Make no mistake about it, Joohyung ‘Tom’ Kim is the real deal.
At just 20-years-old, Kim announced his arrival on the PGA Tour with a stunning victory at the Wyndham Championship, closing with a 9-under 61 to win by five and become the second youngest winner on the circuit since World War II (Jordan Spieth being the youngest).
The feat was made all the more remarkable given that Kim opened his tournament with a quadruple bogey. Oh, and he also shot a front-nine 27 on Sunday, the second lowest nine-hole score in PGA Tour history!
But if all that wasn’t enough, Kim also has a hilarious nickname to match.
Known as ‘Tom’ by his close friends, Kim gets called the name because of his love for, wait for it, Thomas the Tank Engine!
That’s right, golf’s hottest new prospect is named after a toy train. Don’t believe us, here’s the South Korean himself explaining the origins behind the brilliant nickname…
“My full name was actually ‘Thomas’ at first, because I loved Thomas the Tank Engine!” Kim explained. “As I grew older, some people started calling me Tom and I thought it was just shorter and more simple. I think by the time I was 11 I just went by Tom. It was kind of natural.”
Amazing.
With the future now looking ever so bright for Kim, we’d tell you to remember the name, but we doubt this is one you’ll be forgetting in a hurry…
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George Cooper
