Si Woo Kim came within a single stroke of joining one of the rarest clubs in golf history on Friday at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson.
Instead, he’ll head into the weekend with a 60, a five-shot lead, and a painful “what if?”
Kim caught fire during the second round at TPC Craig Ranch, carding 11 birdies and reaching 12-under for the round through 17 holes. That left him standing on the 18th tee needing only a par to become just the 15th player in PGA Tour history to shoot a sub-60 round.
Instead, the moment barely slipped away.
Si Woo Kim misses the putt on 18 to card a 59 @cjbyronnelson.
After a solid drive on the par-4 finishing hole, Kim’s approach shot sailed long, likely fueled by adrenaline with history suddenly within reach. His chip shot then came up short, leaving him with a tricky par putt to shoot 59. The putt narrowly slid right of the hole, leading to a bogey and a still-incredible 11-under 60.
The reaction across golf social media was immediate.
“Si Woo Kim makes bogey on 18 to shoot 60 at TPC Craig Ranch,” Underdog Golf posted on X. “Would have been the 16th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history.”
Si Woo Kim Falls Just Short of Rare PGA Tour History
Even with the bogey finish, Kim’s round will still go down as one of the best of the season.
His scorecard featured birdies on holes 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 17. Hole 18 was the only bogey on his scorecard.
Only 15 total rounds of 59 or better have EVER been recorded on the PGA Tour. Fourteen different players have accomplished the feat, with Jim Furyk doing it twice, including the Tour-record 58 at the 2016 Travelers Championship.
The list of players who have shot 59 includes Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Jake Knapp and Brandt Snedeker among others.
Kim nearly added his name to that legendary list.
Instead, he joined the group of players who painfully came up one shot short of golfing immortality.
Kim Takes Massive Lead Into Weekend Over Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth
As crushing as the finish may have felt in the moment, Kim still put himself firmly in control of the tournament.
His second-round 60 moved him to 18-under overall, giving him a five-shot lead heading into the weekend over a crowded group at 13-under that includes world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sungjae Im.
Jordan Spieth also surged up the leaderboard Friday with a 9-under 62 to get to 12-under for the tournament.
Truly incredible round of 60 nonetheless for the new @CJByronNelson leader
Oddsmakers now view Kim as the clear favorite to close it out at TPC Craig Ranch.
Following Friday’s round, Kim moved to around -132 to win the tournament, while Scheffler sat at +245 despite trailing by five shots entering Saturday.
Even without the historic 59, Kim delivered the type of round that completely changes a tournament.
And for one brief moment on the 18th green, it looked like he was about to make PGA Tour history.
Si Woo Kim Nearly Makes PGA Tour History Before Letting Golf Immortality Slip Away on 18th Hole