Flawless Kim claims Genesis Scottish Open title
South Korean maestro delivers a final-round 64 at The Renaissance Club to secure a two-stroke victory and his maiden DP World Tour crown
Korea - South Korea’s Tom Kim produced a links golf masterclass at The Renaissance Club to capture a convincing two-stroke victory at the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday. The 24-year-old Seoul native delivered a flawless, bogey-free six-under-par 64, making him the only player in the 71-man weekend field to navigate the brutal coastal winds without dropping a single stroke. Kim finished the tournament at 17-under par, holding off a fierce challenge from Australia’s Min Woo Lee to secure his first career title on the DP World Tour and his fourth overall victory on the PGA Tour.
“It’s awesome. It’s been a while since I lifted a trophy up—I forgot how heavy it was,” said Kim, who previously announced himself to the global golfing public with a third-place finish at this venue in 2022. “This is where it all started for me. I’ve had some heartbreaks here and I’ve been close a couple of times, so to be able to finish it off today is really cool. I’ve had to practice a lot of patience the last couple of years, and links golf is the perfect way to describe that. You just have to accept whatever bounces come your way and keep going.”
Kim entered the final round just one stroke off the pace but immediately asserted his dominance, picking up front-nine birdies on the first, fourth, and seventh holes to turn in 32. As the chasing pack faltered in the blustery conditions, the South Korean extended his cushion with further gains on the 10th and 12th holes. A spectacular approach to six feet on the par-four 16th yielded his final birdie of the day, allowing Kim to execute a clutch up-and-down for par from over the back of the 18th green to slam the door on any hopes of an Australian comeback.
Min Woo Lee carded a commendable three-under 67 to finish alone in second place at 15-under par. Meanwhile, a four-way tie for third at 13-under par included England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, American newcomer Johnny Keefer, Japan’s Keita Nakajima, and local favorite Robert MacIntyre. MacIntyre had sent the home crowds into a frenzy earlier in the day when he completed a delayed third round to secure a share of the 54-hole lead, but a costly stretch of four bogeys in seven holes derailed the 2024 champion’s bid for a historic second quaich trophy.
Despite the disappointment, MacIntyre took solace in collecting the Jock MacVicar AGW Memorial Award as the tournament’s leading Scotsman. Further down the leaderboard, reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy mounted a spectacular final-round 64 to share seventh place with American Michael Thorbjornsen, though a damaging third-round 73 left the Northern Irishman with too much ground to recover. Additionally, the high-stakes finale saw Keefer, Thorbjornsen, and France’s Victor Perez punch their tickets to next week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale through the Open Qualifying Series.