English teenage amateur star Kris Kim admitted he will be putting exam revision to the back of his mind when he makes his PGA Tour debut at this week's CJ Cup Bryon Nelson.
The 16-year-old was a star of Europe's winning Junior Ryder Cup team at Marco Simone last year, where he was undefeated as he contributed 3.5 points in the team’s emphatic 20.5-9.5 victory over Team USA - its first since 2006.
Kim's talent has already seen him ink lucrative NIL sponsorship deals with Under Armour Golf, TaylorMade Golf and the CJ Group, with the latter granting him a sponsor's exemption into this week's event.
"It's been a dream of mine since I started golf, and to finally be able to play on this platform is incredible for me," he said, speaking at his pre-tournament press conference at TPC Craig Ranch.
"I can't wait to play in front of big crowds again. I've never hit the ball as far as I did at the Ryder Cup. The adrenalin rush makes golf so much fun. That said, having played that course, and a few more tour courses, I appreciate the task ahead and look forward to the challenge."
While Kim's main aim this week is to make the cut, the Surrey-born golfer will also have his work cut out for him after the event, with his English GCSE exam taking place just three days after he touches back down in the United Kingdom.
"I'll try to forget about them for the time being and then focus on them on the flight back," he joked. "I am trying to revise but it's quite tough! My schedule is quite busy right now."
🗣️ "I've actually got exams!"English amateur star Kris Kim will put GCSE revision on hold after being handed a sponsor's exemption to make his PGA Tour debut in Texas ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/f8wO6V4XDDMay 2, 2024
Kim's crowning moment at last year's Junior Ryder Cup was his stellar showing in the singles which saw him coast to a 5&4 win against esteemed American junior amateur Miles Russell.
Only last month, Russell became the youngest player to make a cut in Korn Ferry Tour history and Kim is hoping to take inspiration from the 15-year-old's achievements.
"He's obviously a really good golfer and he's a pretty nice guy as well so congrats to him," he said. "Hopefully, I can do something similar this week."
Kim tees off in the first round at 9:02 a.m. local time alongside Max Greyserman and Norman Xiong.
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