Kim Si-woo's momentum is unmistakable. After recording just three top-10 finishes in 30 PGA Tour events last year, the 31-year-old South Korean has already notched two top-10s in just three tournaments this season. His goal of "gaining more experience competing through the final round to achieve victory" appears to be within reach.
Kim shot a 3-under-par 69 in the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open ($9.6 million purse) at Torrey Pines Golf Course South Course (par 72) in San Diego, California, on Saturday. His 16-under-par 272 total placed him in a tie for second with Pierceson Coody (United States) and Ryo Hisatsune (Japan).
The trophy went to 44-year-old veteran Justin Rose of England, who held the lead wire-to-wire. It marked Rose's 13th PGA Tour victory, his first since the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August last year. Rose earned $1.728 million (approximately 2.5 billion won) in prize money. His winning score of 23-under-par 265 broke the tournament scoring record of 266, previously set by George Burns in 1987 and Tiger Woods in 1999, by one stroke. Rose's world ranking jumped from 10th to 3rd.
Kim, a four-time PGA Tour winner, has been on a tear recently. Starting with a solo third-place finish at the DP World Tour Australian Open in December, he followed with a tied-11th at the Sony Open (the PGA Tour season opener), a tied-sixth at the American Express, and now a runner-up finish. At this pace, it appears only a matter of time before he restarts his victory clock, which has been idle since the January 2023 Sony Open.
The runner-up finish boosted Kim's world ranking from 37th to 30th, just two spots shy of his career-high 28th achieved after winning the 2017 Players Championship, often called the "fifth major."
Kim earned $726,400 at this event, bringing his season total to $1,269,075 (approximately 1.84 billion won) in just three tournaments.
"Over the past few years, my results didn't match my performance, which was frustrating," Kim said after the round. "Recently, my results have been reflecting my abilities, and I'm satisfied with that. I'll do my best at the next tournament to continue posting good results."
Kim Sung-hyun finished tied for 63rd at 2-under-par, while Kim Joo-hyung tied for 65th at even par. Brooks Koepka, competing in his first PGA Tour event after leaving LIV Golf, finished tied for 56th at 4-under-par.