No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - NLU Podcast, Episode 598: Tom Kim

Episode Date: September 8, 2022

Ahead of his first appearance in the Presidents Cup, Tom Kim joins Soly to take us through his journey from competing professionally as a 15 year old to shooting a final round 61 to win on the PGA Tour last month in Greensboro.  We also hear from Tom on his childhood living in multiple counties across Asia, the potential International Team members who've departed for LIV, learning to adapt his game on the PGA Tour, advice he received from Sungjae Im and more.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm going to be the right club today. Yes. That is better than most. How about him? That is better than most. Better than most. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the No Laying a Podcast. Sally here got an interview coming up shortly with Tom Kim, formerly known and presented as Zhu Young Kim. Tom Kim is his American name, which we talk about, but if you go to the PGA tour website,

now it now shows up as Tom Kim. So he's gone through the process of officially changing his name and the golf ecosystem, if you will. We talk about Presidents Cup coming out on tour, winning, turning pro at 15, all kinds of interesting things, excited for the golf world to get to know Tom Kim a little bit better. Today's episode is brought to you by Woop, the personalized digital fitness and health coach and official fitness wearable of the PGA and LPGA tours. We are here in Cincinnati at the LPGA event this week,

the Queen City Croger Classic, something along those lines, a price to grip the name. The guys at lunch today were actually talking about how DJ is using the new smart alarm on the all new whoop4.0. It basically tells you like, when you once you've reached the green anytime around that 730 number that I think he puts in, it'll wake you up at 702 or whatever that is. It'll probably try to wake you up in the proper sleep cycle or all kinds of things, all kinds of ways that it's measuring your body's activity that you can't measure yourself.

It is smaller, smarter, designed with biometric tracking, including skin temperature, blood oxygen and more. It makes sure you wake up feeling refreshed, ready to take on the day. New users can use code NLU15 at checkout at woop.com. That's WHOP.com and our NLU15 at checkout to save 15%. The only further delay here is Tom Kim. All right. So the name Tom, that story is out there, but for those that don't know, why do you go by Tom Kim and,

and how official are you making that now? Yeah, it's actually, it's bigger than I thought it was going to be. I came from Thomas the Train. My foot actually, it wasn't Tom before it was Thomas. And then I came from Thomas the Train for my love of the show. And as I got older, a lot of guys started to call me Tom. So it's just kind of shortened away, but that's where it came from. Well, what is what is your your background?

I mean, you've you kind of burst onto the golf scene, at least for American golf fans. This has all happened very quickly for you coming onto this scene. So what is your background? What kind of, you know, by my count, you turn pro at age 15. Is that right? I mean, that is that's not normal from where we come from. Is that is that more normal in your world? Yes, back in Asia is like, you see a lot of guys

from Pro early just because we don't have the college route, like you guys do in the US. So for me, it just kind of made sense. You know, I never thought about myself playing college golf. So I wanted to turn Pro early and just kind of get ahead and start again, because I feel like the first couple of years being pro and for me to not jump straight to the PGA tour and just kind of start in the other tours, working myself way up has

prepared me for my life on the PGA tour. So yes, 15 was the age. What's it like to pro golf at age 15? I mean, I was, you know, I was playing high school golf. I don't think I'd made varsity yet at that point when I was 15 years old. Yeah, it's funny. Like you play with guys who were like 25, 30 and they ask how old you are and you're like 15. They're, you know, they always laugh. And but it's funny for some reason when I was 15, I still felt like I was, I belonged out there

and never felt young. That's the big thing. I never thought of myself as I'm a 15-year-old. Wow, no, I never thought about myself. I just thought I needed to play golf tournament. I'm ready to learn and just kind of get things going. So being, I feel, like I said, I feel like a lot of guys should turn pro a lot younger than they should older.

But I understand the route is different, but I feel like that's turning pro 15 was probably the best thing that has ever happened to me. This next part's always difficult because you know, you don't, there's not much of a reward for being, for having hubris or overconfidence publicly in golf or in sports in general. Yet at the same time internally, you need to channel a certain level of confidence to be able to compete at any level. So when did you know you were as good as you are?

When did you know you could compete at the highest level of professional golf? I'm giving you an invite to brag on yourself here. So go ahead, go ahead. But internally, when did you know? You're not gonna like this answer, but to you guys, I still don't feel like, I don't think I'm ready yet.

Like, I'm still trying to learn. I'm only 20 and these guys have so much more experience and they are so much better than me. I've won once in the PG Tour and it's been life-changing. Yes, it's been a great experience, but how can I make this and keep on going and have a better career? And I don't want to be a kid who had a great start

of his career and faded away. I want to contend for major championships. I want to play in the best, you know, the best field in the world. And just to answer your question, no, I do not feel like I'm ready. And I have so much to learn. And it's just started this year. I all the guys that I'm playing with now, I've looked up to them for, you know, for all my life. So for me, it's able to have the chance to play in the same field as them.

