour.com/daily-wrapup/2022/08/05/wyndham-championship-tom-kim-leaders-round-2-sedgefield-cc.html
Published Date: Fri, 05 Aug 2022 16:00:00 -0400
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