Tom Kim, Min Woo Lee: Subsequent 2 worldwide golf superstars6 min read

The way forward for worldwide golf has arrived, as Tom Kim of South Korea and Australian Min Woo Lee would be the sport’s subsequent huge superstars.

Kim, who simply gained the Shriners Kids’s Open for a second consecutive yr, is now the Eleventh-ranked participant on the earth and has three PGA Tour titles to his identify, all whereas being simply 21 years previous. Kim grew to become the youngest participant to defend a PGA Tour title since 1912.

“It’s [feels] very candy,” Kim mentioned Sunday after his win in Las Vegas. “I really feel like the primary two wins got here at me actually fast. It took lots longer than my first two wins to get my third one. Nevertheless it’s very candy.”

Earlier than Sunday’s victory, Kim final gained on the PGA Tour on the 2022 Shriners Kids’s Open. He gained the Wyndham Championship two months earlier than for his maiden tour victory.

Picture by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Pictures

Since October 2022, nevertheless, Kim couldn’t recover from the hump, regardless of taking part in nicely for many of the yr.

Related sentiments might be mentioned about Lee, as he, too, broke by way of this previous weekend.

The Australian emerged victorious on the Asian Tour’s SJM Macao Open. DataGolf now has Lee because the Thirty fifth-ranked participant on the earth.

Lee’s win Sunday marked his first skilled win since 2021. He defeated Matt Fitzpatrick and Thomas Detry on the 2021 Scottish Open, his second profession title on the DP World Tour.

“It’s been some time since my final win, so it’s good,” Lee mentioned of his play in Macao forward of this week’s ZOZO Championship in Japan.

“30-under on any course—it’s a enjoyable, brief course, however you’ve nonetheless obtained to do it, and 30-under was a extremely cool achievement. I don’t assume I’ve ever gone that low earlier than.”

Picture by Jason Butler/Getty Pictures

Whatever the competitors, 30-under is an astoundingly low rating.

But, Lee isn’t any stranger to big-time occasions. The identical might be mentioned about Kim.

Coincidentally, each gamers made the minimize at three of the 4 majors in 2023.

Kim missed the minimize on the PGA Championship, whereas Lee missed the minimize at Augusta Nationwide. However outdoors of these blemishes, these two performed nicely in any other case.

Tom Kim, Min Woo Lee impress at Majors

The 2 younger rising stars performed extremely nicely on the largest phases in 2023.

On the Masters, Kim tied for sixteenth.

Then, he tied for eighth on the U.S. Open, which included a record-breaking 6-under 29 on Saturday’s entrance 9. Kim adopted that up with a second-place end at The Open.

Let these numbers sink in for the 21-year-old.

The 25-year-old Lee, in the meantime, tied for 18th at Oak Hill after which completed in a tie for fifth on the Los Angeles Nation Membership.

If not for a poor third spherical, by which he shot a 4-over 74, Lee may have been proper there on the finish when Wyndham Clark fended off Rory McIlroy.

All three of his different scores that week had been within the 60s.

The long-bombing Australian even had a 407-yard drive throughout his second spherical, the longest tee shot of the 2023 U.S. Open. That got here on the 558 par-4 sixteenth, the longest gap in championship historical past.

Picture by David Cannon/Getty Pictures

However what Lee has in size, Kim doesn’t.

The South Korean ranked 119th on the PGA Tour in driving distance, averaging 297.6 yards per shot.

However, Kim makes up for his deficiencies off the tee with accuracy and exact iron play. He’s a fairway machine, discovering the brief grass 67.5% of the time in 2023—good for seventh on the PGA Tour.

He additionally ranks tenth on tour in strokes gained: approaching the inexperienced.

Lee can also be a strong ball striker, however he can usually be erratic off the tee, resulting in huge numbers shortly.

However most significantly, these two gamers have matured past their age over the previous couple of years. Each have realized extra about their video games and have grown comfy inside themselves.

“I’ve realized a lot this yr,” Kim mentioned Sunday.

Picture by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Pictures

“Simply controlling what I can management, play the way in which I can play. Regardless that I had these two smooth bogeys [Sunday at Shriners], I knew if I simply performed my sport and simply stayed in it, I used to be going to be there, and I felt like that’s precisely what I did. All the issues that I’ve realized this yr actually was the results of what occurred this week.”

Kim gained the occasion by a stroke over Adam Hadwin, and regarded comfy all day Sunday.

So too did Lee, who gained the Macao Open by two pictures over Thailand’s Poom Saksansin.

“I’m very comfy now, I assume, in that state of affairs, being with the gang and being up there on the leaderboard,” Lee mentioned.

“I feel simply being a bit extra comfy bodily and mentally. Yeah, simply listening to my physique a bit extra. It’s fairly powerful with the journey, so yeah, I feel I’ve all the time accomplished that fairly nicely. Simply discovering my toes a little bit bit extra each time I play.”

Each gamers didn’t let the pressures of match golf get to them this previous week.

As a substitute, they regarded as comfy as ever, maybe foreshadowing what’s to come back in 2024. Possibly a significant championship?

Even so, it isn’t a matter of if they’ll win a significant, however a matter of when for Kim and Lee.

Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By way of. You may observe him on Twitter @jack_milko for extra golf protection. Make sure to take a look at @_PlayingThrough too.