And for me to have a chance to learn and look at their stats, because obviously being a panel of the PDH or the stats are unbelievable. So I'm just trying to learn and trying to get better every day. And hopefully, hopefully one day, maybe in the future, if we do another podcast, I can tell you, I'm ready now. Let's do it. Well, I'm going to flip this.

I'm going to flip this on you then, because, all right, if you don't feel like you're ready, you're in contention of a PGA tour event on a Sunday and you go out in 27 on a Sunday, right? First of all, how are you not convincing yourself you're ready at that point, but that that must mean you got to be internally freaking out. Nerv-wise, that doesn't permeate on TV. We don't see that on TV if you are, but tell me you were at least nervous if that was the case. Oh, I was I was shaking my boots off like it was. off. It was, I couldn't really take my putter back. Like, front and outside, I put it great.

And obviously, it's happening so fast, and we didn't realize it. But once I got to the 10th hole, and I bogged the 10th hole, I started to feel a little bit, like a little bit nervous, I would say, just because I have a back nine that I can kind of realize my dream kind of feeling, but it never got to my head. But once I had a good, like, I had a hard bogey.

It could have been a great part, but I had a hard bogey and I played 11. I told myself 10, 11, 12, if I can get through that pretty easy, it's going to be, it's going to be hard to catch me because I think I had a four shot lead going to the back night. I'm not really sure, but for some reason I felt so calm and I just stayed in the moment. You know, I just felt like for some reason that week I just felt so patient with myself. We had a lot of rain delays and for some reason I just felt like something special is going to happen that weekend. For some reason I took it all in on the 18th whole and that's when I kind of let let let loose of my emotions. Is it a coincidence at all that the week after you secure your PGA tour membership, you end up winning like is there, you know, are you stressed and stressed and stressed and

to get the status and then did you feel a lot more freed up when you got to win them? 100% like I told myself just going to enjoy the week, you know, I was really looking forward to just having a decent week, and I was going to go home the next week on the Thursday of the first playoff event. And that's why I had such a good attitude after I think I had that quadriple bogey on the first solace. All right, started with an eight, probably what, 15 shots by Hacker-Sovent, but let's enjoy it. Let's have a good, let's try to make the cut and let's leave a PG-Tour status a great year after screen record. Let's have a great

offseason and get ready for the fall. But you know, for some reason I, I on the on the 7th and all, I had to put to win. So it was, it was crazy. Well that was a seven weeks in a row then you had to play, which I imagine is never anything you're going to put you're going to plan for. I mean, what was it? What's it like competing at the end of a seven week stretch? It wasn't that bad. I think the biggest thing was winning and then having the adrenaline dump and Memphis was okay, but at the BMW I just could feel like I was leaking gas and didn't have much in the tank. Just mentally I wasn't, I was always trying my best, but I wasn't always 100% there. You know, just making small mistakes, I was small mistakes, not getting momentum.

So I could definitely feel I didn't really have my best. And it would have been great if I made the tour championship, it would have just been an unbelievable season, but it didn't happen for me, But there's definitely no negatives there. What is the coolest thing, though, the biggest reward that comes, you know, from a win like this, is that, you know, the seven figure check, is it exemptions into majors? Is it two-year exemptions on the PGA tour, the playoff birth? What's the most, the thing you were most excited about on that night? Probably just being able to play out here full time, though, I think.

I didn't even really, I still do this day, I haven't checked up how much I earned, I checked for that week, and how much I've earned this year, it's just been the biggest reward was just not worrying about, where am I going to play next, and being on a lot of different tours, the goal was always, how can I get to the PGA tour? And now I don't need to really worry about, for obviously, until the two years of my exemption, I don't need to worry about where am I going to play next. How can I get to the PGA tour?

That was the biggest thing for me. Have you thought about it all that you're going to be playing the Masters here in a few minutes? I have. I talked to my captain, Trevor, a little bit, and he was like, you gotta go sink it all in first and go go early, you gotta have a breakfast around sink it all in. So I'm really, really looking forward to it.

When did President's Cup get on your radar? When did you start thinking about that? And when did you, yeah, when did that realistically enter the picture for you? I mean, it's always been a goal, mine ever since I saw a golf, but I think it really felt like it could happen I think after the Scottish.

After that third place, I really jumped into standings and I felt like a couple of good weeks maybe. I can get a cap and spick. I really didn't think I could get there automatically, but I think after Scottish was I really cleared my mind and said I can really make this happen.

