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SAN DIEGO – Michael Kim has carved out his personal piece of the web pie as a result of his elevated presence on social media during the last couple of years.
As a one-time winner on the PGA Tour again on the 2018 John Deere Traditional, the 30-year-old isn’t used to being acknowledged by followers off the course, not to mention on it. Regardless of boasting a following that continues to develop week after week, he nonetheless will get introduced again all the way down to earth. This week it was the PGA Tour who checked his ego. Kim, who went to Torrey Pines Excessive Faculty, was left off the checklist of San Diego natives within the area for the 2024 Farmers Insurance coverage Open at Torrey Pines (South Course).
“I’m sort of trying on the checklist and I see Charley Hoffman, yeah, I get that. I see Xander Schauffele, yeah, I get that. I see J.J. Spaun, I’m like, ‘Hmm … I don’t know, if you happen to keep in mind J.J. you most likely ought to keep in mind me,’” he joked. “And I see Cameron Sisk and I’m like, ‘Who the hell is Cameron Sisk?’ Humorous sufficient, I truly bumped into him on the vary simply earlier and he had an image. He caddied for me like 10 years in the past once I was enjoying this occasion as like a First Tee like stroll up 18 and he despatched me the image. It was sort of humorous, it was sort of one among my first previous veteran man moments, I assume. I nonetheless really feel I’m one of many youthful guys out right here, however seeing that was sort of humorous.”
I actually went to Torrey Pines HS they usually nonetheless neglect about me…. 🤦🏻♂️ #playbetter pic.twitter.com/h3zbXdbd1T
— Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) January 22, 2024
Kim doesn’t know the precise second when he determined to ramp up his sport on-line, however he did credit score former Cal teammate and social media star Max Homa – the Farmers defending champion – for opening his eyes to the great that may come from an lively web presence.
“I assume if there was one second, I performed with (Homa) on the Safeway not this final one however the one earlier than that and for no matter cause Max and my profession, we by no means actually matched up. Once I was enjoying properly, he was enjoying unhealthy and when he was enjoying properly, I used to be enjoying unhealthy,” Kim defined. “So I hadn’t actually seen his following develop as a lot. I feel that week was a giant eye opener in seeing the next that he had, seeing the gang that he drew.
“Definitely that was a little bit of a catalyst for make pondering perhaps I can use Twitter or X as one thing to develop, quote unquote, my model,” he continued. “That was most likely the largest begin level of all of it.”
Farmers: First spherical tee instances, the right way to watch
Most followers today know Kim for his humorous and educated on-line posts and are fast to neglect his on-course accolades. As a member of Cal’s golf crew, Kim received the 2013 Haskins Award as the boys’s school participant of the yr. That very same yr he represented america in each the Palmer Cup and Walker Cup. He graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour in 2015 and earned his first PGA Tour win three years later.
Then got here the spiral. From the 2019-2021 seasons, Kim made 71 begins, missed 51 cuts and by no means completed inside the highest 25 en path to dropping his Tour card. He was pressured to return to the Korn Ferry Tour for the 2021–22 season, however instantly regained his Tour card for the 2022–23 season, the place he missed simply two cuts over 32 begins and earned 4 top-10 finishes.
“It has been a reasonably large rollercoaster journey. Whenever you present as much as — whenever you develop up hoping to sometime play within the occasion, you don’t actually — you solely take into consideration the great issues which may occur, you don’t essentially take into consideration all of the unhealthy issues which may occur,” stated Kim. “Throughout these ups and downs I really feel like I’ve grown lots as an individual and as a golfer. Certainly way more educated about my psychological sport, my full swing and all that. Hopefully I can use these ups and downs to additional my profession beginning now.”
This week Kim will make his eighth begin on the Farmers, the place he has a finest end of T-23 again in 2018. Regardless that he has loads of fond recollections of Torrey Pines, he hardly ever thinks of his personal sport when he returns to the William Bell design alongside the Pacific Ocean.
“At any time when I come again I keep in mind principally (Tiger Woods) pictures, a few of his most well-known pictures out right here and me attempting these pictures, principally the putt on 18 when he received the U.S. Open, or to get into the playoff within the U.S. Open,” stated Kim, who performed Torrey Pines two weeks later and tried to recreate the putt. “The cup wasn’t precisely there, so I put a tee down … I took a pair tries at it and I most likely imitated Tiger’s fist pump after which seemed round to see if anybody was watching. I most likely wasn’t the one particular person attempting that putt after that.”
Very similar to Homa was determined to win his hometown occasion on the Genesis Invitational, Kim is hoping to comply with swimsuit right here in San Diego.
“Yeah, this match is clearly actually particular for me. Torrey Pines is the place I grew up enjoying, went to Torrey Pines Excessive Faculty. So I’m all the time excited to return again to this occasion and it’s virtually a dream come true,” he stated. “Dream is to truly win the factor, so we’ll see.”
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