One watches Si Woo Kim (-15) play rounds like the third at the RBC Heritage, where he seized the lead with a scorecard of 66 strokes, and it’s hard to understand how the Korean hasn’t won more tournaments on the PGA Tour, even though he already has four victories, one of them being that THE PLAYERS (2017) which he won with great authority at just 21 years old.
You see, this same thing often applies to many players, because there are indeed many who, at some point, in some round, some week, are capable of shining at the level of the best. It often applies to many players, true, but to some more than others, as is the case with this Korean with a distance control ability that is well above average.
Si Woo Kim hasn’t shone in the Majors either. He wasn’t at the Masters last week, but he has already played 31 majors and hasn’t recorded a single top ten. Something doesn’t quite add up when you see him so often leaving the ball closer to the flag than anyone else, as happened this Saturday at Harbour Town on numerous occasions. Don’t overthink it: what doesn’t add up for good Si Woo is the putt. He has never finished among the top hundred in the SG:Putting statistic in his already extensive career on the PGA Tour. This Saturday, however, he struck the ball well on the greens and tomorrow he has a splendid opportunity to win again, but he left the matter in the air by missing a very short par putt on the 18th. If he shows solid with the putter tomorrow, he will make it very difficult for the rest of the contenders. And there are quite a few…
Andrew Novak (-14), for example, will be Kim’s partner in the star match on Sunday and will seek his first victory on the PGA Tour tomorrow. He has already demonstrated his consistency, he has been close to victory, but this step is surely the most complicated. Let’s see how he handles the pressure tomorrow.
Maverick McNealy (-13) has honoured his newly achieved world top ten this week and will be in the fight. Watch out for him, because he could also secure his position in the US Ryder team. Tommy Fleetwood (-12) has also given himself a chance to open his winning account in the United States with a good round of 68 strokes. The same goes for Brian Harman with an even better score of 66.
And Justin Thomas (-14)… This Saturday he wasn’t sharp. Or not as much as he should have been to stay firm in the lead. He struggled more than necessary, but ended up signing a scorecard of 69 strokes that keeps him in the fight, with an inspiring birdie included on the 18th. It’s hard to predict which version of this extraordinary player will be seen tomorrow, who hasn’t won in almost three years, but he has certainly earned the role of top contender and even favourite, always counting on Kim’s putter’s permission.
Scottie Scheffler (-11), however, has once again fallen somewhat behind, although not enough to rule him out, a story that has become routine for the Texan in this 2025. He was on the right track today, but a series of unexpected errors (they usually are in the case of the Number One) on holes 11 and 12, where he recorded bogeys, combined with a very short birdie putt he missed on the 13th, once again put him in the position of Sunday rush to catch the leader… And yet he was still going to react with birdies on holes 15 and 16, because otherwise, he wouldn’t even be considered among the candidates. It’s very easy, in any case, to always see Scottie’s glass as half full: there he is again pushing his chances in a fourth round. It may be surprising that he hasn’t won this year yet, but if we’re fair with this player, it’s actually more surprising that he is always able to finish among the best.
