A golfer that is gifted with irons, has the clutch gene, and is hungry for more, Peter Kim’s story and upbringing around golf has helped him become a star-studded sophomore.
From the start of this year to now, Kim’s rise in the ranks has the potential to catch the attention of the golf world.
In January, he was ranked No. 406 in the nation and then dipped as low as No. 644 by March 13. Finishing no higher than 52nd in three straight tournaments did not help his cause.
After the growing pains wore off and a strong start to his sophomore season, he is now No. 63 in NCAA Division I. It took adversity and standout performances to get to this point.
The grind started for Kim at 6 years old. He credits his father, Ho Yong Kim, for being the biggest influence for him getting into golf, even though it wasn’t enjoyable at first.
“It was my dad that really got me into golf,” Kim said. “He would take me and my brother to this place called Mulligans … he would just take us there a couple times a week, and we would just bang some balls.”
“I didn’t really enjoy it honestly at first,” Kim said. “I felt kind of forced at the start… it took a couple years to enjoy it.”
The Salt Lake City native was a swimmer and played some basketball and soccer in addition to playing golf. He even held a previous swimming record at Skyline High School for the 100-meter breaststroke.
As his love and passion for golf grew, the decision became easier for him as he rightfully set his heart to perfecting his swing.
One professional golfer that was an inspiration to many young golfers including Kim was a man who made golf cool.
“My biggest inspiration at the time was Tiger Woods, like many,” Kim said. “Just watching him dominate and how he made golf cool was something I really liked.”
From the late 1990s to 2019, Woods was on top of the golfing world during most of that time span. He not only revolutionized the game with his long and accurate drives, focused mentality, high golf IQ, and clutch putting, but he brought emotion to the game that was hardly ever seen before.
For Kim, this made golf feel like a fun game for him rather than an obligation to play because of his talent and upbringing.
His decorated high school achievements caught the eyes of notable NCAA Division I programs such as University of Utah, Utah Tech, LMU, Santa Clara, San Diego State, and BYU. In all four years, he was a first team all-state and 5A state champion including two junior national championships in 2020 and 2021. He also placed or medaled in five different amateur tournaments and one local US Open.
Thankfully for BYU, it was the clear choice for him.
“Growing up, I wasn’t really too sure where I wanted to go for college,” Kim said. “As I did my visits, I met with coach (Bruce) Brockbank and coach (Todd) Miller. They were really welcoming and made me feel comfortable. [BYU] got an excellent golf program and history here.”
“I knew a lot of the guys already on the team,” Kim said. “I think that helped me make my decision.”
A cool and somewhat tender side result of this commitment was being able to compete with juniors Tyson Shelley and Simon Kwon who also attended Skyline with Kim. They were all high school teammates with Kim just a couple grades behind them. Things came in full circle when Kwon transferred to BYU from University of California Berkeley before this season.
Brockbank expressed great relief and felt fortunate for getting a guy of Kim’s caliber.
“We’re very fortunate,” Brockbank said. “What we had heard in the recruiting process was that he wanted to play golf out of state or in warmer weather… When we had the chance to have him on campus, it happened… When he said yes, coach Miller and I looked at each and were like ‘wow, this is really cool!’”
“Everything you want in a student-athlete is Peter Kim,” Brockbank said.
“He just takes care of business. He’s a hard worker. He gets his schoolwork done. He’s a great teammate. The list just goes on and on.”
Right out the gates, Kim placed fifth in his first ever collegiate tournament at the Bearcat Invitational last season. This demonstrated he was more than ready to take on collegiate golf and can more than hold his own for the Cougars.
There were a few rough patches and performances along the way his freshman season, but the impressive thing is that he was in the starting lineup in all the tournaments that season which is very rare for a freshman to do. His playing time goes to show the coaching staff trusted his game as well as the unlimited potential he will shoot for.
Peter Kim tied the match after being 1-down to his Kansas opponent on the 18th hole.👏 pic.twitter.com/78dLwgfILc
— BYU Men's Golf (@BYUmgolf) October 9, 2024
As the rightful owner of the first ever Big 12 Golfer of the Month award for BYU, Kim is off to a scorching start thanks to key moments this past fall.
One of those was holing out for birdie on hole 18 against Kansas to tie his match on day two of the Big 12 Match Play tournament. Another key moment was him going five-under in the final six holes of the Leadership and Golf Collegiate to salvage a top three finish.
Kim can testify that the match play and another fascinating moment last spring has made his golfing career electric so far.
“The Big 12 Match Play win was unreal. That was so much fun.” Kim said. “I think that’s at the top of my list.
The next moment he brought up was not necessarily a happy moment, but it was a tremendous learning experience
“Last year at NCAA Regionals, we fell just short,” Kim said. “We tied Wake Forest, and then we went into a playoff for the last spot to move on to nationals. We ended up losing, and that really burned. That just fueled me so much to want to work hard and get right back in that position this year. It’s not only to make it to nationals, but to go on a run.”
Kim is shooting sky high on how great he can truly be. His high school coach, Kenneth James, thought so back when he committed to BYU.
“I would not be surprised to see him win the Masters or U.S. Open,” James said. “He hits far and has touch. He has all the tools in the tool box. He can do anything he puts his mind to. When he decides he wants to do something then he can do it. The college experience will be good because he thrives on competition.”
Kim said he sees himself winning a major.
“Winning the U.S. Open, the Masters, or any major is at the pinnacle of golf. That’s everyone’s dream just to even be there. Winning it is another step. I think with the right mindset and dedication… every day… I think that’s possible," he said.
“The potential is a big ceiling,” Brockbank said. “He’s come in the first year and a half and has exceeded expectations. The great thing about it is he feels like ‘hey, I haven’t done anything yet’... I’d love to see him be an All-American and player of the year."
A pro golfer Kim finds himself similar to is also someone that is dominant with the irons and a six-time PGA tour event winner.
“I’d say my game is most similar to Collin Morikawa.” Kim said. “I don’t really hit the farthest out of everyone, but I have really good iron play and approach to the green. That’s something I have in common with Collin. He’s pretty accurate off the tee just like I think I’m pretty accurate off the tee. I just get it out there and let my irons do the talking.”
Kim’s mastery with the irons will be on full display later this winter as he looks to raise his stock in six more stroke play tournaments leading up to the Big 12 Championship, NCAA Regionals, and, perhaps, NCAA Championships next spring.