MK Kim was initially known as Minkyu Kim, those early days when he caught everyone’s attention by becoming the youngest winner in the history of the Challenge Tour. He triumphed in Prague in 2018 at just 17 years old. In those early days, he didn’t hesitate to leave his native South Korea and seek success through the Euro Pro Tour or the Challenge. He was the prodigy of Korean golf. Seven years later, he hasn’t lived up to those high expectations, which doesn’t mean he’s an ordinary player, far from it. In fact, few in Cheonan, the South Korean region where the tournament is held, are surprised that after the first round, he is leading the Genesis Championship tied with Haotong Li at -6.
The thing is, the Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, the course where the tournament is played, is something like his backyard. He won the Korean Open here in 2022, won it again in 2024, and finished fourth in 2023. It’s undeniable that he excels here. The course has been the venue for the Korean Open every year since 2003.
Minkyu Kim has played the entire year on the DP World Tour with the category coming precisely from the Korean circuit. The truth is, things haven’t gone very well for him in his first season on the European Tour. His best result has been an eighth place at the Qatar Masters, but he has missed many cuts and is in serious danger of losing his card. In fact, his last chance is precisely this week. He is ranked 159th in the Race to Dubai and needs to finish at least fourth alone on Sunday to have a chance.
In life, everything is a matter of perspective. That’s why Kim, when asked about the course, assures that it is in spectacular condition, especially the greens. “They are perfect, and that has helped me hole many putts,” he says. Interestingly, if there’s something most players haven’t liked this week, it’s the greens, with a lot of sand, very bumpy, and somewhat irregular. Everyone tells the story as it goes for them. We’ll see if this week is the true takeoff for MK Kim.
The pair of leaders have a one-shot lead over the Spaniard Alex del Rey (-5), in third place alone. Two shots back is a group of seven players with a bit of everything: those fighting for the PGA Tour card (Canter, Hillier, Smylie, or Ferguson) and those battling to stay another year on the circuit, like Micheluzzi. Also up there are Thomas Detry or Nakajima, both at -3.
The afternoon has been tough for the Spaniards. Jorge Campillo (+4) and Pablo Larrazábal (+6) will have to do very well this Friday to make the cut, provisionally set at par. As for the big names in the tournament, Sungjae Im (-2) has taken good positions, while the defending champion, Byeong Hun An (+5) is almost out of the tournament.
