Amateur Kim Gets a Taste of the Big Time
Low amateur Michael Kim impressed many with his outstanding play during the week at Merion, contending deep into Saturday before a late stumble over the difficult closing holes.
The 19 year-old’s final-round 76 included double bogeys on the 11th and 18th but his 10-over-par 290 finish saw the University of California-Berkeley junior earn a highly creditable 17th-place finish.
"That feels awesome," said Kim, a Korean-born American. "I had a difficult ending, but overall the week [was] just an unbelievable experience."
The opportunity to mix and play with the world’s best players over four days of a major was another priceless experience. "I think I gained a lot of confidence from that. I met a tonne of great players out here and just looking forward to what my future holds," he said.
Kim got to play practice and competition rounds with players like Rickie Fowler, Bo Van Pelt and KJ Choi, which he described as “awesome”, and a good yardstick for where his game needs to progress. Former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy told him during their third round together that the rough at Merion was about as bad as he had seen it at an Open, which makes Kim’s performance even more meritorious.
However, the most enduring memory for Kim is seeing his name on the leaderboard on Saturday, after he’d fired four birdies on the opening six holes on the back nine to threaten the lead.
"I could have stared at that leaderboard for hours on end and wouldn't have stopped," he said. "It was pretty cool."
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