The year he turned 16, he turned pro and made his debut. Born in Seoul, he had lived in China, Australia, the Philippines and elsewhere with his father, a golf instructor. In 2019, he won three times on the Asian Development Tour, and in November he won the Panasonic Open India on the Asian Tour at 17 years 149 days. It was the second-youngest win in Asian Tour history.
In 2020, he signed a sponsorship deal with CJ Logistics, and in January a fourth-place finish at the SMBC Singapore Open earned him a place in The Open Championship. In July he won in his second start on the Korean Tour, setting the record for youngest professional winner. In 2021, he won the SK Telecom Open for his second Korean Tour title, and became the first teenager to win the Korean Tour money list and Player of the Year award.
The breakthrough yearIn 2022, the year he turned 20, he won the Singapore International on the Asian Tour in January and finished first on the money list. In August he won the Wyndham Championship for his first PGA Tour win, despite opening with a quadruple bogey on the first hole, and he was the youngest Korean to win on the PGA Tour. In September he played in the Presidents Cup as the youngest member of the International team, and in October he won the Shriners Children’s Open for his second win.
In 2023, he tied for eighth at the U.S. Open, and in October he won the Shriners Children’s Open for back-to-back titles and his third PGA Tour win. In 2024, he appeared in season 2 of Netflix’s golf documentary Full Swing. He took Scottie Scheffler to a playoff at the Travelers Championship and finished second, and he finished eighth in men’s golf at the Paris Olympics.
In 2025, the year he turned 23, he had only one top 10 in 26 events, and as of November he ranked 106th in the FedEx Cup.
In 2026, the year he turned 24, he married, finished solo third at the U.S. Open in June, and in July won the Genesis Scottish Open after 33 months for his fourth PGA Tour win. At the Presidents Cup in September, he went 4-1 in five matches.
Tom Kim (born Jun 21, 2002) turned pro in 2018, the year he turned 16, and became known when he won his first PGA Tour title at the Wyndham Championship on Aug 8, 2022, the year he turned 20. He won his first Asian Tour title in 2019, the year he turned 17.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.