World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler of the United States voiced support for his close friends Kim Si-woo and Kim Joo-hyung while vowing a friendly rivalry at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Scheffler, Kim Si-woo and Kim Joo-hyung are neighbors in Dallas, Texas, and play golf together on their off days. Scheffler, born in 1996, and Kim Joo-hyung, born in 2002, are particularly close — sharing the same birthday despite the age gap, they even celebrate together.
At an official press conference ahead of the tournament on May 20 local time, Scheffler said, "Kim Si-woo is one of the most talented players on the PGA Tour," adding, "It's always fun to play with him." Scheffler will play the first two rounds of The CJ Cup at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, starting Wednesday night Korean time, grouped with Kim Si-woo and Brooks Koepka.
As Scheffler noted, Kim Si-woo has shown clear momentum this season. He has made the cut in every event he has entered this year and has six top-10 finishes, including one runner-up showing and two third-place finishes. He kept the momentum going with a tie for fourth at the Cadillac Championship in May, and was the only Korean to make the cut at the PGA Championship, a major. "Kim Si-woo is a fun guy to be around," Scheffler said. "We play a lot of golf together in Dallas during off weeks and enjoy competing against each other."
Scheffler offered warm encouragement and a hopeful message to his other close neighbor, Kim Joo-hyung, who has been mired in a recent slump. A three-time PGA Tour winner, Kim Joo-hyung was one of the faces of Korean men's golf through 2024 but suddenly fell into a slump last year. His world ranking has slipped outside the top 100. He has missed the cut twice in 11 events this year and has yet to find his form. He did, however, rekindle hope of a rebound by tying for sixth at the Myrtle Beach Classic, which ended on the 7th of this month.
"Kim Joo-hyung is a player I really care about, and I want him to do well," Scheffler said. "But golf is a tough sport, and everyone has ups and downs. He's still young and has a lot of talent. I try to give him advice whenever I see him." He added, "Whenever I see Kim Joo-hyung, his energy is great and his expression is bright. That positive side is one of his strengths. I'm confident we'll see him competing for wins again soon."
While cheering on his Korean friends, Scheffler also expressed strong determination to win this tournament held in his hometown. "This event has a special trophy engraved with the winner's name in Korean, and it carries the iconic name of Byron Nelson," he said. "I'll do my best to win again after last year." A victory would make Scheffler only the fourth player to win this event in consecutive years. Since 1968, only Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Lee Kyoung-hoon have successfully defended the title.
