Tom Kim Has Hilarious Story of Why He Babysat Jordan Spieth's Son

Tom Kim arrived at the Sentry Tournament of Champions with a new swing coach and Nike gear from head to toe. He also came with some stories to tell from his Christmas dinner with Jordan Spieth—who was also his first-round playing partner at Kapalua.

Kim, 20, recently rented a place in Dallas, where he’s practicing out of Dallas National and Trinity Forest. That explains why he’s now working with Cameron McCormick, and in turn, hanging out with the Spieths (McCormick has coached Spieth his entire career). The rental will serve as a U.S. home-base for the Seoul native, and so far, he’s been fitting right in.

After firing off an 8-under 65 Thursday at Kapalua to start the calendar year, Kim spoke with the media and spilled some hilarious details about his newfound relationship with Spieth and his one-year-old son, Sammy.

Kim explained that in December, after the Hero World Challenge—Tiger Woods’s event in the Bahamas—he flew back to Dallas with Spieth.

“I took the Jordan air,” Kim joked.

When Spieth realized Kim would be staying in Dallas for the holiday season alone, he extended an invitation for the young PGA Tour star to join his Christmas dinner.

“My family wasn't home and I was kind of by myself,” Kim said. “So I got to spend some time with the Spieths and kind of babysit Sammy, which was really cool. But, yeah, it's been amazing to kind of build a friendship and it was really cool to play with him today.”

Kim must have gotten along with the youngest member of the Spieth clan well, because he had some extremely nice things to say about the one-year-old.

“Oh, my God, Sammy's amazing. He's the most wonderful little boy I think I've ever met,” said Kim. “He's just absolutely amazing. So definitely I've seen a lot of kids, but he's, he definitely makes it a lot easier.”

Apparently, Spieth realizes that the young golf superstar and his son have a special relationship. He likes to joke that the two get along because of how close they are in age.

“Yeah, a hundred percent,” said Kim. “We are. I like to think of it that way, for sure.”

Kim is winning over fans with his bright sense of humor, but he’s been even more impressive on the golf course. Last year he scored two PGA Tour victories within just a few months of each other, becoming the first player since Tiger Woods in 1996 to win twice before his 21st birthday. He captivated the golf world with a lively performance at the Presidents Cup, and now he’s one off the lead after the first round of the Tournament of Champions.

If Kim can play this well with a part-time babysitting gig, he’s capable of anything.