2024 CJ Cup Byron Neslon: Meet Teen Debutant Kris Kim Who Has Special LPGA Roots

Who is the prodigy of golf? Currently, the answer to this is 16 YO Kris Kim, who became the first amateur to be sponsored by CJ Group last year, which has hosted the CJ Cup on the PGA Tour since 2017! He is all buckled up to walk in the footsteps of his LPGA Pro mother Ji-Hyun Suh, and will be testing his golf skills against the best on the PGA Tour.

After a year of being sponsored, the English Junior Ryder Cup star is headed for Texas, making his first PGA Tour debut ahead of the GCSE exam. “I can’t wait to play in front of big crowds again. I’ve never hit the ball as far as I did at the Ryder Cup. The adrenalin rush makes golf so much fun. That said, having played that course, and a few more tour courses, I appreciate the task ahead and look forward to the challenge,” said Kim. Who is this rising star? Here’s all you need to know about Kris Kim!

There is no doubt in the fact that the Kims are indeed great golfers. Ji-Hyun Suh made it to the headlines back in the 1990s, as she started her professional career at the early age of 13, and turned professional in 1998, after joining the Republic of Korea National team. Suh recorded two T-15 finishes in 1998 on the LPGA at the Friendly’s Classic and Giant Eagle LPGA Classic.

She retired from professional golf and became a teacher at a driving range in England. Now, Kris Kim has taken on to fulfilling the journey that was once started by his mother. While his mother’s motivation to play golf was essentially due to her father, Kim’s drive is more from himself. The CJ Club by Byron Nelson is going to be his first big step towards his dream.

And his aim at the moment is to make the cut and follow what happens next. Well, not just the cut, but being so close to his dream, he also expressed how he is a huge fan of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, and getting into the PGA Tour will get him closer to meeting his idols after his mother as well. He said, “I’m a huge Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy fan so when they signed I desperately wanted to use their clubs too!”

Nonetheless, he is going to have his mother not just as his supporter, but as his coach as well. The 16 YO said, “She’s my coach and we talk about everything from dealing with nerves, taking one shot at a time, leaving bad shots behind, and keeping it simple right through to course strategy.” 

But why are the headlines brimming with Kris Kim’s name all of a sudden? Well, at the Junior Ryder Cup, he managed to defeat Charlie Woods’s biggest rival and another rising star Miles Russell by one stroke in the singles. And now, he will be teeing up against pros like, Sungjae Im, Si Woo Kim, Byeong Hun An, and KH Lee. But, what was the journey like for him?

Kris Kim’s journey before making his debut on the PGA Tour

Kris Kim started his 2023 with great spirits. He participated in the England U16s tournament, where he played a total of four matches. Despite the challenges that came across in each one of them, he won all four matches and earned his team the victory with a total score of 16-8. He maintained his winning spree by taking the title at the Fairhaven Trophy by six shots in April.

Kris Kim also made his debut last year at the Brabazon Trophy at Sunningdale, England at the end of May. The Walton Heath-based golfing star enjoyed the solo third position in his first-ever appearance with a 4-under! And well, that was not all for him. He also participated in the Boys’ Amateur Championship last year, by earning exemptions into the Final, qualifying for The Open, The Amateur Championship, and the US Junior Boys’ Championship, he won the tournament at the second extra hole, after putting up a rigorous fight with Alex Papayoanou.

After his win, he said, “I’m excited for the future. This is just the best you can do as a junior golfer. I’m really happy with it.” Who knew that his stars would shine so bright so soon for him? Now, the question is, will he be able to make the cut, and grab a win against the other 155 players? Stay tuned to find out!