South Korea's Joo-hyung Kim has expressed his desire to become the first golfer to win three consecutive tournaments on the PGA Tour, calling it a “great opportunity”.
“It's very special to win three tournaments in a row,” Kim said at a press conference for the Shriners Children's Open ($7 million in prize money) at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on Friday (local time), adding that he will focus more on this tournament.
Kim will attempt to make it three in a row at the Shriners Children's Open, which begins on Sept. 16 and runs for four days.
Kim won his second career PGA Tour title at the event in 2022, making him the second youngest player to win the event (20 years, 9 months), 메이저사이트 two years younger than Tiger Woods (USA - 20 years, 3 months).
Last year, he became the youngest player in PGA Tour history to defend his title in more than 110 years, and he's aiming to repeat this year.
The PGA Tour hasn't seen a player win three consecutive events in a single tournament since Steve Stricker (USA) at the John Deere Classic from 2009-2011, a span of 13 years.
Kim said, “The feeling is very different from last year's title defense. It won't be easy to win three in a row, but I'm honored to have the opportunity,” he said. ”I want to prepare well and try to win three in a row. It's a great opportunity, so I'll do my best.”
Kim has had a slow start to the season, with just two top-10 finishes in 23 PGA Tour events this season.
“I've been playing well since the Presidents Cup,” said Kim, who competed in the men's golf team competition between the United States and the International Team at the end of last month. I'm in good shape,” he said, adding, ”I think I can do well if I have a good game plan and just focus on my game.”
As for the course, he said, “I need to hit the ball well and accurately rather than going for distance.”
After this tournament, Kim will compete in the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Tour's Genesis Championship at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon on April 24.
“It's been a long time since I've played in Korea. It's been almost three years since I've played in front of Korean fans, and it's the first time since I joined the PGA Tour,” he said, adding, ”I think it's going to be a great tournament.”