​NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — Four years ago, a 20-year-old Tom Kim arrived in Scotland for the very first time and nearly captured the Genesis Scottish Open. Four years later, older and wiser, he returned to claim the trophy.
“I love links golf,” Kim said Thursday after posting an opening round 65. “I think you have to be really patient, and it rewards guys who accept results and are mentally tough because it’s not fair all the time.” Patience became his watchword for the week, and it paid off in the end.
On a weekend of fluctuating conditions at The Renaissance Club, the leaderboard reflected the mixed signals from the skies. Fourteen different players at least shared a piece of the lead over the final two rounds, but it was Kim who outlasted them all, firing a final-round 64 to finish at 17 under par and win by two strokes over Min Woo Lee. It was Kim’s first victory in over a thousand days on tour.
“This is where it all started for me,” Kim said after saving par on the 72nd hole. “I didn’t even have status and finished third here… to be able to finish it off today, and win an event like this, is really cool.”
Kim’s PGA Tour journey has been a roller-coaster. In his rookie year of 2022, he became the first player since Tiger Woods to win twice before turning 21. The South Korean quickly moved into the World Top 15 and earned a spot on the Presidents Cup team. He successfully defended his Shriners Children’s Open title in 2023, but the following seasons proved challenging. In 25 starts last year, Kim collected just one top-10 and slipped out of the top 100 in the world rankings.
“I’ve had to have a lot of patience the last couple of years,” he admitted after his victory. “I think in golf, and in life in general, patience goes such a long way. I’ve come to really appreciate that a lot.” Patience again. That recurring theme framed his approach.
A new caddie, a new coach, a new swing, and a renewed mantra accompanied Kim into 2026, giving him reason to believe that his early success wasn’t merely a mirage. After watching the year’s first two majors from home, Kim earned a spot in the U.S. Open via regional qualifying and followed that with a top-three finish at Shinnecock Hills—validation for the hard work and hard truths he had faced in recent months.
So why here, in Scotland, made sense for his return? This marked Kim’s fifth appearance at the Scottish Open, and he had already produced top-20 finishes in each of his four prior trips. He’s endured heartbreak here. He finished third, played in the final group when Rory McIlroy won in 2023, and has come tantalizingly close on more than one occasion.
In golf, few contexts demand more patience than links golf. The game’s vagaries—unpredictable breaks, unlucky lies, shifting weather—test even seasoned players’ composure. And Kim’s victory served as a reminder: patience isn’t passive surrender but a disciplined, persistent practice that can convert near-misses into a bona fide triumph. As he added another chapter to his evolving story, Kim proved that staying patient can yield the kind of breakthrough that can redefine a career.