What kind of an impact? I guess from an international perspective, you know, in the United States, it's been, we have the Ryder Cup and the President's Cup has not been a really close competition, you know, for the part that I've covered golf. But I'm curious what kind of an impact, you know, I think the President's Cup serves a different purpose, right? That you may be able to speak to in terms of the international impact that it potentially has. I'm curious, you know, how long that has been a goal of yours are kind of growing up what the president's cup maybe meant to you. I mean, it's the only team event we're we're allowed to play outside of outside of the Zurich event. And for all the events we play in,

we always try to be each other. And for the first time, we're going to be on the same team and we're going to want the other guy to play well and support and fist bump if he makes a pud because that never happens in the end of a draw. You know what I mean? So it's gonna be really fun. It's gonna be really interesting. I feel I'm gonna learn a lot. You know I asked a lot of veterans like Adam Scott and those guys about the event and just asking those guys okay what's the preparation? What's the mental like out of these events? And I've learned a lot and hopefully I'll get my game in shape and I can contribute to

the team. Do you remember much about the 2015 president's cup in Korea? And did that have much of an impact? Do you think going Korean golf? I think it did. I mean, it's obviously how big the president's cup is for it to happen in Asia is going to be really big. And I feel like this year with this year with having some Korean players in, it can impact a lot of people in Asian.

I want a lot of people to look at the PG Tour and not only look at the PG Tour events, but look at events like the prison scup and to inspire other people. And I feel like with this team and with this year, with everything that's happened with this year in golf, it can inspire a lot of guys and turn, turn the vision away to come to the BG to understand.

Well, we kind of jumped right into everything that's happened recently in your life, but let's go way back. How do you end up a winner on the BG A tour at age 20? It doesn't happen overnight. So how did you get into golf? Where did you grow up? You know, obviously, the listeners are quite aware

of how good your English is. So give us an idea of kind of what your path to this potential start of if I may say has been like. So I was born in Korea and then I lived in China for a couple of years and then I went to Australia for seven years and lived in the Philippines for six years and once I wanted to term pro because I was playing on the Asian tour of that time. I moved to Thailand because I was the best place to travel and it was the most convenient. So that was throughout there before COVID and once COVID hit, I had the opportunity to move to my hometown for the first time in my life, which is Korea. And I was there up until now,

I've been home two weeks this year. It's been a crazy run and I have to switch residency to the US. So I'm definitely looking forward to that. And I play, you know, I start, I, it's our turn pro at 15 and you have to think you have to be 16 to play on the Asian tour or to go to Qscore's London. So I started on the old talent off tour, you know, it's a tie talent pro golf association. And then once I was old enough, my birthday past, I went to Asian tour Q Q school, I missed it, had to play the Asian development tour for half of the year, I think,

and I won three times that year, got me temporary exemption to the season of the Asian tour, and I won an Asian tour event on my second start as a temporary member. It's kind of similar to what happened to the Liberia Tour. So after that that COVID hit, couldn't really do anything Asian to start and have status anywhere.

2020, I had a few exemptions on LeBJS who were great experience. And then 2021, played Korean tour full time. And then my goal was to try to come out and to the Kwon Freak School. I missed it on the second stage by one and went back to Korea, you know, won the Korean Order of Merit,

and then Asian Tour started again, and I was able to win the Asian Tour of Merit that got me exemptions like the US Open, you know, got into British Open, and stuff like that. So it's gonna crazy, you're on and started this year, you know, 2022 didn't have any status except for the Asian Tour, and obviously talking to the team, okay,

the goals were to make Konferi Tour Q-School, play Konfer next year, but we took a huge, you know, a big curve around it and got special temperament membership while on my second start on the BJ tour as a temperament. So, it's been a crazy road, man.

It's, you know, a lot of people think, obviously me and I'll play in the US a temporary member. So it's been a crazy road, man. It's a lot of people think, obviously, me and I'll play in the US a lot of things. I think, oh, this guy just popped up, but it's been a definitely long road for me since I was 15, a lot of things, different things have happened in my life. And it's been a journey. Somehow you're a journeyman at age 20.

I mean, that is exactly what was Guestal reasoning behind. Why did you move so around so much as a kid and is that family related or is that golf related? Well, I moved to Australia because my parents wanted me to learn English, me and my brother to learning. And once we've spent a lot of time there and I we learning we knew people in the Philippines. So we moved there and that's where I kind of actually really picked up more golf, as I'd say, because it was more cheaper and I had more time. And once I started to play golf, I started to get homeschooled and living there was probably the start of me training pro and going moving to Thailand and developing my McGame and the Asian Tour and kind of prepared me for where we are now. So I may have heard some stories about some of this.

So I might be leading you down the path when it comes to this. But what what after you become a winner on the PGA tour, what happens is that do tour officials come to you and say, you know, here's how you know, here's things we can do for you.

Here's kind of how things go now that you're a tour winner blah blah blah. I'm curious what what what's happened since the win. I think the biggest thing was probably the next week in Memphis was a lot of players came up to me congratulating likes of Colin, John Rom,

Roy and Macaroy, Jordan Speed, JT. And like guys who have idolized since I've, since I can remember and for them to just come up and say congratulations for how much they have accomplished It's just it was mind blowing. You know, I was you know, I that's I think was the biggest like cherry on top from you on the Wind instead of the trophy and whatever it is and the status and everything that was for me was the biggest Kind of thing I felt in my heart where man I I kind of did something special here.

