This article is part of our Weekly PGA Recap series.
After Lexi Thompson's gallant effort as the seventh woman to play in a PGA Tour event ended Friday, the weekend at the Shriners Children's Open belonged to the best man in the field.
Tom Kim shot a 9-under 62 on Saturday at TPC Summerlin, then closed with a 66 on Sunday for a one-stroke win over Adam Hadwin to give him two Las Vegas titles in a row.
All eyes were on Thompson from Monday through Friday. There was not as much focus as usual on a defending champion, especially one who was the highest-ranked golfer in the field at No. 16 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
All that changed as Kim charged up the leaderboard Saturday. And on Sunday, despite 17 golfers beginning the day within three shots of Kim's shared lead, the still-only-21-year-old locked up his third PGA Tour title. He's now up to a career-best 11th in the world rankings.
Kim's sophomore season that's now winding down has been a bumpy ride. That's often the case for young golfers after the thrill of fulfilling their career dream wears off and reality sets in on their second year on Tour. It's their job. Kim, in his post-victory interview on Golf Channel, referred to his year as "a grind."
Yes, his second season technically began with a win at this Shriners tournament, which came just a few weeks after his maiden victory at the Wyndham. But after the winter break, Kim did not notch a single top-10 for about five months from mid-January to mid-June.
In his past 11 starts beginning with the U.S. Open, Kim has a win, top-10s in two majors -- including a shared runner-up at the Open Championship -- three more top-10s and three more top-25s.
"I think by the end of last year, two wins on the PGA TOUR all of a sudden, ranked 13th in the world," Kim told reporters in Las Vegas, "suddenly you feel like you're right there and you need to do something extra or something. …
"I felt like I almost added a lot of pressure towards myself to perform really well this year. But really it's been a very big learning curve for me, and it's very humbling to be able to experience what I've experienced this year. That's why I feel like this third one is even sweeter. …
"I've learned so much this year. Like it's been unbelievable how big the learning curve has been."
Kim seems to have the mental part down pat now. He could still use a little oomph on his driver -- he's ranked 119th in driving distance on the season -- and a steadier putter, where he's ranked 71st. But he's an elite seventh in driving accuracy and 10th in Strokes Gained: Approach.
Kim is still better suited to shorter courses, but it appears he's over what could be the biggest hurdle of his young career. He could be primed for a bigger 2024.
MONDAY BACKSPIN
Lexi Thompson
By the time Sunday rolled around, attention was fully focused on who would win the tournament. But rest assured, history will remember this week because of Thompson, the seventh woman to compete in a PGA Tour event. Yes, she missed the cut. But she was inside it on her back nine on Friday, only to fall back at the end. She tied or beat 47 golfers, all men, which is a remarkable achievement. Thompson averaged more than 300 yards off the tee, as did almost the entire field, but she also ranked eighth in driving accuracy. She ranked 44th in Strokes Gained: Putting. On Friday, when she shot a 2-under 69, she hit 14 of 18 greens and 12 of 14 fairways. Those are fantastic numbers that many in the field would gladly have taken. It was just the third time a woman has broken 70 in a PGA Tour event. Then-teenager Michelle Wie did it twice at the Sony Open in 2004 and '06. So, to say Thompson proved the doubters wrong would be an understatement. It was a fantastic week for Thompson, for the Shriners, for the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour and female athletes everywhere, young and old. The all-around success of Thompson's appearance likely means we'll see more LPGA players in PGA Tour events, and sooner than the five-year gap since the last time (Brittany Lincicome, 2018 Barbasol).
Adam Hadwin
Hadwin apparently can roll out of bed and shine at the Shriners. After not playing in almost two months, he finished solo runner-up for his fourth top-10 at TPC Summerlin in the past five years. This adds to an already excellent season for Hadwin, giving him a sixth top-10 and a 10th top-25. He rolled in a 25-footer for birdie on 18 to break a five-way tie for second place, a putt that netted him more than $400,000 extra. Not too shabby.
Eric Cole
There is no let-up in the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year-in-waiting. Cole tied for third, giving him a second top-five in the fall season. Normally in the Shriners you need four rounds in the 60s to have any sort of shot. Cole opened with an even-par 71, but he soared up the leaderboard on Sunday with a 62. He now takes his game to Japan for this week's no-cut ZOZO Championship.
Alex Noren
Noren's card was always safe, having started the week at 105th in the FedExCup Standings, but his tie for third puts a good feel on what has been a sub-par season. It was just his third top-10. Noren also is heading to the ZOZO this week, a chance for some free extra points in the no-cut event.
J.T. Poston
Anytime there's a birdie-fest where putting can be the difference, Poston has to be on everyone's radar. He finished fifth in Strokes Gained: Putting on the week, landing him in the four-way tie for third.
