Interview with Kim Si-woo for the Genesis Championship to open on the 22nd
Top 10 11 times
Including 3 second-place wins
Training with world No. 1 Scheffler
Regains Confidence by Achieving Small Goals
Big Goals Rather, I Want to Win Scheffler This Winter
사진 확대 Kim Si-woo, who is trying to win the DP World Tour Genesis Championship, is posing. Reporter Lim Jungwoo
The career high season came when I changed my mindset on golf. Kim Si-woo (31), who has been listed in the top 10 11 times, including three runner-ups, is heading into his heyday after his debut on the PGA Tour. Having regained the joy of golf and made up for his shortcomings by training with Scottie Scheffler (USA), the world’s No. 1 player in men’s golf, he has become stronger than ever.
Kim Si-woo, who met with Mail Business on the 19th ahead of the DP World Tour Genesis Championship, which will open at Woojeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do on the 22nd, said, “I think the 2026 season spent on the PGA Tour is the best year without a championship.” I will do my best to win in front of Korean fans,” he stressed.
Kim Si-woo, ranked 14th in the world, is the highest in the world among the Genesis Championship players. On top of that, he ranked 14th in the PGA Tour FedEx Cup rankings this year and became the first Korean player to surpass $10 million in a single season, and is considered the No. 1 favorite.
Kim Si-woo, who spent his 11th season on the PGA Tour this year, was recognized for his talent early on when he passed the PGA Tour Qualifying School in 2012 when he was 17. However, he was hampered by the age rule that he should be 18 years old or older, so he was not able to enjoy the PGA Tour stage in earnest until the 2015-2016 season.
Kim Si-woo, who won his first title at the 2016 Wyndham Championship, won the Players Championship, called the “fifth major,” the following year. However, after that, the grades did not match as expected. He suffered several setbacks due to ups and downs in his performance, and had to have a hard time.
Recalling the time, Kim Si-woo said, “I thought it was golf that worked out better than I thought until the second season of the PGA Tour, and I realized that golf was difficult as I suffered a slump. At this time, I felt strongly that I had to survive, so I lost interest in golf,” he confessed.
It was goal setting that Kim Si-woo, who made several attempts to escape from the slump, found a breakthrough. Rather than pursuing big goals vaguely, he began to focus on achieving small goals one by one that could be implemented immediately.
“It was rather poisonous to set a goal that was difficult to achieve like No. 1 in the world,” he said. “I focused on achieving small goals one by one, like passing the cut or even par.” Through this, I regained my confidence and was able to compete at the top, including winning a championship,” he explained.
Recovering the joy of golf has also been the driving force behind the change. “In the past, I practiced with a sense of duty as a professional golfer, but now I’m so happy to spend time at the golf course,” Kim Si-woo said. “Even during the break, I practice four to five times a week. As I put more time and effort into the preparation process, I think my performance has improved,” he said with a smile.
The experience of training with Scheffler in the offseason also helped greatly. Scheffler, who has been ranked No. 1 in the world for 179 consecutive weeks, watched closely to see what kind of mindset he was in golf and found his direction.
“When I see Scheffler practicing and his attitude, passion, and talent toward golf, I have no choice but to be the best in the world,” Kim Si-woo said. “The thought I had while spending time together is that my ability is less than half of Scheffler’s.” We will work harder in the future to close the gap,” he vowed.
He also changed his attitude to reduce his grades. Kim Si-woo, who has a strong desire to win against anyone, could not easily accept defeat in the past. However, rather than being buried in the results, he now uses it as the foundation for preparing for the next tournament. It turned the strong desire to win into a driving force for growth, not a cause of frustration.
Kim Si-woo, who has found peace of mind without worrying about his performance in one competition, is now moving toward a new goal of winning a major. “My idea of winning a major, which felt far away, changed this year when I played the D-Open,” he said. “Through the competition for the top spot, I learned what it takes to become a major champion.” It won’t be easy, but I’m going to try to win a major in the future,” he stressed.
Kim Si-woo, who is about to enter the top 10 in the world rankings, is also considered a strong candidate to break Choi Kyung-ju’s record for the most wins (8 wins) on the Korean PGA Tour. “I think performance and world ranking are naturally followed if you work hard,” he said, adding, “When you don’t get the desired result, it’s important not to be frustrated and try until it works.”
He also gave up his plan to retire in his 30s early. “Not long ago, I didn’t intend to play golf for a long time, but now it’s completely different,” Kim Si-woo said. “Now I’m going to remain a professional golfer until I can compete.”
Kim Si-woo, who will start preparing for the next season from November, plans to train with Scheffler following last off-season. “When I go back to the U.S., I decided to go round with Scheffler. “I’ve drawn three times and lost all the rest, but I’m going to show a different side this time,” he said, vowing to “win against Scheffler before the start of the 2027 season.”
Kim Si-woo, ranked 14th in the world, is the highest in the world among the Genesis Championship players. On top of that, he ranked 14th in the PGA Tour FedEx Cup rankings this year and became the first Korean player to surpass $10 million in a single season, and is considered the No. 1 favorite.
Reporter Lim Jungwoo of Cheonan
사진 확대 Kim Si-woo, who is trying to win the DP World Tour Genesis Championship, is posing. Reporter Lim Jungwoo