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So again, RAP rapsoto.com slash and I'll you promo code and I'll you for $130 off the mobile launch monitor. Has there been a a holy crap moment in you know, in your PGA tour, you know, your major championships that you've played in to say like, oh my gosh, they're so and so next to me on the range or oh my gosh, I'm playing with this person right now. Have you had any of those moments along the way? I think it was probably this year, the British, I just finished my first round. And I was just kind of practicing, just kind of getting that after the round work.

And for some reason, Ty, you're just coming to Chuzo, just coming plays next to me. And it was kind of special for some reason where he, like with the way he's been, you know, the way he dealt with the open and for him to warm up kind of next to me when for me, it was after workaround and just kind of having next to me.

And the crowd is actually pretty wild with that. You know, they shout whenever the back lands and where's the query he's gonna decide to hit. So for him to come up next to me, I'm pretty sure he doesn't even know who I am, but for me as a fan, for him to come up next to me, I appreciate he doesn't even know who I am, but for me, as a fan, for him to do that was special. I'm sure he does who you are.

Definitely will, as of here in a couple of weeks at Quail Hollow. But for those that aren't familiar and haven't got to watch you play a lot of your game, just kind of going off stats here, you would be top five on the PJ Tour in accuracy off the tee. If you had enough rounds to qualify about middle of the road when it comes to driving distance. But as your game always been that way, have you kind of, you know, how would you describe your game? It's very so in America and the P.D. tour. It's very different from what we have back in Asia. So Asia is a lot more strategy and

kind of position golf where it's not that long. And more in the PGA tour, you got a little bit of wide golf courses and not OB every time you miss the fairway, stuff like that. So it's been a very, so I've been able to create a lot of speed and people don't know about this, but I should my driver a lot on the golf course. So you get a coil hollow and it's wide.

That's when I can kind of rip out it and a lot of people don't know this but I can kind of get one of you wall sweet if I can. But on average on tour I probably get what 165 166 so it's definitely a huge difference but I just haven't had the compatibility to kind of just swing more freely because I'm so used to position golf and I probably won't change like like that all of a sudden. So my my game is more of I rather be on the fairway and have a seven iron in because I'm confident with hitting my seven six five iron close instead of having a pitching wedge in the rough like I've always scored better being on the fairway and it's a lot of stress free. So I have to get better at that for me in a driver's standpoint. If I can just get 175 comfortably, you know, that would make major championships,

like long golf courses like Torre Pines and those golf courses more easy. So I definitely have a lot of work to do. But accuracy wise, I'm well aware that I'm up there. So hopefully I can just get 20, 30 yards more and then we'll be set to go. Well, it's going to say you look at it and it's, you know, you can see your gaining strokes off the tee pretty much at every level you've been at despite not being one of the longest ones. So if you, you know, I think people can get kind of caught up in thinking long rules over everything,

but there's different ways. We've talked to Joel Damon about this too. He's not a long hitter, but he always gains off the tee because he can hit driver in places that other guys don't hit drivers and he just hits a lot more fairway. So there is basically you just don't want to be medium length and medium accuracy. That's a tough combination. You'd rather be long.

You either want to be long medium or medium length high accuracy, right? And it seems like, yeah, you can, it seems like you're aware of what works for you. And it's, I was talking with Tony Fino about this, actually, at the BMW about how he has been always just blessed with length and how it's always been in accuracy has been the luxury for him. So he doesn't feel the need to ramp things up

because he can get to whatever he wants to get to. And I just found that interesting because I feel like so many things have gotten pushed towards, bomb it, bomb it, bomb it, but it's interesting to hear, here you have the perspective on how you would play it. Yeah, I mean, you see the likes of Tony, like, you know, he's he's a really good player and he's had a great season and yeah, for for someone like him who hits it really far and hits it really straight.

It's for guys like us, we need to find an edge to kind of get over them. So it's but I mean, it's everyone's different. You see Colin, I played with Colin at Memphis and just seeing the way he's not like Bryson or Rory or those guys, but he's a phenomenal ball striker and has unbelievable, unbelievable short game. So everyone's different. He's got to find a way to kind of put the ball in the hole first. I'm going to keep picking on this, this whole, I'm not ready for this yet because I'm going to go back to it. I'm going to go back to it and say like, all right, like all right if you're not then what needs to improve what when you got out there on the PJ

Tour to compete What did you have a thing to say like oh my blah blah blah is not as good as the rest of these guys I need to go get in the lab and work on that other than skill wise. I think it's a lot of it is just more In the brain kind of thing more mental I got to be I I gotta be more comfortable. I gotta be more, I gotta have more experience playing in major championships. I gotta know the course is more.

And it's more like that. I feel like skill point wise, I feel like I'm getting really close because I do have a little good accuracy, but just like getting where scoring more better in part five's or like making one or two less bogus for the week, just very, very small things and I feel like that could come from experience of not knowing the golf courses as well as these guys. So I feel

like experience and just mentally just getting better and because I remember Rory saying this like if you're mentally really really good and your games kind of shake you, you're gonna have a good week. But if your games there and you're mentally not there, it's just not gonna happen. So I just feel like mentally I got to get better and physically I got to get better. Just all little things, experience-wise, physical-wise and mental-wise. So that's just I feel like comes from just playing a lot of golf on the PGA tour and getting used to it and bugging the guys for advice. So... Well, it's tricky. Now you also also have a two year runway, right?

