MK Kim carded a birdie on his final hole to take a share of the first-round lead on home soil at the Genesis Championship.
The South Korean DP World Tour rookie is well known after claiming some big wins in his homeland but may not be a familiar face to some fans as he makes just his 29th start on Golf's Global Tour this week.
Here, we get to know the 24-year-old a little bit better.
• Kim was born in Gwangju, a city suburb of Seoul with a population of roughly 400,000, on March 24, 2001
• Turned professional in 2017 - quickly heading to Europe to begin his career in the paid ranks
• First professional win came in August 2017 on the Jamega Pro Golf Tour
• Second and third professional wins would come later that month on the EuroPro Tour with victories at the Pentahotels Championship and FORE Business Championship
• At the FORE Business Championship he defeated former Walker Cup player and future DP World Tour member Niall Kearney in a play-off
• His results on the 2017 EuroPro Tour saw him graduate to the HotelPlanner Tour alongside Jonathan Caldwell, who would go on to win the 2021 Scandinavian Mixed
• Became the youngest winner in European Tour group history in 2018 after winning the HotelPlannner Tour's D+D REAL Czech Challenge aged just 17 years and 64 days.
• Made his DP World Tour debut at the 2018 Shot Clock Masters, finishing in a tie for 80th
• Won the Kolon Korea Open on the Asian and KPGA Tours in 2022, earning a Major debut at The Open Championship at St Andrews where he missed the cut
• Won the Kolon Korea Open again in 2024 for his third KPGA Tour title and once again won a place at The Open, finishing in a tie for 31st at Royal Troon
• Finished second on the 2024 KPGA Tour Order of Merit to earn a debut season on the DP World Tour in 2025
• Made an ace with just his sixth shot as a full DP World Tour member on the 11th in the opening round of the 2025 BMW Australian PGA Championship