Taylor Pendrith
Pendrith was the fourth member of the T3 quartet, and the high finish meant more to him that anyone else. He entered the week perilously close to the top-125 cutline, at 123rd, having missed four straight cuts coming. Pendrith can now breathe easy after moving up to 88th in the standings. He is secure for 2024 after his best tournament of 2023.
Isaiah Salinda
The Monday qualifier who plays on the Korn Ferry Tour tied for seventh, which gets him into the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico in two weeks. That was by far the 26-year-old California native's best showing in nine career PGA Tour events.
Ludvig Aberg
The 23-year-old superstar-in-the-making needed a strong finish on Friday just to get inside the cutline. A 9-under 62 on Sunday sent him zooming up the leaderboard into a tie for 13th. (At one point, before the leaders got deep into their rounds, he was actually tied for second.) Aberg will not be playing in the ZOZO, and it's not certain when we'll see this European Ryder Cupper next.
Kelly Kraft
Three weeks in a row we have recommended Kraft as a bargain-basement play on DraftKings, and for the third straight week he rewarded his backers with a top-25. He tied for 23rd. This is an important time for the veteran. He entered the week at 161st in the standings and, if you can't get into the top-125, the 126-150 category is next best. He moved up to 151st.
Harry Hall
Hall was priced at $6700, a fair number. Except for the fact that he's one of the best putters on Tour, one who attended UNLV and therefore was quite familiar with TPC Summerlin, plus someone who finished in top-15 the past two years. That didn't happen again, but the Englishman's tie for 26th still made him a good play. At 92nd in the standings, Hall is secure for next season.
Matti Schmid
The young German closed with an 8-under 63 to tie for 26th. The importance, other than the obvious financial boost, is that Schmid moved from 152nd in points to 148th. He still has a chance to get into the top-125, but otherwise the goal is to stay inside the top-150.
Brandt Snedeker
A couple of months shy of turning 43 and still getting back in the groove after a long injury hiatus, Snedeker doesn't have much fantasy relevance anymore (or real-golf relevance, either). But he tied for 52nd, his fourth straight made cut. He is playing this year on his top-25 career-earnings exemption. He'll have to decide whether he wants to use his top-50 earnings exemption in 2024. There would be no more career-earnings exemptions after that.
Nick Hardy
Hardy bogeyed his first two holes on Sunday to fall to 2-over. Over the next 16 holes, he shot a whopping 9-under to finish a 7-under 64 and tie for 55th.
Nicolai Hojgaard
The young Dane pulled out of last week's Sanderson Farms in the aftermath of his European team winning the Ryder Cup. But he returned for the Shriners, tying for 56th, and now heads to Japan for the ZOZO.
MISSED CUTS
Dylan Wu, Ben Griffin, Emiliano Grillo, Si Woo Kim and Jimmy Walker. … Wu has done a lot of good things in his second full season on Tour – namely, eight top-25s and two top-10s. But this was his second MC in a row, giving him 11 on the season. He might be tiring. … Griffin opened with a 73 just days after kicking away the Sanderson Farms title. It's understandable not being ready to play four days later. But the better players will shake this stuff off faster. At least he got a two-day head start to head to Japan for the ZOZO… Grillo and Kim were the second- and third-highest-ranked guys in the field. … Walker missed a second straight cut and fell further outside the top-125, now at 129th. He'll have just THREE more starts in November to get back inside the cutoff point or will have to play next season under the past champions category, which ain't great.
FEDEXCUP STANDINGS
Entering the Top 125
- Chesson Hadley has yo-yoed back and forth the past couple of weeks. He tied for seventh at the Shriners to edge back into the right side, from 127th to 122nd. Needing to keep his foot on the pedal, Hadley will head to the ZOZO this week for some free points.
Falling out of the Top 125
- Zecheng Dou, more familiarly Marty Dou, missed the cut and dropped two spots to 126th.
Activity among Nos. 51-60
- Luke List, whose win last week in Mississippi moved him to the brink of the top 60 at No. 61, tied for 18th to edge up to 57th.
- Sam Ryder tied for 28th to move from 63rd to 60th.
- With missed cuts, Mark Hubbard and S.H. Kim and Mark Hubbard fell to 61st and 62nd, respectively. Both will play in Japan this week.
INJURIES
C.T. Pan
Pan pulled out before the second round, citing a lower-back injury. He fell from 122nd to 124th in the standings.
Patrick Rodgers
Rogers withdrew during the second round. No reason was announced, but he will not play in the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP.
Jim Herman
Herman withdrew with an ankle injury after shooting a 7-over 42 on the front nine Thursday.
