'A Disappointing 18th Hole' Kim Si-woo Finishes Third at RBC Heritage, Already Secures Fifth Top-10 Finish [PGA]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Si-woo (31, CJ) is showing no signs of slowing down this season. He continued his upward momentum by finishing solo third at the RBC Heritage, a signature PGA Tour event with a total purse of 2 billion won.

On the 20th (Korean time), Kim shot a 3-under-par 68 with four birdies and one bogey in the final fourth round at Harbour Town Golf Links (par 71) in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Finishing with a total of 16-under-par 268, Kim ended the tournament in solo third place, two shots behind England's Matt Fitzpatrick (18-under-par 266) and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler of the United States.

Having competed in 11 of the 14th tournaments this season, Kim has now recorded his third top-5 finish and his fifth top-10 finish.

After tying for sixth at the American Express in January, Kim finished tied for second at the Farmers Insurance Open, tied for third at the WM Phoenix Open in February, and tied for 10th at the Valero Texas Open on the 3rd before heading into this event.

His record for most top-5 finishes in a single season is four, achieved during the 2018-2019 season. With three top-5 finishes already this season, there is growing anticipation that he could set a new career best.

Kim, who finished as runner-up at the RBC Heritage in 2018, one of only eight elite tournaments held annually, once again created a memorable performance.

Kim started the first round at 5-under-par, tied for 10th place. Despite shooting three strokes better in the second round, he moved up to tied for seventh. In the third round, he improved by another five strokes to reach tied for third, entering the final round in that position.

Kim birdied the 2nd hole (par 5) and added another stroke on the 4th hole (par 3). At the 11th hole (par 4), he roared after sinking a 5-meter birdie putt. He continued to aggressively attack the 15th hole (par 5), securing another birdie, but left a sense of regret on the 18th hole (par 4).

Was it due to nerves? His tee shot drifted to the right, and his second shot found the bunker. Although he escaped the tricky bunker lip well, he missed a 2.4-meter par putt. Had he made the birdie, he could have headed to a playoff, but instead, he lost a stroke and had to settle for a disappointing third place.

Kim added $1.36 million (approximately 2.05 billion won) to his earnings. His season total now stands at $3.971938 million (approximately 5.855 billion won). His career-best earnings were $5.39703 million (approximately 7.955 billion won) during the 2022-2023 season, and he is quickly moving toward breaking that record. In the FedEx Cup standings, he also made a vertical leap from 19th to 10th.

Fitzpatrick claimed the victory. He secured the win by making a birdie on the 18th hole in a playoff, overtaking Scheffler to take the title. This marks his fourth career PGA Tour victory and his second of the season. The winning prize was $3.6 million (approximately 5.37 billion won).

Scheffler, following his runner-up finish at last week's major, the Masters, ended up as runner-up for the second consecutive week, leaving him with a sense of regret.

Lim Sung-jae shot a 1-under-par 70 with five birdies and four bogeys, finishing the tournament with a total of 6-under-par 278, tied for 42nd place.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.