Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, United States: Walking into the Champions Locker Room at TPC Sawgrass never gets old for Kim Si-woo.
As a 21-year-old in 2017, Kim became the youngest winner of The Players. Some seven years later, the four-time PGA Tour winner still gets goosebumps thinking about his famous victory which saw him join idol and compatriot KJ Choi as the only two Asian golfers who have triumphed in the Tour’s flagship tournament.
“Every time I go into the (Champions) locker room, it feels a little bit more special because it is exclusive to winners of the tournament. I think Tiger Woods was in the locker room by himself a few years ago and I felt a little bit more special when I walked in there,” said Kim.
“I can’t believe it’s been seven years. It has gone by faster than I thought,” added Kim, a former Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship contestant who helped his country to the team gold medal at last year’s Hangzhou Asian Games.
Kim is past of a strong Korean contingent aiming for glory in this week’s US$25 million tournament over The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. Other contenders flying the Korean flag include world number 18 Tom Kim, making his second appearance at the tournament, Im Sung-jae, An Byeong-hun, KH Lee and SH Kim.
Other past winners of The Players, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this week, include Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Fred Couples and Woods. Scottie Scheffler, who won last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, is defending his title in the 144-man event.
“It’s the biggest tournament on Tour and has the biggest prize money, so everyone wants to win it. A lot of great players have won this ... and I’d love to go down in history as a two-time champion,” said Si-woo, who recently welcomed the arrival of his first child, a daughter.
His compatriot An is hoping to put up a strong title challenge in his sixth start at The Players after posting his third top-10 of the season last week. The 32-year-old, who is seeking his first PGA Tour win, said: “I think it’s a course that gets harder the more you know it. There is a lot of water around, so you have to make as few mistakes as possible.
“It is satisfying to be able to play golf this consistently this year. Being able to play for weeks without having a lot of ups and downs in every round is something that I think I have never felt in my professional career.”
Im is keen to throw in his challenge for the swinging golfer trophy which comes with winning The Players. He finished a career-best tied sixth in last year’s tournament and knows he must bring his A-game to contend.
“This is a very historical event, so I’m looking forward to a great result. Everybody will be aiming to win. I will try my best to minimise my mistakes. Winning is not easy, but I wish to make every single round count,” he said.
Lee will make his fourth start at TPC Sawgrass looking for a first top-10 and a third PGA Tour victory. A tied fourth outing in his last start at the Cognizant Classic two weeks ago was just the confidence-booster needed by the 32-year-old.
“I’m very excited. I hope to play well and have a good week. There’s no place to hide (on this golf course). Driving is very important as the rough is deep, so it’s the type of course where you feel like everything has to be perfect,” said Lee.
