English golfer Kris Kim, at the tender age of 16, has become the latest teenage sensation to make waves on the PGA Tour. The young prodigy made the cut at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, becoming the youngest player in nearly a decade to achieve this feat on the PGA Tour.
Kim is also making history at the Texas-based tournament by playing the weekend at a younger age than any previous participant, breaking a record set by local hero Jordan Spieth. Spieth was three months older than Kim when he made the cut on his first PGA Tour start back in 2010.
At just 16 years, seven months and three days old, Kim is the youngest player to make a cut on the PGA Tour since Kyle Suppa's performance at the 2015 Sony Open in Hawaii. Playing on a sponsor exemption, Kim shot a four-under-par 67 in the second round to finish seven-under.
The son of former South Korean LPGA player Ji-Hyun Suh, Kim resides in Surrey with his mother and younger brother, Matthew. His tour debut was made possible through sponsorship by the Seoul-based CJ Group.
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However, as Kim acknowledged post-game, he had set high expectations for himself ahead of his first start. When asked about his goal, Kim candidly revealed: "Just make the cut, to be honest...I knew something around this number would be good enough, but, yeah, to shoot it, I'm pretty happy."
But Kim isn't content with just making it to the weekend. His new objective? To "go as low as possible and have some fun out there." He added: "I've enjoyed it so much the last couple of days, and being here two more days makes it much sweeter."
Hot on the heels of 15-year-old Miles Russell's groundbreaking performance on the Korn Ferry Tour at the Lecom Suncoast Classic, another young talent has made waves.
Kim expressed his admiration for the American prodigy before teeing off: "To see that he can compete, I think I can compete as well out here," he shared with the PGA Tour, adding, "It's been fun to watch him do well."
The two young golfers faced off at the Junior Ryder Cup last September, where Kim triumphed over Russell with a score of 5and4, contributing to Team Europe's dominant 20 12 - 9 12 victory. Both are set to make their PGA Tour debuts by year's end, with Russell securing a sponsor exemption to play in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship come November.
Russell, who holds the title of American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Junior Player of the Year, broke records to become the youngest-ever recipient, eclipsing even Tiger Woods.
Not only did the American sensation make the cut at the Suncoast Classic, but he also tied for 20th place, earning him a spot in the next week's Veritex Bank Championship. However, his streak ended there, missing the cut by just three strokes.
Russell's achievements include becoming the youngest player since 1983 to finish in the top 25 on either the PGA TOUR or Korn Ferry Tour. Kim is on track to match this record, starting the weekend tied for 36th.