Si Woo Kim's Back-to-Back 64s Propel Him to Victory at Sony Open

With back-to-back birdies on Waialae Country Club’s two finishing holes and back-to-back weekend 64s, Si Woo Kim charged to victory on Sunday at the Sony Open after starting the final round three strokes back of Hayden Buckley.

Energetic fist bumps were on full display as the native of Seoul, South Korea, chipped in from 27 feet off of the 17th green to take the solo lead. The now-four-time PGA Tour winner could hear the roars from back on the 16th green that followed Buckley’s 16-foot birdie putt to get to 17 under, but the echoes only added fuel to Kim’s fire.

“Right before I hit it, I hear the noise,” Kim said. “It was kind of a tough lie, into the grain. I had to hit aggressive. Nothing to lose, so I just hit it aggressive, and it goes in. I was excited.”

Buckley, who was inches from forcing a two-man playoff with Kim, was vying for his first PGA Tour victory after graduating from the Korn Ferry Tour in 2021. The University of Missouri walk-on failed to get up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 18th to match Kim’s final score of 18 under for the tournament.

MORE: Final payouts from the Sony Open

The victory not only adds to Kim’s strong record—which includes a win at the 2017 Players Championship—but it also gets him into the 2023 Masters. Ranked No. 84 in the world, Kim did not previously meet the criteria to tee it up at Augusta National come the first week of April, but that quickly changed on Sunday.

Hoisting the Sony Open trophy made Kim the fourth Korean golfer to win on the PGA Tour since the beginning of last season. He joins his Presidents Cup International Team mates Tom Kim, K.H. Lee, and Sungjae Im. With four wins, Kim reached the halfway mark to tying K.J. Choi as the winningest Korean golfer on the PGA Tour. Choi won eight times from 2002-11.

For a second, Kim’s 18th hole looked to be off to a rocky start. 

“I tried my best on every shot,” said Kim. “I was a little shaky for the last four holes.”

The Korean set up his 18th tee shot in a startling manner, teeing the ball up to driver height with a 3-wood in hand. Attempting to launch his fairway wood over trees that line the hole’s left side, Kim caught the fairway bunker. An impeccable long iron from the sand, however, prompted another fist bump from the 17-year-old. Kim’s ball trickled onto the putting surface, where he went on to two-putt for birdie and secure the title.