Kim Joo-hyung receives PGA Tour special temporary membership

Kim Joo-hyung in action during the third round of The 150th Open Championship at The Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland on Saturday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Kim Joo-hyung has been invited to compete on the PGA Tour for the remainder of the 2021-22 season after receiving a special temporary membership from the PGA Tour.

The membership allows Kim to compete in the six remaining tournaments on the PGA Tour this season on a sponsor exemption. He will start with the upcoming 3M Open teeing off Thursday at TPC Twin Cities in Minnesota.

Kim, 20-years-old, is the youngest player to be awarded a special temporary member status since Joaquin Niemann of Chile in the 2017-18 season, who was 19 years old.

Competing in PGA Tour events this season will allow Kim to accumulate points to attempt to earn a PGA Tour card for next season.

Kim has been showing off his form at the last two majors, making the cut at both the U.S. Open and The Open Championship. He was the only Korean golfer to make both cuts this season.

Before The Open, Kim finished a solo third at the Genesis Scottish Open, reaching a career high of No. 39 in the Official World Golf Ranking. After carding a total of five-under-par to finish tied for 47th at The Open Championship, Kim is now No. 40, the second-highest ranked Korean golfer after No. 24 Im Sung-jae.

“I’ve worked really hard to get points for the Fedex Cup,” said Kim in a press release by the PGA Tour. “Now the only thing left for me to do is to work hard toward earning a PGA Tour card for next season. It has always been a dream of mine to play on the PGA Tour. I am very grateful for the opportunity to compete in the 3M Open.”

To earn a PGA Tour card for the next season, Kim will need to earn as many FedEx Cup points as the 125th-ranked player on the Fedex Cup standings and qualify for this year’s FedEx Cup Playoffs.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]