Why World Number 41 Tom Kim Hasn’t Qualified For The Truist Championship
The three-time PGA Tour winner is one of the big names not present for the sixth Signature Event of 2025, with Kim instead listed in the Myrtle Beach Classic field


Following on from a number of exciting tournaments and big name winners, the sixth Signature Event of the 2025 PGA Tour season gets underway at Philadelphia Cricket Club, but one recognized name has surprisingly not managed to qualify.
The Truist Championship will see the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele present, but fellow PGA Tour winner, Tom Kim, hasn't qualified for the event and is, instead, listed in the opposite field tournament, the Myrtle Beach Classic.
Kim missed the cut in his last tournament, the CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Missing The Sentry at the start of the season, Kim then played in the next three Signature Events - AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Genesis Invitational and Arnold Palmer Invitational.
This week, the Truist Championship takes place alongside the Myrtle Beach Classic and, given the talent Kim possesses, it was surprising to see the 22-year-old listed in the latter's field.
There are various ways that players can qualify for the $20 million Signature Events, but Kim was unable to fall into any of the various categories available.
Firstly, the top 50 in the prior season’s FedEx Cup standings qualify for the Signature Events, but Kim finished 51st in the FedEx Cup and 59th in the FedEx Cup Fall.
What's more, those inside the top 30 of the Official World Golf Ranking can qualify, but the South Korean has seen his position in those standings drop from 23rd to 41st throughout 2025.
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Rory McIlroy returns to Truist Championship to defend his title
There is also the AON Next 10 and AON Swing 5 rankings. These work by the current FedEx Cup standings and, as of writing, Kim is 78th on that leaderboard.
In terms of players who qualified for the Truist Championship via the Aon Next 10 (top 10 players on the 2025 FedEx Cup standings through the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, not otherwise exempt) were: Andrew Novak, Maverick McNealy, J.J. Spaun, Justin Rose, Daniel Berger, Michael Kim, Nick Taylor, Ben Griffin, Lucas Glover and Min Woo Lee.
There was a chance that Kim could qualify via the Aon Swing 5, but instead Erik van Rooyen, Garrick Higgo, Sam Stevens, Michael Thorbjornsen and Rasmus Hojgaard punched their tickets to Philadelphia Cricket Club.
The last few ways to qualify are by winning a PGA Tour event during the season, something that Kim hasn't done yet, or by a sponsor's invitation. However, these went to Rickie Fowler, Keith Mitchell, Jordan Spieth and Gary Woodland.
Kim's best result of 2025 came at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Kim's best finish of 2025 came at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, where he finished in a share of seventh.
Aside from the one top 10, the three-time PGA Tour winner's second best result was T36th at the Valspar Championship, with Kim missing four cuts in 11 starts.
He will be one of the favorites at the Myrtle Beach Classic, though, where Chris Gotterup cruised to a six shot victory in 2024. Like Kim, Gotterup will also be among the favorites, as the tournament gets underway on the 8 - 11th May.

Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover news and social media.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. His favorite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: Ping G430 LST 15°, 19°
Irons: TaylorMade P.7CB
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
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