Kim Joo-hyung captured the Genesis Scottish Open, part of the PGA Tour, with a total prize purse of $9 million.
On July 13, in the final round of the tournament held at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, Kim shot a 6-under 64, making six birdies without a single bogey.
With a total score of 17-under 263, Kim secured the victory, finishing two strokes ahead of Australian-American Min Woo Lee, who ended at 15-under 265. The win earned Kim a prize of $1.62 million (approximately 2.4 billion won).
This victory marks Kim's fourth career win on the PGA Tour, breaking a 33-month silence since his last title at the Shriners Children's Open in October 2023. At just 24 years old, he joins Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Sergio Garcia (Spain), and Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) as the fourth non-American player to achieve four or more PGA Tour victories before turning 25.
Since debuting on the PGA Tour in 2022, Kim had three wins in his first two years but faced a significant slump afterward. Last year, he missed the cut in nine of the 26 tournaments he entered and only managed a single top-10 finish. However, a third-place finish at the U.S. Open in June helped him regain momentum, culminating in this latest triumph.
The path to victory was not easy. Due to thick fog the previous day, Kim had to play a total of 29 holes in one day, completing the remaining 11 holes of the third round followed by the full 18 holes of the final round.
Starting the final round tied for fourth, one stroke off the lead, Kim made significant progress by reducing his score by three strokes in the front nine. The turning point came on the back nine, where he made a 4.5-meter birdie putt on the 10th hole (par 4) to take the lead. He added another birdie on the 12th hole (par 5) and sealed his victory with a birdie on the 16th hole (par 4), hitting his second shot to within 1.8 meters of the hole.
After the tournament, Kim expressed his joy, saying, "It feels amazing. It’s been a long time since I lifted a trophy, and I had forgotten how heavy it is. I felt the usual tension and pressure, but I trusted the experience and practice I’ve built over the years. Today is truly a meaningful day."
Having shaken off his recent struggles, Kim aims to carry this momentum into the British Open, the final major of the season, which begins this week, seeking back-to-back victories.
Fellow competitor Kim Si-woo finished the final round with an 11-under 269, placing tied for ninth, marking his ninth top-10 finish of the season.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (U.S.) faced an unexpected setback, missing the cut and ending his streak of 78 consecutive tournaments making the cut and 37 straight top-25 finishes.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.