Chan Kim was born in South Korea, but he spent much of his childhood in Honolulu. He remembers riding his scooter to Ala Wai Elementary, then skateboarding to Washington Middle. He’d also take full advantage of his junior pass at Ala Wai Golf Course – $20 for 20 nine-hole rounds – waking up at 4:30 a.m. just to sign up for a tee time at what Kim calls the nation’s busiest muni.
In high school, he fondly recalls on-course battles with one of his most recognizable peers, Tadd Fujikawa.
“We were big rivals growing up,” the 33-year-old Kim said of Fujikawa, who famously qualified for the 2006 U.S. Open at 15 years old – at the time, he was the youngest to ever do so – and then the next year, at the 2007 Sony Open, he made the cut as a 16-year-old and eventually finished T-20.
Kim beat Fujikawa in the state high school championship at Turtle Bay in 2006. That was after Kim and Fujikawa were retroactively declared Oahu Interscholastic Association champs because a scorecard playoff, which went to Kim, was used when rules called for an actual playoff.
“That state championship was a very big deal,” Kim said.
However, Fujikawa got his revenge in 2007 by beating Kim and other top Hawaiian amateurs for a spot in the Sony.
“He whooped me pretty good,” Kim said. “He deserved every bit of playing this event. Obviously, he showed it when he made the cut and played really well.”
Since then, Kim’s career has taken off, though along an unconventional route. He starred for one season at Arizona State before turning pro in 2010. He played mostly in Japan for over a decade and has won eight times on the Japan Tour. He remembers getting his first winner’s check and seeing over 20 million yen. “I was running around telling people I’m a millionaire in Japanese yen,” Kim quipped. He’s made 12 major appearances.
And last season, he finished second in Korn Ferry Tour points, winning twice on the circuit, to earn his PGA Tour card for the first time.
“Would’ve loved to be a rookie at 23,” Kim said. “Sometimes that doesn’t work out. You know, just to be here, to have this experience – it’s been a lifelong goal. Since I started golf, I knew I wanted to play on the PGA Tour and kind of create a legacy I guess on this Tour. [I’m] 33, body is probably feeling 43, so arguably I would say I’m a rookie at 43. Yeah, just to be here, have this opportunity, you know, I can’t even put it into words.”
