Cal alum Kim wins in record runaway
Michael Kim didn’t just win his first PGA Tour event Sunday. He dominated in a fashion not seen at TPC Deere Run at Silvis, Ill.
The former Cal golfer’s prizes? A little more than a million bucks, a two-year exemption on tour and a trip to the British Open.
Kim shot a final-round 66 on Sunday to win the John Deere Classic by a record-setting eight strokes. Kim, who turned 25 on Saturday, finished at 27-underpar 257 to break Steve Stricker’s tournament record from 2010 by one shot.
Kim also qualified for this week’s Open at Carnoustie — an unexpected bonus for a player who had missed five of his past six cuts before his breakthrough in the Quad Cities.
Kim also made 30 birdies for the week, a season high on tour in 2018.
“To be able to finish out in style like this, it means a lot,” said Kim, who nearly quadrupled his season earnings with a winner’s share of $1.044 million. “To be sitting here with a trophy, I’m at a loss for words.”
Bronson Burgoon, Francesco Molinari, Joel Dahmen and Sam Ryder all finished at 19under.
Kim, who previously had just one top-10 finish in 84 career starts — a third at the Safeway Open in Napa two years ago — entered play with a five-shot lead. It was the biggest edge for a third-round leader at the John Deere Classic since Stricker’s six-stroke advantage eight years ago.
Kim knocked in a 13-foot birdie putt on the opening hole, and then holed two more from 15 and 24 feet to give him seven straight birdies dating back to the end of Saturday’s round — and a seven-shot lead.
Kim’s day ended on No. 18 in emotional fashion when he saw his brother, father and mother — all of whom had made a surprise trip in hopes of seeing him get his first win — on a video screen.
“I teared up a little bit on the green,” Kim said. “To see my parents here ... it made me even more nervous.”
LPGA Tour: Thidapa Suwannapura earned her first LPGA Tour title, closing with a 6under 65 and birdieing the first playoff hole to defeat Brittany Lincicome at the Marathon Classic in Sylvania, Ohio.
The 25-year-old Thai player is the sixth first-time winner on tour this year. Her previous best finish in 120 starts was seventh at the 2014 Kingsmill Championship. Suwannapura picked up three strokes over her final two holes, making eagle on the par-5 17th and closing with a birdie on the par-5 18th at Highland Meadows to finish at 14under 270.
In the playoff, Suwannapura converted a short birdie putt after Lincicome hit her second shot into a water hazard and scrambled for par. Lincicome shot 67.
Next up for Lincicome, a big hitter: a start against the men at the PGA Tour’s Barbasol Championship. European Tour: Brandon Stone sank to his knees and dropped his putter in despair after narrowly missing becoming the first player to shoot a round of 59 on the European Tour.
It wasn’t all bad for the South African, though. Stone’s 10under 60 secured a four-shot victory at the Scottish Open in Gullane, earning him a third professional title of his career — the first outside his native country — and the extra prize of a qualifying spot in the British Open.
He also left Gullane with a sense of regret. After his 8-foot birdie putt at No. 18 curled just left of the cup, he slumped on his haunches, put both hands to his face, then stared at the ball for some time.
That elusive sub-60 round in 46 years of European Tour play will have to wait for another tournament. It officially was the 19th round of 60 on the tour; 18 players have achieved the feat, with Darren Clarke doing so twice.
There officially have been nine sub-60 rounds on the PGA Tour, with one of them being a 58 — by Jim Furyk at the Travelers Championship in 2016.
Stone’s run of back-nine birdies allowed him to pull clear of Eddie Pepperell, who led for much of the final round after picking up six strokes in his first 10 holes. He shot 64 to finish alone in second place, one clear of Luke List (64), 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman (65) and Jens Dantorp (68).
Pepperell and Dantorp joined Stone in securing lastgasp places at the British Open.
Rickie Fowler, the champion the last time the Scottish Open was staged at Gullane in 2015, shot 68 and was in a three-way tie for sixth place. PGA Tour Champions: Vijay Singh birdied the second playoff hole to beat Jeff Maggert and win the Senior Players Championship at Highland Park, Ill.
Singh knocked in a putt from about 2 feet after a nearly perfect approach on the 18th hole at Exmoor Country Club. He gave an understated fist pump as the ball fell in, giving him his first major title on the PGA Tour Champions.
Singh (67) and Maggert (68) finished at 20-under 268. Brandt Jobe (66) was two strokes behind. Jerry Kelly (64) and defending champion Scott McCarron (71) finished at 17under. U.S. Senior Women’s Open: Laura Davies went virtually unchallenged in the final round of the inaugural event in Wheaton, Ill., claiming the title by 10 strokes over Los Altos’ Juli Inkster.
Davies, 54, shot a 5-under 68 to finish at 16-under 276 at Chicago Golf Club in the USGA’s championship for women 50 and older. Inkster shot an evenpar 73.