It’s a good thing Tom Kim didn’t quit on Friday morning.
Kim, after nearly withdrawing following a slip at his rental home that left him with a severely sprained ankle, surged on Sunday at the British Open. The 21-year-old carded a 4-under 67, which moved him up nine spots on the leaderboard into a tie for second at the final major championship of the year.
That marked the best major finish of his career, and made him the youngest player to finish inside the top two at a British Open since 1976.
“Obviously coming down the stretch of a major when you’re playing well the adrenaline kind of hits and makes sure you’re kind of in it,” Kim said.
“It was kind of nice to almost forget about [my ankle] a little bit, because when you’re in the moment you don’t really think about it. I think today was probably the best it’s been out of the three days, so kind of relieved.”
Kim stepped off the patio at his rental home in Hoylake, England, on Thursday night, and his right foot hit a patch of wet grass. Kim’s foot got caught, and he heard his ankle pop as he rolled it as he fell to the ground.
He said he was diagnosed with a Grade 1 sprain, which is considered a mild sprain. While he was told it was “definitely playable,” and he admitted he got some “tough love” from his team to keep him out there, Kim said he almost called it and went home to see a doctor.
While Kim needed a piggyback ride from his agent after his round on Friday, he still posted a 3-under 68. That brought him inside the cutline.
“It’s pretty bruised. I can’t take off my shoe really,” Kim said on Friday. “I don’t know how I really walked.”
Kim matched his second round score on Saturday, too. Then, after opening with back-to-back bogeys on Sunday, Kim rattled off a birdie and a huge eagle at the par-5 fifth to suddenly get under par for the day. He then rolled to a 4-under 67, which brought him into a tie for second with Sepp Straka, Jason Day and Jon Rahm.
“[I’m] a little bit [surprised] because of how my foot was feeling,” Kim said on Sunday. “I was thinking about pulling out my second round and the third round. But I’m kind of glad I didn’t. Stuck to it.”
Kim has won twice on the PGA Tour in his career. He picked up his inaugural win late last season at the Wyndham Championship, which officially earned him his Tour card, and then he won the Shriners Children’s Open earlier this season. Kim entered this week ranked No. 24 in the Official World Golf Rankings, and he now has seven top-10 finishes this season — including a T8 run at the US Open and a T6 finish at last week’s Genesis Scottish Open.
Kim’s performance on Sunday moved him up to No. 14 in the FedExCup standings. He’s not listed in the field for next week’s 3M Open, although he’s likely to attempt to defend his title at the Wyndham Championship in two weeks
“Obviously having the season last year, your expectations go up more and you kind of feel like you’re supposed to play like that all the time,” Kim said. “Seeing golf courses that I haven’t been to, hitting a huge learning curve, it’s been kind of frustrating a little bit. But it’s been a time where I put things a lot in perspective and try to keep myself — this is just a learning curve, this is my first full year out. These guys have been out here for five- to 10-plus years.
“I really have to kind of put it into perspective and keep working hard to keep playing better. I put a lot of work in this year trying to get back to that feeling of kind of contending in big events and it’s kind of nice to see the fruits coming to life.”