Honolulu, Hawaii – Trailing by 3 entering Sunday, twenty-seven-year-old South Korean Si Woo Kim was tied for the lead on the 71st hole when he chipped in for a timely birdie and added another birdie at the last to fire a final round 64 to win by one over Hayden Buckley at Waialae Country Club.
Hayden Buckley vying for a chance to capture his first PGA Tour victory, stood on the 18th tee tied as Kim attempted to take the lead on the green ahead. Buckley missed the fairway and had an odd lie in the rough to the par-5 finale. Buckley played short right of the green, where he would need to get up-and-down to force a playoff with Kim who had two-putted for birdie. Buckley missed his 13-foot birdie putt to force a playoff and Si Woo Kim was victorious for the first time since 2021, capturing his fourth PGA Tour title.
Afterward, Kim discussed using the “Just play” approach on Sunday, trying not to focus on winning. When Kim played in the Presidents Cup a few months back, he played a practice round with International teammate Adam Scott and decided to use a broomstick-length putter that week. It came in handy as he knocked off Justin Thomas of the U.S. in a singles match en route to going 3-0-1 in the competition. Kim tried to downplay the significance of his victory over Thomas, calling it “just a lucky day,” but later conceded it gave him a boost of confidence.
“My game was little down like at the end of the season, but I think that kind of like gave me momentum,” he said. The win sends Si Woo Kim back to the Masters for the seventh time.
The tour heads back to the mainland this week for the American Express Championship in Palm Springs, California.
Scores: https://www.pgatour.com/competition/2023/sony-open-in-hawaii/leaderboard.html
