In early 2013, CJ Group signed a sponsorship deal with a baby-faced golfer. He was Kim Si-woo, who in 2012 had become the youngest player ever, at 17 years, 5 months and 6 days, to pass the U.S. PGA Tour Qualifying School.
More than a decade later, the CJ Group logo still sits on Kim's cap. The enduring partnership has been built on deep trust between Kim and CJ.
The "14-year CJ man" shone brightly with a runner-up finish at this year's 10th edition of THE CJ CUP. Kim carded a 6-under 65 with seven birdies and one bogey in the final round of THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson (total purse $10.3 million) at TPC Craig Ranch (par 71) in McKinney, Texas, on Sunday.
Kim finished at 27-under 257 in solo second, three strokes behind Wyndham Clark of the United States, who won at 30-under. He earned $1.122 million (about 1.69 billion won), pushing his season earnings past $6 million (about 9.05 billion won). His solo second is the best ever finish by a Korean player at THE CJ CUP, surpassing Lee Kyoung-hoon's solo third at the 2022 event.
Kim, a four-time PGA Tour winner, is having what amounts to a career-best season, missing only a victory. He has made the cut in all 15 events he has entered, posting two runner-up finishes, two third-place finishes and seven top-10s. His FedEx Cup ranking climbed to fifth from ninth.
Kim's elevated, top-tier performance stems from sharper iron play and putting compared with last season. Four years ago, he overhauled his backswing, and after an adjustment period, he has fully made the new swing his own. "My irons have been sharp this season, so I'm playing with more confidence than last year," he said.
Putting, once one of his weaknesses, is now paying off after the time he invested with a new putting coach last year. "I brought a putter with the same design but a different face to this tournament, and the feel was good," he said. He once struggled with the yips, but said he has felt them disappear over the past month or two. This season, Kim has become the tour's most accurate player from 150 to 200 yards out, and he poured in 33 birdies over four days this week. His putts per green in regulation of 1.53 ranked second in the field.
The Jikji trophy, the symbol of THE CJ CUP, went to Clark, who showed a fearsome "birdie instinct" in the final round. The 2023 U.S. Open champion carded one eagle and nine birdies to cut 11 strokes, overtaking Kim, who started the day with a two-stroke lead, for a come-from-behind victory. "When I saw Clark's birdie at the 17th hole (par 3), I thought, 'This is going to be tough for me.' I don't think I've ever putted as well in contention as Clark did today," Kim said. "Finishing second on this fiercely competitive tour isn't easy either," he added with satisfaction.
Clark drew level for the lead with an eagle putt at the 12th (par 5), then pulled away with a birdie of more than 13 meters at the 15th (par 3). It was his fourth career title, his first since the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February 2024. The winner's check was $1.854 million (about 2.79 billion won).
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler of the United States, who was bidding for back-to-back wins, played in the final group with Kim and also shaved six strokes, finishing third at 25-under. Im Sung-jae, who made a hole-in-one in the second round, tied for ninth at 19-under.