To kind of, I don't want to say experiment. Like, a lot of guys have followed into that trap too. I think where they start to tinker really when they get a lot of runway out in front of them. So finding that balance of like, here's what I need to improve on versus, you know, here's now I have some time to work on some things. It's got to be a challenge, I would imagine.

Yeah, I do have a two year exemption, but I like to treat it as I don't have an exemption. I feel like that comes with comfortability. I do not want to be comfortable. To be honest, I feel more uncomfortable right now because I want to have a better season than I did this year. I'm just not being satisfied with what I had last year. A lot of guys have played a lot better golf than I have over the years.

So I have a lot to catch up. JT has won many, many times. Tiger has won so many times within the rest of us. So there's a never ending result. So it's got to keep getting better and just not get too comfortable. You mentioned some things about Morakow there, but I'm wondering if there's anyone else you got paired with or played with this year or saw different skills on display at this level that you just have not seen in any other level, any other specific skills for specific people that stick out

in that regard. I played with Rory at the BMW at a practice round. Just no one will be able to drive it as well as he does, I think. I think it's incredible. He's just a different human being with his size and play with John on Saturday, John Ronald on Saturday at Memphis. And again, he's hit really long and really, really straight and he chips in amazing. He puts it amazing. So there's really no weaknesses in these guys in these guys games. So, but again, like, I feel like

I can't be like, I gotta do something special to be against these guys. I just gotta do my own thing and just try to figure out a way. How can I save one or two strokes? So, um, you know, I'm never gonna be able to hit the driver like, Dory, I'm never gonna be able to hit at 330 high in the air. Like, I could, but I'm gonna need to do a lot of changes. So just get better, just get better, get longer, let's say, just let's say a yard or two, you know, gradually not like 30 yards longer in a one month span, just gradually get better at everything. And I feel like that's going to, that's going to last longer than try to, you know, try to get fast really, really soon. So I got a great kick.

I got to say out of the video the PGA tour did where it, one of the things you mentioned was when you come to the States, your diet changes a little bit. Yeah, I don't do that anymore. I was a few years ago. I kept like said down TV or whatever it was. I hate how they still use it. Like it's, it's not me anymore. I don't, I don't go fast food anymore.

I've changed my diet and stuff. So I've lost a lot of weight this year because of that. And yeah, I hope they take that down. Like it's, it's in fact, you know, how bad I eat. But see, I didn't view it that way. I was like, oh, he's young. He'll learn eventually. Like, I could do that when I was 18 or whatever you filled that. And you're, but it starts to catch up with you as you get older, but when you're young, it just

doesn't affect you, dearly the same way. So I got a great kick out of it. I mean, you're nice enough to do that. If you're a critic, you'll be like, yeah, this guy's done. Like, forever to, to all the critics out there, yeah, I'm not eating that way anymore. So you don't even worry about it. For those that haven't seen it, it was, I think it was Pan Express, Chipotle, or I forget what else was in there. In and out, Chick-fil-A, Del Taco Bell, I think, Chipotle kind of express. Just all the fast food chains, yeah.

So tell me about the change then. When did you start to realize that you need to change things and why, why is that? I think it was the end of last year. For some reason, it just popped into my head that I wanted it to be, I wanted to feel better when I woke up in the morning and to get better, you know, at the little things, I feel like your body, we play golf with, with our bodies, not our minds. So obviously the, the brain part comes into play, but most like your body has to move really well, your body has to recover really well.

So for some reason, I just cut out a lot of stuff this year, you know, I'm not having added sugar products anymore. I might reward myself sometimes, or I told myself, if I win, I don't drink or do anything like that. So that's my reward of having a nice cream, or maybe, you know, going to a really high calorie Mexican place and having a breed or something. So that's my reward of having a nice cream or maybe go into a really high calorie Mexican place and having a breed or something.

So that's my reward. And I just told myself, this is what we're going to do this year and just have a better lifestyle because with the attitude it does a lot of bad things to you. So I wanted to look better. I wanted to feel more confident in myself. So just for some reason, just popped into my head and it's been working really well. So I think it's going to be like,

you don't see Rory or Tiger eating at a turn a week. You don't see them eating faster itself. So, and they've had, you know, they're the best, they're one of the best person in the world. So there's a reason why I feel like the best for the best. How has it helped you? Is it, you know, do you feel like more energetic? Do you feel more strength? Do you just feel more confidence in yourself? I go through ups and

