News
Chan Kim is going to have a busy summer thanks to his play over the last six days in Japan
Matt Roberts/R&A
You’re forgiven if you have not heard of Chan Kim. The 27-year-old Korean American played college golf at Arizona State and lives just outside Phoenix. He didn't play in either the PGA Tour’s Dean & DeLuca Invitational or the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship. But Kim had arguably the best week in professional golf when you consider what he accomplished in the last six days.
Last Tuesday, Kim shot a 69-68 at Ono Golf Club to qualify for the U.S. Open at Erin Hills, grabbing one of four spots available at the Sectional qualifier played in Japan. Kim then stayed in the country and competed in the Mizuno Open, where he shot rounds of 68-70-67-68 to win the title by five strokes at JFE Setonakai Golf Club in Okayama. Of equal significance, the tournament was being used as a qualifier for this summer’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
So in a span of roughly 120 hours, Kim earned berths in the summer’s next two majors. It’s a pretty impressive feat considering Kim is No. 561 on the World Ranking and has never played in any major championship.
“To play in the Open has been one of my biggest dreams, just to see all the history there,” Kim said on Sunday after earning an invite to Birkdale. “I’m extremely excited and honored.
“From what I’ve seen on TV, I can expect a lot of wind, a lot of rain and really difficult conditions. It will be tough, but I’m really looking forward to it.”