Tom Kim fires a 64 to claim Genesis Scottish Open title and end near-three-year PGA Tour victory drought

When Tom Kim won for the 3rd clip connected the PGA Tour successful October 2023, capturing the Shriners Children's Open for the 2nd consecutive year, galore fans assumed the floodgates would unfastened for the young phenom.

But Kim hadn't been backmost successful the winner's ellipse since that victory.

Until Sunday.

Tom Kim changeable a 64 successful the last circular of the 2026 Genesis Scottish Open to seizure his archetypal PGA Tour triumph since 2023. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

The 24-year-old South Korean closed with a sparkling 64, tied for debased circular of the day, successful the last circular of the Genesis Scottish Open for his archetypal PGA Tour triumph successful astir 3 years.

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Kim had a beardown week astatine the Renaissance Club successful North Berwick, Scotland, opening with a five-under 65 successful circular 1 earlier firing a 66 successful circular 2 to stock the pb astatine the halfway constituent of the tourney with Rory McIlroy and Jordan Smith.

However, McIlroy and Smith struggled successful the fog-delayed 3rd circular (73 and 72, respectively) portion Kim kept the momentum rolling with different under-par circular (68). The play docket was analyzable by fog delays, with third-round play spilling into Sunday greeting earlier the last circular began.

Kim trailed Matt Fitzpatrick by 1 changeable heading into circular four, but the 24-year-old rapidly made up the quality with birdies connected 3 of his archetypal 7 holes.

Tom Kim wins the 2026 Genesis Scottish Open astatine The Renaissance Club successful North Berwick, Scotland. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Min Woo Lee made a precocious charge, cutting Kim's pb to 1 changeable with conscionable a fewer holes left, but Kim deed a beauteous attack connected the par-4 16th to acceptable up his sixth birdie of the time and yet enactment himself retired of scope for the remainder of the field.

And the triumph comes astatine a large time, too.

After playing successful each large tourney from 2023-25, Kim failed to suffice for some the 2026 Masters and PGA Championship earlier posting an awesome third-place decorativeness astatine the U.S. Open. Kim won't person to interest astir qualifying for the Masters oregon PGA adjacent year, arsenic the Scottish Open triumph guarantees a berth successful some adjacent season. His third-place decorativeness astatine the U.S. Open earned him an automatic bid into the 2027 U.S. Open, arsenic well.

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The triumph besides gives Kim momentum heading into the 2026 Open Championship. He finished tied for 2nd successful the 2023 Open but failed to marque the chopped successful some 2024 and 2025. His crippled is successful a overmuch amended spot than it was successful either of the past 2 seasons, though.

Kim has made the chopped successful 15 of the 17 events he's played this year, positive helium has the Scottish Open triumph and the third-place decorativeness astatine the U.S. Open to punctual himself of the immense endowment he's ever possessed.

South Korean Tom Kim posted under-par rounds successful each 4 rounds of the 2026 Genesis Scottish Open. (Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

Kim won his archetypal 2 PGA Tour events astatine property 20, becoming the archetypal subordinate since Tiger Woods successful 1996 to triumph doubly earlier turning 21.

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The 3rd triumph astatine property 21 appeared to person him connected the accelerated way to PGA Tour success. But arsenic is the lawsuit for galore young golfers, Kim deed a unsmooth spot pursuing the October 2023 triumph astatine Shriners. He had conscionable 3 top-10 finishes successful 2024 and 2025 combined, with zero victories and nary top-25 finishes successful immoderate of the 8 majors (after finishing top-10 successful some the 2023 U.S. Open and Open Championship).

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Now it's just to wonderment if that agelong is afloat down Kim, who has struggled with consistency since helium burst onto the country successful 2022.

The archetypal accidental he'll person to beryllium that this week wasn't a one-off is astatine Royal Birkdale for the 2026 Open Championship, which begins connected Thursday.