‘I would see Tiger win on the PGA Tour’ – Tom Kim cites Woods as example to follow after breakthrough win

Tom Kim has set his sights on emulating Tiger Woods and being a serial winner on the PGA Tour.

Kim’s season came to an end at the BMW Championship, as he faded on the back of a seven-week run of events.

He is already turning his attention to the new season and cites 15-time major winner Woods as his example to follow.

“When I was younger, I would see Tiger win on the PGA Tour, not somewhere else, so for me that was always the goal. Hopefully I’ll be here for a very long time.”

Kim’s birth name is Joohyung Kim, but he forced a change to Tom on account of his love of Thomas the Tank Engine.

Taking up the story, Kim said: “It’s just me being stubborn. Like, you’re supposed to let your parents name you and I was like nope, I’m going to name myself Thomas. I loved the show as a kid. Apparently, I really loved the train.

“I was like, you know what, I’m going to name myself Thomas. And as the years went on, people started calling me Tom. It was shorter, so I kind of went with Tom after that.”

While individual glory is the driver for most golfers, team play takes place every couple of years and Kim is set to make his debut in the Presidents Cup.

He will be the youngest player on Trevor Immelman’s Internationals team, and is relishing the prospect of taking on Team USA at Quail Hollow next month.

“It’s crazy. I can’t really believe I’ll be able to play in the Presidents Cup,” he said. “It’s something I’ve watched all the time, so it’s going to be exciting, and hopefully I can make a good contribution.

“I’m a lot younger than all the guys on the team, so hopefully I can bring that young energy and just be a kid out there and have all the fun we have.

“As long as we come together as a team, we’re going to have a chance. Just be a good energy out there for the team.”