A track record on East Lothian’s ‘golf coast’ proved to be crucial at the Renaissance Club today as Tom Kim won the Scottish Open, a tournament that has so often brought out the best in him.
The one-time prodigy of the PGA Tour has had a rough time of it these last few years, but he finished third at this event in 2022 and has never been out of its top 20 since.
This was the South Korean’s turn to step up and lift the silverware. A six-under-par 64 in his final round gave him a 17-under total, two shots clear of Australian Min Woo Lee, who won at this venue in 2021.
Lee carded a 67 to finish on 15 under. Two strokes further back was a group of four players in third place, including Matt Fitzpatrick, the on-form Englishman whose 69 wasn’t enough to claim a fourth title of the season.
Also on 13 under was Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, who had to settle for a 69, having been joint leader at the start of the fourth round. At the end of a weekend that included a fog-disrupted Saturday, Rory McIlroy finished on 12 under after a final-round 64.
Kim’s performance was as pure an exhibition of ball-striking as you are likely to see. Not least among his impeccable iron shots was a sensational approach to the par-4 16th, which set up an easy birdie, one of six in his flawless final round.
It bodes well for Kim’s chances in The Open at Royal Birkdale this week, where he will be hoping to go one better than his tie for second in 2023.
Tom Kim lifts the Scottish Open trophy after finishing two shots clear at the Renaissance Club.
Kim celebrates holing a short par putt on the 18th green that completed a final-round 64
Robert MacIntyre acknowledges the crowd after a one-under-par 69 that left him in third place
This was a mature, accomplished display by the 24-year-old who is starting to reproduce the form that singled him out as one of the most exciting young players on the PGA Tour.
Kim exploded on to the US circuit with three titles before he was 21, prompting comparisons with Tiger Woods, but he never kicked on, at least not until this year.
As recently as six weeks ago, Kim was 150th in the world rankings, but he finished third in the US Open at Shinnecock Hills last month and is now celebrating his first title in three years.
Asked if this was his sweetest triumph, he said: ‘This one’s up there. I played as good as I could have down the stretch with the pressure. I executed when I needed to. I’m very proud of myself for just being calm out there.
‘Obviously I’ve had a tough couple of years and I got to taste a lot of that humble pie and I got to really learn about myself. I’m still trying to grow, still trying to learn and I’ve still got a long way to go.’
On a long and tiring day, they were playing catch-up on account of the fog that suspended play on Saturday night. That meant that the third round had to be completed this morning, with a 7am start forcing the likes of MacIntyre out of his bed at an ungodly hour.
Starting the morning on two under for the day, the Scot holed a long putt for birdie on the 11th and picked up two more strokes before saving par on the last for 65 and a 12-under total. That gave him a share of the lead with Lee and Fitzpatrick, while McIlroy was six back after a third-round 73.
Encouraging though that was for the home crowd, it didn’t last. MacIntyre’s final round was hard work, thanks mainly to a clumsy front nine. The 2024 champion responded with an eagle at the 12th and two birdies in his last five holes but the damage had been done.
As MacIntyre’s hopes faded, McIlroy rallied with five birdies in his first seven holes. Two more at 12 and 13 had him dreaming of a remarkable come-from-behind victory, but he stumbled on a stretch of the course that gave him his best opportunity.
After a huge drive on the 16th, he hooked his approach into deep rough. ‘Oh my God, I’m so bad at golf’, yelled McIlroy before carding a bogey that effectively ended his challenge.
