KAPALUA (Hawaii) – Tom Kim, who was about five-six years old, recalled walking after Tiger Woods at a Australian golf tournament and stopping to follow him to the toilet.
“I had my TW cap on, and it was too big for me because I had a small head. It didn’t fit. He was three feet ahead of me, and I shouted “Go Tiger” and (he) tipped it and went into the bathroom.” Kim said that literally thousands of people ran to the toilet to wait for him to emerge. That was my first encounter with him.
Kim joined the crowd that followed Tiger in his search for relief?
Kim smiled and said, “I didn’t,” Kim smiled and said, “I wanted him to be his privacy.”
Kim, 20 years old, is one of the hottest golfers. She has won two on the PGA Tour from August, and climbed to No. 15 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Kim has become a popular star at the Presidents Cup in Oct and is attracting the attention of a devoted public. Kim is not yet at the level of Tiger, but he has noticed that his starpower is rising after a recent trip home to South Korea.
Tom Kim celebrates Si Woo Kim, a South Korean teammate, and the International Team’s putt on the 13th green, during Saturday afternoon four ball matches at Quail Hollow Country club on September 24, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images).
“I was out with friends and before if i would go to the course in my golf clothes people will recognize me.” He said that if I was in a more casual, not too common attire, people would recognize me. “But every night that I went out, I felt like a few people came up to me and asked for a photo. It’s like when I’m out with friends and someone approaches me and asks for a picture.
Nothing more than getting to spend some time with his childhood idol Tiger at Hero World Challenge in The Bahamas in December. Kim is older, but he still loves Tiger.
He laughed and said, “It was like man, Tiger’s. Like, man. he’s pretty awesome.” He said, “I have seen him several times. But to be able just to have a conversation was quite amazing.” It was amazing to see the extent of his achievements in his career.
Kim stated that he feels more at ease on the Tour now than when he played in his first official Tour event, and his first major at 2020 PGA Championship. He asked Tiger to take a picture in the locker room that week. Kim, who will be making his Masters debut in spring, said he watched DVDs of Tiger winning at Augusta National.
He said, “That’s how you know a lot about the holes because you watch them.”
He is determined to chase Tiger’s other-worldly record at the Tour, where he grew up dreaming of playing.
He said, “I want play against the best players.” “If you look at Tiger’s and Jack Nicklaus careers, all these guys have come from PGA Tour. It has a legacy. I hope to do the exact same thing and stay as long as possible.
