What Tiger Woods record did Tom Kim match at Shriners Children's Open?
Tiger Woods is perhaps the most accomplished golfer of all time. He has 82 professional wins, tied for the most of all time. His 15 professional majors are second only to Jack Nicklaus' 18. Put simply, there aren't going to be too many golfers challenging his status any time soon.
With that being said, any time any young golfer does something Woods did or gets close to his scores, stats and performances from his early career, it is noteworthy. It simply does not happen all that often.
South Korea's Tom Kim just matched one of the pro golfer's most impressive records, though.
He became the first player since Woods to have two PGA Tour wins before turning 21. He did so by winning the Shriners Children's Open. Kim is also six months younger than Woods was when he won his second tournament and matched his record.
That could mean there's a chance for Kim to break the record he just matched. That would be wildly impressive.
Tom Kim matches Tiger Woods in impressive display
When asked about matching the record, Kim was ecstatic, according to the BBC:
"I'm a five-year-old at Disneyland. It's really amazing. A few months ago I didn't have any status in the US and now being a two-time winner on Tour, having that place with Tiger, it's an unbelievable feeling for me.
"It's an honour and definitely a dream come true. I've worked really hard. My team has worked really hard to this point and I'm just really grateful. I'm having fun playing on the PGA Tour."
Not many athletes have matched Tiger Woods in anything, so doing something like this at such a young age is an incredible accomplishment. This achievement was never a sure thing, though.
Kim began the final round in a tie. Patrick Cantlay, the world's fourth-ranked golfer, was tied with Kim until the final hole. However, Cantlay stumbled, triple-bogeying on that hole.
That was the opening Kim needed. He parred on that hole for the victory that he worked so hard for.
He knew he was a little fortunate that Cantlay opened the door on the final hole. He said:
"I got very lucky on the 18th, I'm not going to lie. Patrick played awesome and it was an honour to battle with him and to come out on top, I feel very fortunate."
This doesn't mean that Kim is destined for greatness or that he will be better or as good as Woods was. It is a hard bar to meet or clear. Not many have done so for that very reason.
It does mean that golf's future is in good hands. Kim is clearly an incredibly talented golfer who's capable of being up there with and beating the world's best.
He may end up being one of the best golfers in history when it's all said and done. His current trajectory might suggest as much. If not, that's fine, because he's still going to be one of today's most impressive athletes.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit the BBC and H/T Sportskeeda.