Tom Kim focuses on positives after Travelers playoff loss to Scheffler

Korea’s Tom Kim held his head high at the Travelers Championship on Sunday after enduring a playoff loss to this season’s most dominant golfer on the planet.

The 22-year-old Kim led after the first three rounds at TPC River Highlands and produced a gutsy 10-foot birdie on the 72nd hole to force extra time against World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who is a close friend and regular practice partner.

However, he made bogey on the first extra hole from a plugged lie in the greenside bunker while Scheffler comfortably made a regulation two-putt par to claim his sixth PGA Tour title of the season and become the fourth player (ninth instance) with six or more wins in a season and the first since Tiger Woods in 2009.

“I’m going to definitely look at this week as a positive,” said Kim, who totaled a career-best 258 after a final round 66.

The young Korean star, who is already a three-time Tour winner, took consolation that no one in the elite field beat him through 72 holes and will also find confidence he ranked first in driving accuracy (48/56), greens in regulation (66/72) and scrambling (6/6) at the $20-million showpiece, which is the eighth and final Signature event of 2024.

He dropped only two bogeys all week, both through three putts, and ranked 20th in Strokes Gained: Putting — ingredients that will make him a favourite at the Rocket Mortgage Classic which starts Thursday. It will be his ninth consecutive tournament.

“Against the best players in the world, I fought really hard,” said Kim, who moves from No. 61 to No. 39 on the FedExCup points list. “I had so much fun out there, felt like a practice round with (Scheffler) … It's just nice to know that the hard work kind of really does come to life. Like, yes, it would have been super sweet if I won, but it still doesn't change who I am.”

Kim and Scheffler have become firm friends in recent times, shares the same Christian faith and regularly practices together in Dallas. They also have the same birthdate of June 21 — Scheffler turned 28 last Friday while Kim turned 22 — but the American was simply a touch better at crunch time.

With a jam-packed leaderboard, Scheffler hit three straight birdies from Hole Nos. 13-15