Kim Juhyung Breaks Long Silence in Scotland... Claims Fourth Career Win After 33 Months (Comprehensive)

Genesis Scottish Open Final Round: Thrilling 6-Under Performance
First Victory Since 2023 Shriners Children's Open
Min Woo Lee Finishes Second, McIlroy Seventh, Kim Siwoo Ninth

Kim Juhyung has broken his long silence.

On July 13 (Korean time), at the Renaissance Club (par 70) in North Berwick, Scotland, Kim competed in the final round of the PGA Tour's Genesis Scottish Open (total prize money: $9 million). He carded six birdies without a single bogey. With a final score of 17-under-par 263, Kim finished two shots ahead of Australian-Korean Min Woo Lee (15-under-par 265) to claim the title. This marked Kim's fourth career victory and his first in 33 months since the Shriners Children's Open in October 2023. He received $1,575,000 (about 2.37 billion won) in prize money for the win.

Due to a delay caused by fog the previous day, Kim had not completed the third round and had to play the remaining holes as well as all 18 holes of the fourth round on this day. He started the final round tied for fourth, one stroke behind the leader. Kim reduced his score by three strokes on the front nine with birdies at holes 1, 4, and 7. At the 10th hole (par 4), he made a 4.5-meter birdie putt to take a two-shot lead. He added another birdie at the 12th hole (par 5) by placing his third shot just 1.8 meters from the hole, and he further secured his victory with another birdie at the 16th hole (par 4).

Juhyung Kim is cheering after securing victory at the Genesis Scottish Open. Photo by Golf Digest

At age 20, Kim won the PGA Tour Wyndham Championship as a special temporary member in 2022, becoming the youngest Korean winner in history (20 years, 1 month, 18 days). After achieving three career victories, he fell into a deep slump. At one point, Kim had climbed to 11th in the world rankings, but he finished the 2024 season ranked 51st in the FedEx Cup without a win, and last year, he was 94th in the FedEx Cup. His world ranking also dropped outside the top 100, but with this tournament, Kim made a perfect comeback.

Immediately after his victory, Kim wiped away tears repeatedly, letting go of the emotional struggles he had endured. He said, "I actually liked not being in the spotlight. By focusing only on my own game, I was able to keep improving," he celebrated.

Kim, who signaled the end of his slump by finishing third at the US Open major in June, will now set his sights on winning the final major of the season, The Open, which begins on July 16. In the 2023 edition of The Open, Kim overcame an ankle injury to finish as runner-up. He will also represent Korea at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, in September, aiming for a gold medal.

Juhyung Kim won the Genesis Scottish Open, his first victory in 33 months. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Min Woo Lee, brother of LPGA Tour 11-time winner Minjee Lee, climbed to second place after cutting three strokes from his score. Matt Fitzpatrick (England) finished tied for third at 13-under-par 267, Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) finished tied for seventh at 12-under-par 268, and Kim Siwoo ended the tournament tied for ninth at 11-under-par 269. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (USA), Im Sungjae, Lee Junghwan, Choi Seungbin, Kim Baekjoon, and Ok Taehun all missed the cut.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.