16-year-old youngest to make Tour cut in 11 years

Amateur golfer Kris Kim entered the CJ Cup Byron Nelson with a straightforward aim: to make the cut. He stuck to his plan admirably, cruising through 30 holes flawlessly. However, his momentum took a hit on the 13th hole during Friday’s round.

Kim’s drive at the par-4 13th landed in a bunker, forcing him to lay up and resulting in a bogey that dropped him to 6 under for the tournament, right on the cut line.

“We checked out the leaderboard on 15, the par 3. Yeah, I knew I was playing well enough [to make the cut],” Kim remarked.

Demonstrating remarkable composure, Kim navigated the final five holes, managing to go 1 under with a birdie at No. 18, securing his spot for the weekend. In doing so, he became the youngest player to make the cut on the PGA Tour since Kyle Suppa at the 2015 Sony Open.

Hailing from England, Kim is an accomplished amateur, granted entry to this week’s event at TPC Craig Ranch on a sponsor exemption. His objective was clear: “Just make the cut, to be honest. I knew something around this number [7 under] would be good enough, but to shoot it, I’m pretty happy,” he admitted.

Notably, in 2010, Dallas native Jordan Spieth achieved a similar feat, making the cut at this very event just two months older than Kim.