Professionally known as Tom Kim, Kim Joo-hyung turned 24 on June 21, 2026. On the same day, the 2026 United States Open Championship concluded at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, USA with the South Korean golfer as the third placer.
Both Kim and the champion Wyndham Robert Clark are 6’0″ tall. The later is a native of Denver, Colorado, USA and a resident of Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.
2026 US Open
Organized by the U.S. Golf Association (USGA), the 2026 US Open was the 126th edition of the national open golf championship of the U.S. It marked the sixth time it was hosted at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
The tournament concluded with Kim posting a 1-under-par 279 total. His stellar performance marked his best-ever result at a U.S. Open and the third major top-10 finish of his career, following a tied-eighth finish at the 2023 U.S. Open and a tied-second finish at the 2023 Open Championship.
Kim entered the week amid a challenging season that saw his world ranking slide to 141st. He defied expectations by logging his second top-10 finish in 15 starts this year.
Starting the final round at 1-under par and six shots back of Clark, Kim anchored the penultimate pairing. His final round was a resilient display of patience. After a bogey on the opening hole, he traded a birdie on the third with a bogey on the fourth, eventually bouncing back with a birdie on the par-4 eighth hole to steady his scorecard.
As Clark faltered with three front-nine bogeys, the door cracked open for the field. Kim continued to battle on the back nine, answering a bogey on the 10th with a birdie on the 11th. A late birdie on the 16th was canceled out by a bogey on the 17th, but Kim kept pressing. On the final hole, needing an eagle to tie runner-up Sam Burns, Kim went for broke, leaving his approach shot just six feet short to finish with an even-par 70.
For Kim’s solo third-place finish, Kim earned 350 FedExCup points and a $1,532,530 share of the $22.5-million purse. He also led the South Korean contingent, outperforming Im Sung-jae (tied for 43rd) and Kim Si-woo (missed cut).
Meanwhile, Clark survived a hostile gallery and a fierce charge from Burns, carding a 3-over 73 to finish at 4-under overall, capturing his second U.S. Open title by a single stroke. While Clark took home the trophy and the $4.5 million top prize, Kim’s gritty birthday performance stole the hearts of golf fans and signaled a powerful return to form on the sport’s biggest stage.
Tom Kim
Born in Seoul, South Korea to Lee Chang-ik and Kim Kwanjoo, Tom is Kim Jaewook‘s younger brother. From their home country, the family moved to China then to Australia where they lived for seven years.
From Australia, the family moved to the Philippines where Chang-ik, a professional golfer, taught Tom how to play golf. Their family later moved to Thailand where Tom started to play golf professionally.
Tom and Harris English tied for eighth at the 2023 US Open, which was held at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles, California, USA from June 15-18, 2023. Tom, Jason Day, Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka tied for second at 2023 Open Championship, which was held at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, Merseyside, England, United Kingdom from July 20-23, 2023.
“I felt it in my fingertips, I reached as far as I could but just slipped out of my hands,” the Seoul native wrote on social media after his 2026 US Open second runner-up finish. “I walk away feeling so grateful for the opportunity and the fans in NY for rooting me on and celebrating my 24th with me today.”
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