Who Is Chan Kim? PGA Tour Pro’s Career Growth & Personal Life Explored

Chan Kim is a 34-year-old American golfer who was born in Suwon, South Korea. Raised in Hawaii, Kim started playing golf at the age of 12. It didn’t take long for him to fall in love with the game, and by age 14 he was already doing very well in competitions in his age group. He has made a name for himself on the Japan Golf Tour with his scintillating performances. He was their Rookie of the Year in 2017 and also bagged the MVP and Money List Winner awards in 2020-21.

Kim only recently moved to the PGA Tour, after 2 wins in his solitary year at the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023. In 2024, he has played in 23 events and has 3 top finishes. His best result was a T6 finish at the Corales Puntacana Championship. Statistically, his game is highlighted by his prowess around the green, with a 70.00 scoring average and a birdie average of 3.5.

Kim’s start in golf and affiliation with the Japan Golf Tour

As an aspiring young golfer, Kim won the 2007 Hawaii Amateur and soon moved to Arizona to attend Hamilton High School. After this, he went on to play golf for Arizona State University. Chan managed to find success in college, winning the Arizona Amateur Stroke Play Championships in 2008 and 2010 along with his triumph at the Pacific Coast Amateur in 2009. After graduating college, Chan turned pro in 2010. He then proceeded to play on the Canadian Tour for 2 years from 2011, followed by the Challenge Tour in 2013 and the Asian Tour in 2013 and 2014. He then joined the Japan Golf Tour in 2015.

Kim started at the ABEMA Tour, Japan’s equivalent of the Korn Ferry Tour. At the time of writing, he has 8 career wins on the Japan Golf Tour, with his first coming in the Mizuno Open in 2017. This was a gateway for him to compete in that year’s edition of The Open Championship, where he had a decent T11 finish. That year, he also won the Shigeo Nagashima Invitational Sega Sammy Cup and the Heiwa PGM Championship.

In 2018, Kim suffered a serious back injury that ruled him out for the entire year. But he got right back on the horse with an impressive single-stroke victory at the 2019 Japan Open Golf Championship. He went on to win the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup in 2020 and followed it with 2 victories in 2021, the Vantelin Tokai Classic and the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament. His last victory was in 2022 at the Casio World Open. Kim is currently playing in the 2024 edition of the Sanderson Farms Championship, he is currently placed at T18.

Besides life in the greens, there is more to Kim than just his tee-offs. Judging by his Instagram account, Kim seems to be the kind of pro who eats, sleeps, and breathes golf. But there is a lighter side to his personality if you take a closer look. He is competing at the Sanderson Farms Championship at the time of writing, where he is currently placed T18.

Chan Kim’s personal life

Not much is known about Kim’s personal life. However, it can be seen in his Instagram profile that he is married to a woman named Sung Li Ming, who seems to be of Korean descent. The couple have been married for 6 years now, and can often be seen together in picturesque, lush-green settings. The couple also loves to travel together, as evidenced by his wife’s Instagram account. He is a member of the Superstition Mountains Golf Club and has expressed his appreciation for the club in an intimate chat that’s posted on the Arizona-based club’s official website.

His dream foursome match involves Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer. He also has a few superstitions of his own which he explained,  “If I am playing well with a certain number on a golf ball, I will use that number only until the end of the round. Also, if I start to make putts after using a certain ball marker, I will only use that ball marker.” He also said his biggest accomplishment is winning the Order of Merit Title on the Japan Golf Tour Organization. Do you think Kim Chan can have a successful finish at the Sanderson Farms Championship? Let us know below!