Amateur Kris Kim, 16, making TOUR debut at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson
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McKINNEY, Texas – Two weeks ago, 15-year-old Miles Russell made history as the youngest player to make the cut on the Korn Ferry Tour.
16-year-old English amateur Kris Kim hopes to replicate that success, this time on the PGA TOUR.
Kim, who beat Russell 5&4 in a singles match at the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup, is making his PGA TOUR debut this week at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. Kim, a CJ Group ambassador, received a sponsor exemption into the event.
“I found out about a month ago. Yeah, it was a crazy phone call,” Kim said, smiling. “I was over the moon for the rest of the day.”
Kim displayed a remarkable maturity, similar to Russell, as he spoke to the media Wednesday at TPC Craig Ranch. Kim was composed and succinct, answering questions about his background, earliest golfing memories and possible nerves in making his pro debut. There was no wide-eyed reaction to the scene, despite it being the biggest week of his young golfing life.
Kris Kim on playing in his first PGA TOUR tournament
That wisdom can be credited largely to his mother Ji-Hyun Suh, one of the Korean pioneers who competed on the LPGA in the 1990s. Suh is Kim’s swing coach and introduced him to the game at the age of 5.
“(I) always used to watch her, and then ended up falling in love with it myself,” Kim said. Kim’s whole family, including Suh, will be the ones watching this week.
Kim’s life outside golf looks similar to most 16-year-olds. A native of Surrey, England, Kim has a few exams next week that he’s trying not to think about. He golfs mostly on the weekends, prioritizing school from Monday to Friday. On the golf course, he’s anything but a typical teenager.
In 2023, Kim won the Boys’ Amateur Championship, the European Boys’ Individual Championship and the McGregor Trophy. He is the first amateur golfer to be sponsored by CJ Group, which sponsors numerous pro golfers, including Sungjae Im, Si Woo Kim, KH Lee and Byeong Hun An. Kim is the first European amateur to sign an NIL contract with Under Armour and the first British amateur to sign an NIL deal with TaylorMade. He went undefeated in the Junior Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, claiming 3.5 points as Europe won the event for the first time since 2006.
That experience in Rome has made Kim confident in handling the nerves this week.
“That was really good for me because that was probably the first time I ever played in front of a crowd,” Kim said. “Yeah, got a taste for it for the first time.”
His aspirations extend far beyond gaining experience, though that will be a valuable component of the week. Kim isn’t counting himself out of contention.
“My first aim is to make the cut and then see what happens. At the end of the day, I’m one of 144 competitors and we’ve all got a chance,” he said.
Kim tees off at 9:02 a.m. local time alongside Max Greyserman and Norman Xiong.