Kim Si-woo opened the Open Championship with a 2-under 68 at Birkdale on Thursday, putting himself in the early mix as the tournament settled into its first round. It was a sharp start on a day when the South Korean was named as one of three Koreans Trevor Immelman believed could win the title.
Immelman singled out Si Woo Kim, Tom Kim and Sungjae Im as players with enough game to matter at Birkdale, and the early scores backed up the point. Sungjae Im went even lower with a 4-under 66, while Tom Kim, 24, began with a 70 after winning the Genesis Scottish Open the previous week. For the first round, that left the Korean trio clustered within reach of the lead rather than chasing it from afar.
Kim’s place in the conversation is not an accident. He is ranked 21st in the world, a level that reflects the steadier form that has returned after a difficult spell that followed his last win in late 2023. He has four PGA Tour victories, and the Open gives him a chance to turn that into a major breakthrough on a course where the early leaders were only a few strokes ahead.
Immelman’s endorsement also carried more weight because he is not speaking from a studio chair. He worked for CBS Sports and captained the International team at the 2022 Presidents Cup, and he said the Korean players he mentioned have the tools to seize one of the few chances most players get at a major. His point was simple: at this level, the window can be narrow, and the players who are ready need to take it.
That is where the story widens beyond one round. Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im were exempted from military service after being part of the Korean team that won gold at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Tom Kim has no such protection. Korean men must serve 18 to 21 months by the time they turn 28, and the 24-year-old has said he worries he may have to begin next year unless he can earn exemption by winning gold at this year’s Asian Games in Japan.
That pressure hangs over a player who has already shown he can beat elite fields. Last week’s victory at the Genesis Scottish Open, where Scottie Scheffler missed the cut in the same week, was the latest sign that Tom Kim’s game is trending up. But while Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im can focus only on Birkdale, Tom Kim is trying to keep his form hot while carrying a deadline that could still cut into his prime. The next round at the Open will show whether the Korean challenge is a brief flash or the start of something larger.
