Kim Si-woo hits an iron shot during the first round of the Tour Championship, the final event of the PGA Tour playoffs, at East Lake Golf Club (par 70) in Atlanta, Georgia, on Aug. 27 local time. AP-Yonhap
Kim Joo-hyung hits a tee shot during the first round of the Tour Championship, the final event of the PGA Tour playoffs, on Aug. 27 local time. AP-Yonhap
Im Sung-jae hits a tee shot during the final round of the BMW Championship, the second event of the PGA Tour playoffs, at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri, on Aug. 23 local time. AFP-Yonhap
For Kim Si-woo and Tom Kim, the 2026 season stands as a clear turning point. Kim Si-woo posted the best season of his career without winning a title, while Tom Kim broke a long silence by lifting a trophy and reclaiming his standing. Im Sung-jae overcame a preseason injury to reach the second playoff event, showing his fighting spirit.
Kim Si-woo and Tom Kim each carded a 9-under-par 271 to tie for 14th at the Tour Championship, the PGA Tour’s season-ending playoff event with a $40 million purse, which concluded on the 31st Korea time at East Lake Golf Club (par 70) in Atlanta, Georgia. Im Sung-jae finished 37th in the FedEx Cup standings after the second playoff event and did not qualify for the finale.
Kim Si-woo was the standout among the three Korean players on the PGA Tour this season. He recorded 11 top-10 finishes in 24 starts, including three runner-up results and two third-place finishes. He is the first Korean player to post 10 or more top-10 finishes in a single PGA Tour season. His earnings for the season reached $10,271,694, the first time a Korean player has passed the $10 million mark. His career earnings also crossed $40 million, at $41,169,934.
For Tom Kim, the season’s keyword was revival. Once a serial holder of PGA Tour youngest-ever records, he slumped badly in the 2025 season, missing the top 10 in 25 of 26 events and falling outside the top 100 in the world ranking. This season was different. He signaled a rebound with a solo third-place finish at the U.S. Open in June, then won the Genesis Scottish Open for his first victory in 33 months, since October 2023.
Im Sung-jae, who injured his wrist while training in Korea early this year, missed the opening stretch of the season and struggled in the FedEx Cup race. But after grinding his way up the standings, he tied for fifth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first playoff event, to earn a spot in the second. Although he finished 37th in the FedEx Cup standings and fell short of the 30-player finale, he showed the resilience of a tour veteran.