Cold putters slows Si Woo Kim down but he’s game for weekend fight at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

KOREA’S Si Woo Kim has vowed to perform better on the greens after a cold putter saw him drop four shots off the pace after the second round of the US$20 million AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Friday.

The 25-year-old Kim ground out a 1-under 71 at Spyglass Hills Golf Course, which put him in tied 10th place on 7-under 137 as he stayed on the leaders’ coattails in the second Signature event of the 2024 PGA TOUR Season.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (64), Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg (65), and Belgium’s Thomas Detry (70), who all played at Pebble Beach Golf Links, share the 36-hole lead on 11-under. The final two rounds will be played at Pebbles Beach.

Kim, who is seeking his fifth PGA TOUR title, was frustrated with his flatstick as he took 32 putts, six more than his opening round. “It was a decent round,“ said Kim after marking his scorecard with four birdies against three bogeys.

“However, my putting did not go well compared to yesterday, but overall it was not bad. I need to make sure putting is on point for the next two days to get a better position. I am going to focus on my game to be somehow similar to the first day. Also, I will try to stay calm to play a better game until the end.”

Kim, who is competing for the seventh time in the iconic PGA TOUR tournament which involves the participation of the amateurs over the first two rounds, said he was enjoying his week in the world-renowned venue. “Some of them (amateurs) are really talented. I think the opportunity itself is very special where they get to play with professional golfers, and that is also special for us,“ said Kim, who finished tied for fourth here in 2019 for his best outing.

Another Korean star, Tom Kim, hauled himself back into contention after carding a bogey-free 67, with four of his five birdies coming on the back nine at Spyglass Hills Golf Course. He jumped 21 spots to tied 18th on 6-under 138.

Kevin Yu of Chinese Taipei signed for a 68 at Spyglass Hills to sit on T34 on 140 alongside Korean S.H. Kim, who carded a successive 70 at Pebble Beach.

Scheffler’s brilliant effort saw him secure his 11th career 36-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR, the most of any player since joining the TOUR at the start of the 2019-20 season. “It’s good. I hit a lot of quality shots, a lot of quality putts. Always like going bogey free,“ said the American, who holds six PGA TOUR wins with his last being the 2023 PLAYERS Championship.