downs with my diet. I'm on a downturn right now. It's not been very good lately. A lot of the things you described there sounded really good to me as you said that, but you know, there's something too when you take a little bit better care about, you know, you feel better when you wake up exactly what you said. So I'm curious how it's helped you. I feel like just the long stretches and actually I felt it like under pressure not getting to getting to intense being more calm. I feel like your heart rate just kind of goes into a similar pattern and not having the blood sugars go up and down. I feel like that was the biggest thing and not having a lot of mood swings, having more concentration, something like that. To be honest, after BMW, I told myself, I'll have three days to a week of just eating so that

and I have been, so I've gained a few pounds, but just, you know, it was a reward. I went to in and out as a celebration, that was pretty nice and I've had a few scoops of ice cream, but we're back on the train to having a better diet. So, and you can really tell the difference, like I haven't like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, tastes and hits really good on the fifth or sixth day, yet if you're on a streak of eating healthy, when you go to have the greasy meal,

it doesn't hit very good. Like it just is like, my body doesn't crave this nearly as much when I've been on a good streak. It's just maintaining it is hard through different times and when you guys travel, with as much as you guys travel, it's not always the easiest to find

like a healthy smoothie or salad or the right things to eat. And I'm always curious as to how you guys travel, it's not always the easiest to find like a healthy smoothie or salad or the right things to eat. And I'm always curious as to how you guys find that balance. You know, you're not quite traveling with a chef every week yet, right? It's, but it's... Well, for me, definitely not. You know, I'm not up there yet.

So, you know, guys like Tiger and those guys, that's why I feel like they play so good is because they have the comfort of learning to do that. I'm not, I'm nowhere near their level yet. So hopefully I can play better and that'd be fun. You know, I have a personal shift to cook for you. Great. So, what are the conversations around the President's Cup been like so far at this point? Are you guys talking about pairings? What are you guys all on a group text? I'm curious. It's, it's right around the corner. We're recording this on August 31st. And it's going to air next week.

I know. But at this point, what's the status of the team and what the communication has been like? It's been great. We're this year. Obviously with a couple of guys you want to live, I think we're going to have a lot more rookies this year. We have a long time veteran Adam Scott.

I think it's going to be his 10th presence cup. So we have a really, really, really strong veteran and a lot of young fresh hungry guys who want to win. And obviously, you know, with the news saying it's, you know, the teams, it's obviously the US team is very, very strong. But I feel like for us, we can, we can use it as a motivation to kind of change history and stuff. With the rookies, I feel like we come in together and we're more hungry. And if we have a good camaraderie and come together as a team, have good street. That's, you know, because all it is is you've got to put the ball in the hole first.

You know, that's all you got to do. It's not science. You know, if we just come together as a team, you know, I feel like we have a really good chance and our team is, our team is looking good. Any hints as to who you might potentially be paired with for any? I actually have no idea. Like we've been, yeah, we've been talking a lot of different things. And we have like, I think it's up to the captain. Obviously, it doesn't matter who I want to play with. It's up to him.

Looks at the data. OK, I think this is going to be better. So whoever it is, it's going to be pretty good. We are pretty similar to the game. So it's going to be interesting. What's it been like to see teammates to be of yours in this past week announced that they're going to forego the president's cup

to go start with Liv again. They're about to play Liv Boston, as we're recording this. Is that something that you've been expecting? Again, I don't know when this started. You started even thinking about this, but what's the sentiment in the team room about some of the more recent people that have left? We're just more focused on how can we get this done instead of we're not really to be honest,

we're not really negative about it. It's their decision. So we're young and feel like it's, you know, we're just trying to take it into a positive thing. We're not negative about it and hopefully, you know, they can have a good career as well, but mostly we're more trying to take into a positive thing. We're not negative about it. And hopefully they can have a good career as well, but mostly we're more focused on how can we win this thing and how can we do as a job as a team. So we're not really negative about it. What does Trevor Emelman been like? I know he's a listener.

I know as soon as he sees your name pop up here, I'm going to get a text message from him. I'm sure. So you better say Dice Egg is going to be listing. But what's his role been like as captains so far? You know, it's it's an incredible honor for me to be able to represent him and my first president copped for him to be as my captain. So it's been it's going to be it's an it's an honor and you know, hopefully I can just do my part. You know, he's been he's been working his tails off. So hopefully we can all as as an individual player come into a

place where we can reward him as we can reward with good playing some points in the board. So hopefully hopefully we'll be able to put some spray some water of great gate read or any on Sunday. So it's going to be fun and hopefully we're we're we're able to do our part. I'm going to do a hypothetical situation. Let's say the first session is for some and let's say you are going out in the first session. Do you want the first t-shirt or do you want your teammate to go ahead and have the first t-shirt with the stadium? Whatever it is, whatever it is. I am so pumped and as a young guy, you know, I'm going to do everything I can to bring energy and to bring just more positive energy to the team and it's going to be really fun. I hope the whole world can watch me make some pots and make some fist bumps because I'm ready to celebrate if a fuck it was in.

