Tom Kim playing Genesis Scottish Open on sponsor exemption after mistakenly missing sign-up deadline

Tom Kim will play the Genesis Scottish Open as a sponsor exemption after he mistakenly missed the deadline to sign up for the event.

Kim said Wednesday from The Renaissance Club that he never intended to miss the event and that “there was a mix-up on my team’s end.”

“Just with deadlines and stuff with two tours, it sometimes gets confusing,” Kim said. “I got a call from the team saying, ‘Hey, we messed up on our end. We are not trying to do anything weird but we missed up.’ Obviously, I love coming out here."

The Genesis Scottish Open is a co-sanctioned event on the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour and includes different commitment deadlines than standard TOUR events. Players were required to commit to the event by June 27th. Players typically have until the prior Friday at 5 p.m. to commit to standard TOUR events. The sponsor exemption was granted by the DP World Tour, allowed under their regulations for an uncommitted player.

"This is one of the events that I circle at the start of the year and I know I'm going to play. So definitely I would not try to do that on purpose.”

Kim, 22, was eligible to play the Genesis Scottish Open after finishing in the top 30 of last season’s FedExCup. After missing the deadline, his only path into the field was through a sponsor exemption.

The Renaissance Club was the site of Kim’s initial ascendance to the PGA TOUR. Kim arrived at the Genesis Scottish Open two years ago as a relatively anonymous 20-year-old invitee from the Korean Tour. But in a field that featured 14 of the top 15 players in the world, he finished alone in third place to set his TOUR success in motion.

Kim gained Special Temporary Membership a week later, making the cut at The Open Championship. Weeks later, he shot 61 in the final round of the Wyndham Championship to earn his first PGA TOUR title.

The tournament proved fruitful again last year as Kim finished in a tie for sixth and carried that form over to The Open. Kim finished T2 at Royal Liverpool Golf Course, marking his best major championship performance.

“This is where it kind of all started for me,” Kim said. “I started making a run here in Scotland, and I had a chance last year, as well. It's just good vibes.”