Former Kaimuki golf standout Chan Kim will have some work to do if he wants to play into the weekend at Royal Portrush.
Kim, who won the Hawaii state championship in 2006, shot a 75 at the 148th Open Championship in Northern Ireland today, leaving him in 75th place when he walked off the course. Kim started his day with a double bogey and was 4 over after doing the same on the fourth hole. He birdied Nos. 5, 7, 10 and 12 but bogeyed 11, 13, 14 and 18. His four birdies were sixth in the field when he signed his card.
It is Kim’s fourth major, he finished tied for 11th at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale two years ago and missed the cut with a 77-75 at the U.S. Open last month at Pebble Beach. He also missed the cut at the U.S. Open in 2017.
Kim has three international victories to his credit, all on the Japan Tour.
Kim beat Honokaa’s Sean Maekawa by two strokes to claim the state championship at Turtle Bay’s Fazio Course in 2006, shooting at 68 followed by a 72. OIA rival Tadd Fujikawa of Moanalua finished third, a week after Kim and Fujikawa shared the OIA title on the same course.
Kim was initially declared the league champion, but Fujikawa was given half of it the next day when it was learned that OIA rules called for a playoff that never happened.
Kim won a state medal with a seventh-place finish the previous year, the first Bulldog to earn multiple state medals since fellow state champ Virgil Kalaola in 1967.
Kim turned pro in 2010 after playing his college golf at Arizona State.
He is playing this Open Championship with South Africa’s Zander Lombard and fellow American Brandon Wu. They will tee off at 1:09 a.m. on Friday Hawaii time.
COMMENTS