So you must team looks forward to that. What's, who are your big influences growing up? You know, watching golf on TV and in the professional game, I think we could probably guess who one of them likely is. But I'm curious if you have any others that were big influences that may not be as obvious. Tigers always going to be the number one. I mean, for majority of the people, but just to be honest, like all the guys on tour, I'm golf nerd, so I've looked at all the stats,

I've looked at all the performances, and all the 125 guys who have been here before me are just all the people who I look up to because you know know I've been a PG to remember for not a very long time you know it's been one or two months so that hasn't been the longest so just all the guys in general I wouldn't say exactly who because everyone has their own specialty so just all the guys are at the top who I just you know I look up to all of them. Well that's funny because around the time I was 13-14 was when Tiger went, you know, just nuclear parabolic, winning all those in 99, 2000, 2001. That was, you know, when I was most impressionable, I would say, and you, it looks,

but if I'm doing the math right, that had been, you'd have been around that age when Rory was going nuts and winning, you know, four, four majors in four years. And I just curious as to how influential, how it is to be competing with and against and playing practice rounds with guys that you were probably watching on TV at a young age. I'm curious if that's really hit you yet. Yeah, Rory, it's definitely probably at that age

where I have more interest in golf. And that's when he really took on the Tiger Out and everyone was like, this is the next Tiger kind of thing. And, but for some reason, when Tiger's peak when he had, when he won 19, 10 terms of year, I was just, I was around that time. I was, I was born, you know what I mean? So it's, it's definitely a different type of error. But like, yeah, definitely Roy has always been up there. And me being a kid

watching TV, he winning major championships, all these events, he's definitely been more of a tiger vision for people in the 2000s, I feel like. India for exactly like in Memphis when he came up to me, congratulating me. That was a mind blowing moment, you know, for someone I came to. Even just saying my name was an honor. So it's definitely special. What, and no, again, you just mentioned, you just became a tour member within the last couple of months. But I'm curious as to a lot of news has happened lately with the PGA tour and some potential changes

that are coming down the road, some actual changes that are coming very quickly down the road. Any thoughts to the potential new structure of having elevated events? Have you given that any thought or is it is it way above your pay grade?

I'm just looking forward to even just playing on P.D.s. or I don't care how much whether it's for $50 million or for $100,000. I have no interest. I'm just happy to be out here and play and get

provies on the range. You know, have some good food at the players lounge and that's all I care about. So I'm just happy to be out here. If you play for 100 million, you could buy your own pro v's to put to have a range to if you want to. Yeah, but the manufacturer does a great job on that. So I don't need to worry. So what do what does your schedule look like then for next year?

Is it usually rookies and younger players or playing any event they can get in? Now you have a little bit of luxury both with your world ranking and being a tour winner. Have you gone ahead and set a schedule for next year? Do you plan to play a lot? Medium amount? Not much.

What's your outlook? I'm going to try and play as much as I can next year to speak as B. I'm so needy to the tour that I haven't played a lot of golf courses of these guys have played so I don't really know what I'm getting myself into so I feel like using this first year and trying to play as much as I can and some Jay actually and I'm close buddies with him and he told me about his first year and it's how many events he's played and it's been amazing but and I was like how could you possibly play that many events? And he was like, well, if you see the schedule,

it's really hard to miss one event because, you know, like you feel like as a rookie, you want to play as much as you can because it's all the events you've dreamed of playing. And I was like, there's no way, you know, I'd probably play three, four weeks in a row, Max, and take a week off or something. But I looked at the schedule and I was like,

yeah, you can't miss a single event. Like, you know, what are you going to miss? You know, I would love to play waste management, the genesis, the invetational, the players on O'Pomber. Like, I can't miss these. And I can't miss the other ones because I've known all these events ever since I've been able to read. So I'm looking forward to playing a lot of golf next year. And it's hopefully, I can make a joke where I might beat some G's record. But I was gonna say, the Sanjay model is not what you need to be following.

I don't know how he does it, man. I'm like I said, you just came off this crazy stretch. Like how does he do it every week? I mean, at a certain point that has to change, right? I think it comes from just being grateful to be out here instead of, I think that was something that I felt like was one of the reasons was just being grateful to play on the PED tour.

And if you're grateful of that, then you would want to participate in all the events that you can play. And I've had a few exhibitions on tour and the main goal is to try and play all those events because I feel like it's just being thankful for the opportunity to play and give me experience. So I'm looking forward to filling that schedule and make sure I play towards that schedule.

So, you know, if all the tournament directors are listening, you know, just want to say thank you so much for that small experience and the exhibition. You are well polished. Give us an idea of, we don't know Sungjae very well, right? He doesn't do, he doesn't speak in English to a lot of the American audience and we don't, having got a chance to really get to know him well.

If you know him well, what can you tell us about Sungjae that we maybe don't know? He's pretty fun to be around. He's only a few years older than me and I was on tour. You don't, I don't really have a lot of guys around my age. And for him to be Korean, and when I first came out of Tor, I spent a lot of time with him.

So he's really funny to be around. He does a lot of jokes. He makes fun of me sometimes. So he's pretty cool. It has been great. I feel like as a Korean who speaks English, it would have been great for him if he spoke a lot more. And the American fans could get to know him, but he's pretty cool.

