This is not a slight against Tom Kim, but the reality is that coming into Monday’s TGL match, all the hype and discussion surrounded Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, and rightfully so.
Tom Kim steals TGL show with famous, fiery Presidents Cup-like celebrations
Twenty-one-year-old Tom Kim brought plenty of passion to his TGL debut, reminding us all of what he did at the Presidents Cup.
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
Woods and McIlroy co-founded TGL, have won 15 and four majors, respectively, and are arguably the world’s two most popular players. So when Woods’ Jupiter Links Golf Club teed off against McIlroy’s Boston Common Golf Club, all of the chatter surrounded these two superstars, not on the 21-year-old Kim.
But Kim became the star of the show rather quickly.
On the second hole, Kim needed to make an 8-footer for par to halve the hole — a vital moment considering that Boston threw down “The Hammer,” which doubles the value of a particular hole. So, if Kim made his putt, he and his team would halve the hole, but if he missed, Boston would pick up two points instead of the typical one.
Immediately thereafter, Kim held his finger up to his ear and enticed the crowd, just like he has done at the last two Presidents Cups.
His passion did not stop there.
On the 9th hole, with the match tied at one apiece, Kim faced another pressure-packed putt, this time from eight feet. With the shot clock winding down, Kim stepped up, made the putt, and walked it in before his ball descended into the bottom of the hole.
Kim then marched over and began to entice the crowd, radiating his tremendous energy across the SoFi Center.
“Say it louder!” Kim said. “What’d you say!?”
Nobody else has come close to matching Kim’s passion thus far. But it’s clear that the 21-year-old South Korean loves team play and will do whatever it takes to help his side win.
His team relied heavily on him too. Outside his clutch putts, Kim’s best swing of the day came on the par-3 12th hole during his singles match against Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley. He came inches away from recording the first hole-in-one in TGL history.
His tee shot settled two feet from the hole, giving his team the lead for the first time in TGL history.
We saw Kim’s emotion and strong play at the Presidents Cup, and now, golf fans are seeing it firsthand in TGL matches, which is a delight.
For TGL to be successful, the league needs players to invoke more emotion, passion, and humor, just as Kim has done in his debut match. And despite being in the shadows of Woods and McIlroy, Kim will walk out of the SoFi Center Monday night as the star of the show — something that seemed impossible considering the stature of these two legends of the game.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
