Tom Kim Ties for 21st in First Round of PGA Tour John Deere Classic, 4 Strokes Off Lead

Tom Kim has started the PGA Tour John Deere Classic (total prize money of $8.8 million) tied for 21st place after the first round.

On July 3, Kim carded a 4-under-par 67, featuring six birdies and two bogeys, at TPC Deere Run (par 71) in Silvis, Illinois.

He sits four strokes behind co-leaders Lucas Glover and Zack Blair (both at 8-under 63, USA) and one stroke behind the group tied for 9th place.

Kim reduced his score by two strokes on the front nine with consecutive birdies on the 5th (par 4) and 6th (par 4) holes.

He showcased precise iron play, landing his second shot within 2.5 meters of the hole on the 5th and within 1.9 meters on the 6th.

On the 10th hole (par 5), his second shot landed in a bunker, but he executed a fantastic bunker shot to set up a birdie putt from 1.1 meters.

After recording his first bogey on the 11th hole (par 4), he bounced back with back-to-back birdies on the 13th (par 4) and 14th (par 4) holes.

Kim added another birdie on the 17th hole (par 5) but missed a chance to break into the top 10 after a three-putt bogey on the final 18th hole (par 4).

Kim, a three-time PGA Tour winner, has not secured a victory in the 2024 season and struggled with a severe slump last year, finishing outside the top 10 in 25 out of 26 tournaments.

However, he found momentum by finishing in sole third place at the U.S. Open, which concluded on June 22.

Im Sung-jae, who is also competing, finished tied for 37th with a 3-under 68, carding three birdies and no bogeys.

Noh Seung-yul recorded a 3-over 74 with two birdies and five bogeys, placing him in a tie for 131st.

No players ranked within the top 10 in the world are participating in this tournament.

Top players have opted to rest to focus on preparing for tournaments taking place in Europe starting next week.

Among the participants, Chris Gotterup (USA), the highest-ranked player at 14th in the world, tied for 9th with a 5-under 66, while 16th-ranked Ben Griffin (USA) tied for 52nd with a 2-under 69.

Defending champion Brian Campbell (USA) finished tied for 67th with a 1-under 70.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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