Oh, that's an unbelievable challenge, really. I mean, it's something that I, you know, we try to point out whenever we can, even, you know, the players that have are clearly working on it and working on doing interviews in English when it's not your first language. It's a huge burden. And it's almost all Americans, myself included, don't speak a second language and though you can speak to it, the two languages are not similar and it's not easy to learn unless you dedicate a lot a lot of time to it. So, very sympathetic to what that's like, but just at the same time it's a feel a little

cheated that we don't get to know these guys as well as, you know, as we'd probably like to at times. But obviously understandable. So where are you, where do you live now or where are you living in the United States or going to live? What are your plans for, for, you know, setting up, setting up shop? I'm homeless at the minute in the US. I'm moving hotel to hotel and rent, car to rent cars. So it's been, I'm looking, I think I'll be moving to Dallas. I feel like I've actually spent the most convenient because this year I've been spending a lot of time at Airbnb, so for me not knowing where my next event

was gonna be, that was always the place to stay. And if I get a late phone call, I can just take a straight flight, not stopovers and stuff. So Dallas is gonna be the spot. There's a lot of international flights, I always see a straight flight back to back home in Korea. So, and it's DOS was really, really cool.

Because there's a really good Korean community there as well. So, I think that's gonna be my spot. So if anyone's looking forward to having me up, just, you know, having me up in DOS, I think that's it. That's interesting. I always wondered like, what, you know, if you could kind of pick anywhere,

where would you want to go? And that's an interesting interesting thought point here It's you know most people end up in in you know Scottsdale or Jupiter or Dallas and it seems like you know Self-reli I wish more guys would be up near Jacksonville, but that seems like Wait this did you play the players this year with this be your first players next year? This is gonna be my first players awesome Awesome. Yeah, it may cool. All right, man, well, we're gonna let you go. I greatly appreciate your time.

I know you got a lot, a lot, a lot going on in the last several weeks and months. And I know you probably do for a little rest here after this crazy stretch of golf. But where will we see you this fall? Well, obviously the president's cup is going to be my first event. And I think I'll be making my star Shriners and in Zozo and then CJ Cup. So I think that's what the schedule looks like. You know, I got to go back home to do some visa stuff and to be full time out here. So hopefully I'll be able to play a lot more to be honest.

I was planning on to play as much as I can in the fall. But obviously situations are looking tough. So hopefully, you know, I'll be there at the presence cup. So hopefully I can see a lot of you guys, I don't know, a lot of you guys out there. And hopefully, are you going to be there? I don't think so as of now, maybe even the early part of the week, but we long story short, we need to do our shows from home mostly at the big events. So we'll be doing nightly shows,

they're talking about, I'm actually going to be in Korea for in an October, we're going to the BMW, the LPJ event there. So we're going to be I've been there been there once I went to the CJ Cup in 2017 the first time they had it and and looking forward to spend a little more time in Seoul and it's around here. So have you ever played Whistling Rock in Korea? No, I'm not actually. Oh, it's about maybe 90 minutes east of Seoul. It's Google it when we get when we get off the phone here. It's one of the most outrageous golf courses you'll ever see.

But have you been down to South Cape or nine bridges or any of those courses? Nine bridges, yeah. I would say nine bridges being a CJ player. I've had the opportunity to play in, it's a great place. Korea has a lot of good places and I haven't lived in Korea a lot.

So I haven't had the chance to play all the courses, but we do have some special places. So have some fun, man. Well, I was faking that I was going to let you go. I do want to ask you, tell me about Korean golf culture. Because my experience at Takeaway was it is very, very different than what I'm used to in the US. There's a lot of screen golf.

There's a lot of driving ranges. And there's exclusive, exclusive, expensive clubs has been what I've experienced to this point. What can you tell us about Korean golf culture? I mean, Korean fans, you know, we, Korea golf is really, really big in Korea, you know, that's, and hopefully, you know, like the presence cut back in Korea, hopefully we'll have that one soon.

And Korean fans are missing the views, where man, like it's, it's, it's, they want to see like guys like Jordan, JT and those guys. So, um, Kareegolf is, it's, it's something different. You know, it's very advanced. You know, we got got, we got, we got ranges at undergrounds, like in the bottom of the parking lot that are just like 10 yards long with nets. That's how it's how crazy it is. And it's hard to find a spot to.

So it's, it's crazy. You got like screen golf again. That's a really big thing. I'm like a 90 handicap I think. I shoot around 90 to 85 there. So not very good. So I have a lot of images. You can kick my butt. So but yet, Korea is Korea is definitely something special. Well, we'll send you a full report when we're done with that. But I greatly appreciate you spending some time with with this best of luck. The fall and the president's cup in the next year and we look forward to seeing you have many successful years on the PGA tour. So thanks for joining us. Thank you. You think you guys are right? You should.

You're the right club. Be the right club today. Yes. That is better than most. How about it? That is better than most. How about in? That is better than most. Better than most.