Siwoo Kim "Again 2017~"... 'The Fired-Up Number 1 Battle'

Clash at the 5th Major The Players Championship

‘Newlywed’ Kim Si-woo challenges for his second win of the season on the ‘Promised Land.’

Kim Si-woo will compete in the PGA Tour’s THE PLAYERS Championship, known as the ‘fifth major,’ which opens on the night of the 9th (Korean time) at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA (par 72, 7,256 yards). This year, the total prize money has been increased by $5 million to a record $25 million (approximately 32.4 billion KRW), with the winner’s prize reaching a whopping $4.5 million (about 5.8 billion KRW). World stars such as Jon Rahm (Spain), Scottie Scheffler (USA), and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) have all gathered.

Siwoo Kim is challenging for a victory at the 5th major The Players Championship, aiming to win for the first time in six years since 2017.

Kim Si-woo was selected for the national representative reserve team in the 5th grade of elementary school and quickly rose to the national team upon entering high school, following an ‘elite course.’ In 2012, at age 17, he passed the PGA Tour Qualifying (Q) School but was unable to compete properly due to the ‘age limit (18 years)’ rule and was relegated to the Korn Ferry Tour (2nd tier). In 2015, he returned to the PGA Tour the following year by finishing 10th on the Korn Ferry Tour money list and won his first title at the Wyndham Championship in August. Kim Si-woo has accumulated four wins in total, including the 2017 THE PLAYERS Championship, the 2021 American Express, and the Sony Open in January this year.

Kim Si-woo has a good compatibility with this course. During his win, he shot 3-under par on the final day to secure a 3-shot victory. He also set a new milestone as the youngest champion. In 2020, he led with 7-under par on the first day, but the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has shown particular strength at TPC Sawgrass, finishing tied for 9th in 2021. He withdrew last year. This season, he is cruising with 13th place in FedEx Cup points (735 points) and 20th in the money list ($2,147,486).

There is no defending champion in this tournament. Cameron Smith (Australia) moved to LIV Golf, sponsored by Saudi Arabian capital, and cannot participate in PGA Tour events. World No. 3 Rory McIlroy is a strong favorite to win. He is on an upswing after finishing tied for 2nd at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. He is aiming for his second win of the season and 24th career victory since THE CJ Cup last October. He recalls the thrilling memory of winning this tournament in 2019.

World No. 1 Jon Rahm, who has won three times this year, and World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler, winner of last month’s WM Phoenix Open, are also eyeing the top spot. The point difference among the world’s top three players is only 0.46 points. The ‘No. 1’ ranking could change depending on the results of this tournament. Arnold Palmer Invitational winner Kurt Kitayama (USA) is aiming for back-to-back wins. Former champions including Justin Thomas and Webb Simpson (both USA) have also joined. Korea is represented by Im Sung-jae, Kim Joo-hyung, Lee Kyoung-hoon, Kim Sung-hyun, and An Byeong-hun.