Kim Joo-hyung (20, photo), who took two wins on the PGA Tour at the age of 20 years, three months, and 18 days, participated in the PGA Tour Jojo Championship held at Narashino CC in Insai, Chiba Prefecture, Japan from Thursday. “Starting the PGA Tour and winning twice is only part of my goal. I have more goals, so this win is just a steppingstone for me,” Kim said in an interview with the PGA Tour before the first round. “I am grateful for what I have achieved so far, but there are still many things I want to do and achieve.”
Kim Joo-hyung said, "I can't believe it," about going beyond his idol Tiger Woods. “There are many people who can win once, but twice is difficult, so the second win was a little more special,” Kim said. “It is a great honor for me to break Woods' record in particular."
Kim Joo-hyung cited his strength as "an accurate shot that lands the ball at the desired point." "Since I'm not a long hitter, I have to hit the ball after choosing a specific location on the fairway. I place the ball on the open area of the fairway. My strategy is to hit an accurate shot instead of a strong one,” Kim said while adding that he's trying to keep a consistent swing, "You have to get rid of unnecessary movements (to hit the accurate shot). Thanks to such effort, I think the driver and iron shots have consistently produced good results without ups and downs.”
Acquiring the experience of frequently playing on the PGA Tour is also one of the factors that has made Kim successful. He matched in 11 competitions last season as a non-member before becoming a full member this season.
“I think I had time to adapt to the PGA Tour by getting qualified to participate in the major tournaments on the PGA Tour and receiving occasional invitations from various tournaments,” Kim said. “I was lucky, but the secret to success is that I have dreamt of playing on the PGA Tour.”
hun@donga.com