How Did South Korean Pro Tom Kim Get Named After the Famous British Cartoon Train Engine?

“From Smokebox to Bunker!” Do you remember that from somewhere? Yes, it is Thomas the Tank Engine! You might be wondering: What does the 1980s British children’s TV show have to do with golf? Well, its influence has now been named one of the hot topics of the present Olympics golf. Tom Kim. The 22-year-old golfer has revealed the evolution of his name, and Thomas from the island of Sodor has a great role to play in it.

Did Tom Kim name himself?

Sure, he did! Tom Kim was born with a different name. He went by the Korean name Kim Joo-hyung when he was born in 2002. But throughout his life, the golfer had to travel and settle in different parts of the world. This included short stays in Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, as well as China with his family and his father.

His father, Chang-Ik, is a former professional golfer and a teaching pro at the moment. During all these travels and residencies, the golfer came across several people of varied ethnicities who would naturally have difficulty taking an authentic Korean name. Instead, Kim chose to change the situation altogether.

Jun 2, 2023; Dublin, Ohio, USA; Tom Kim stands on the ninth fairway during the second round of the Memorial Tournament golf tournament at the Muirfield Village Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY SportsThe 2024 Traveler’s Championship runner-up thought, Why can’t he choose his own name? He declared it would be from Thomas the Tank Engine. Thus, to Dylan Dethier, Kim once revealed, “I gave myself the name.” He further added, “I named myself Thomas.” And from Thomas to Tom was a small journey of shortening his name. According to Golf.com, “By age 11, enough people had taken to shortening his name that he just went by “Tom.” And he still is.”

Much like how Thomas the Tank Engine had unwavering bravery and belief in itself, Tom Kim pays homage to his namesake through his own actions. The present World No. 20 has been playing valiantly in his first Olympics, not to get an exemption from the mandatory military service but to play for himself!

But did you know that, outside of the influence of Thomas the Tank Engine, Tom Kim had another golfer to look up to?

Tom Kim’s ideal World No. 1  golfer

Of course, Kim wants to be World No. 1. He has been very close to being in the Top 10 at one point, with his best rank in the OWGR being 11th. But the golfer does look up to one person in particular who is presiding over his dream position at the moment, the present World No. 1 golfer, Scottie Scheffler.

“I’ve talked with Scottie multiple times, and he’s one of the nicest guys,” Kim once stated. This year, Kim and Scheffler were both tied for first place at the Traveler’s Championship and although Kim lost in the playoffs, he could still come close to his idol. Tom Kim idealizes how Scheffler has been as a person despite his unbelievable status in the golf world. He said, “Always gives you the time of day even though he’s World No. 1. And when you see that up close, you see what you’d have to do to get to that point, how much better you’d have to get. He’s achieved what very few others have.”

Do you know any other golfers who named themselves? Let us know in the comments below.