Si Woo Kim comes from behind to win the Sony Open in Hawaii to win his fourth PGA Tour title, returning him to the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
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PGA Tour - Sony Open in Hawaii
Si Woo Kim comes from behind to win the Sony Open in Hawaii to win his fourth PGA Tour title, returning him to the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Kim began the final round three shots behind the leader Buckley but closed the gap with three straight birdies. Then finishing with two more birdies, including a 28-foot chip-in on 17 just seconds after Buckley had birdied 16, and a two-putt birdie on 18, where he chased his second shot onto the green with a 5-iron from a fairway bunker.
Kim is not the same guy whose third and most recent victory before Sunday came at The American Express in 2021. For one thing, he got married last month. For another, he joined forces with a new caddie, Manny Villegas, brother of Camilo, at the Presidents Cup last fall.
Kim and Villegas talk a lot about attitude and expectations because when you’ve won the Korean Junior Championship four years in a row, won again as a PGA TOUR rookie (2016 Wyndham Championship), and lapped the field at the 2017 PLAYERS Championship (at just 21) it can seem like your birth right to win every week.
“Always hard,” Kim said, “but I’m trying to get – I’ve got too much pressure and too much high expectation, so I think that makes me more nervous and pressure and stress.
“… With Manny, I talked to him like a week before here, so I'm trying to be better attitude and trying to be more – like act better. When I hit (not) the best shot, try to be less upset. I think that helps for this week.”
Villegas knew Kim was good but was surprised at just how good, and the partnership began well as Kim went 3-1-0 for the International Team, including a Singles win over Justin Thomas.
“This guy stripes it, man,” Villegas said. “I just try to keep him patient, get him to believe in himself because he’s got a lot of talent. Everybody knows he’s got a lot of talent. He’s amazing. He really hits his numbers. The thing is he hits it so good, it makes it seem like he’s putting badly. Because he gets so many chances, you can’t just make them all.”
Kim was No. 1 in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green at Waialae, which was on brand. That he was only a pedestrian 38th in Strokes Gained: Putting turned out not to matter. He held his own on the greens and made the ones that mattered.
“You get that many 12- 15- 18-footers in one day,” Villegas said, “it makes you feel like, Man, I’ve missed six of them, but you’re not going to make them all. And he’s good from long range, too; every now and then he’ll throw a bomb in there.”
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OWGR Points Won - 39.38391
World Number 84 - World Number 41
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