2006–2011:Early years,PGA Tour success
Kim turned professional in 2006 and after receiving a sponsor's exemption he finished in a tie for second on his PGA Tour debut at the 2006 Valero Texas Open. He earned his PGA Tour card through the qualifying school for the 2007 season. He made a strong start and broke into the top 100 in the Official World Golf Rankings in May 2007 with four top 10 finishes during his rookie season on the PGA Tour. In the 2007 U.S. Open,he shot a final round 67 earning him a tie for 20th place (he started the day at T57). His 67 was the lowest for the round and second lowest for the tournament.
In May 2008,Kim won his first PGA Tour tournament at the Wachovia Championship,defeating former British Open champion Ben Curtis by five shots. Kim's 16-under par 272 total was the lowest score in the tournament's history until 2015. He shot an opening day 70,but rallied for subsequent rounds of 67-66-69 and was several shots clear of Curtis most of the final round. He earned $1,152,000 for his victory,and reached a new career high of 16th in the world rankings. [5]
In July 2008,Kim won his second PGA Tour tournament at the AT&T National,defeating Freddie Jacobson by two shots. Kim shot a 5 under 65 in the fourth round to capture the title. The victory was especially meaningful because the tournament is hosted by Tiger Woods. Furthermore,Kim became the first American under 25 to win twice in one year on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods in 2000. This win moved him to 14th in the World Rankings. [6] A pair of T-3 finishes in the final two 2008 FedEx Cup events pushed him to 6th in the World Rankings. He has spent over 20 weeks in the top-10 since 2008. [7]
In September 2008,Kim was a critical part of the United States' victory in the Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club,defeating Ryder Cup veteran Sergio García 5 &4 in the first match of the Sunday single matches. Later that year he joined the European Tour for the 2009 season,making his debut as a member at the 2008 HSBC Champions,the first tournament of the 2009 season.
At the 2009 Masters Tournament in Augusta,Georgia at Augusta National Golf Club,Kim set the record for most birdies in a round with eleven in the second round,surpassing Nick Price,who had ten birdies in 1986.
At the 2009 Presidents Cup,Kim posted an impressive 3–1 record,which included a 5 and 3 victory over Robert Allenby in the Sunday singles match.
Kim lost to Ross Fisher in the finals of the Volvo World Match Play in October 2009 4 &3 after once again beating Robert Allenby in the semi-finals.
In April 2010,Kim won the Shell Houston Open,beating Vaughn Taylor in a playoff. He became only the fifth player in 30 years to have won three times on the PGA Tour before the age of 25,the others being Tiger Woods,Phil Mickelson,Sergio García and Adam Scott. [8] He followed up with third place finish in the Masters Tournament,after a final round 65. Those results were achieved despite a thumb injury for which he underwent surgery in May. [9] Having missed several months of the season,he dropped outside the automatic qualification places for United States team for the 2010 Ryder Cup in the final event,and was not one of captain Corey Pavin's wildcard picks. [10]
2012–2023:Injury problems,hiatus
In June 2012,Kim had surgery after injuring the Achilles tendon in his left leg and was expected to miss 9 to 12 months. [11] Kim was eligible for the 2013 season on a Major Medical Exemption,but has failed to play a single tournament since. [12] [13]
In April 2014,Golf Channel reported that Kim no longer plays golf,even on a recreational level. [14] As of 2014,he was reported to have had an insurance policy that would pay him $10-20 million in the case of a career-ending injury. [12] In 2016,Kim played in a number of charity events,but said he was not ready to play professionally again. He also cited ongoing physical therapy and numerous surgeries as the reasons for delaying his return. [15]
In April 2019,during an encounter with a fan in West Hollywood,California,Kim referred to his golf game as "non-existent". [16] On January 1,2021,Adam Schriber,Kim's longtime coach,posted a photo of the two in front of the Dallas skyline with the caption "2021 is going to be special". [17]
2024–present :Return to professional golf
In February 2024,it was announced that Kim would return to professional golf and join the LIV Golf League. He was named as a "wildcard". [18]
Kim played his first competitive tournament since 2012 at LIV Golf Jeddah in March 2024. He placed last at 16-over-par 226,which was 33 shots behind the winner Joaquín Niemann. [19] Kim finished 56th out of 57 players in the 2024 LIV Golf League seasonal rankings. [20] He retained his wildcard status for the 2025 LIV Golf League season,where he finished 55th in the rankings,outside the top-48 cutoff and was relegated. [21] [22] In 23 tournaments during his first two seasons on LIV Golf,his best finish was a tie for 25th at LIV Golf Dallas in 2025. [23]
In November 2025,Kim shot a bogey-free,7-under 64 at the PIF Saudi International. This was his lowest round since shooting 64 at the 2011 Barclays Singapore Open. [24] He finished the Saudi International in a tie for fifth,which was his first top-10 finish in 14 years. [25] Kim finished third in the LIV Golf Promotions event in January 2026,which earned him a spot in the 2026 LIV Golf League season. [26] [23]
United States 
