Teenage South Korean Golfer Draws Attention on EuroPro Tour

When it comes to the constantly evolving landscape of professional golf, we’re always looking out for emerging talent and potential stars jostling for position under the radar. There are several routes for young players to progress from these days, whether it be through college and the elite amateur system, or via the many satellite tours that exist across planet.

Considering the sheer depth of international golfers venturing to Europe and the United States in search of making their name at the highest level, it can become difficult for an individual to distinguish themselves. However, there is one player worth singling out for attention, following a stunning sequence of results throughout August.

Min Kyu Kim is from South Korea, attached to the Golf Mind Academy. He began to quietly appear prominently on leaderboards across the circuits in the UK this year, before securing his first title on the Jamega Tour last month. Having status on the better known EuroPro Tour – after coming through Qualifying School in April – the young man followed that victory up with two successive triumphs at Caversham Heath and the East Sussex National Golf Resort & Spa.

Now sitting second on the Order of Merit – the top five qualify for the Challenge Tour in 2018 – the Korean looks set to progress onto the second tier of European professional golf. It’s a fine achievement for someone making their way far from home, but you’ll be even more stunned when you discover that this young man is only 16-years-old.

Possessing the most aesthetically pleasing of golf swings – reminiscent of Louis Oosthuizen but with the classic rhythm of Ernie Els – Kim has clear potential to ascend to the highest echelons of the game. Over the past decade, female golfers from Asia and specifically South Korea have dominated the LPGA, and it’s an inevitability that their male counterparts will follow in greater numbers, particularly with golf now looking to be a long-term fixture within the Olympic Games.

However, there are no guarantees, especially when it comes to a player so young. We have seen formidable talents achieve great things as teenagers, but ultimately fail to fulfil that early potential. What is certain, though, is that Kim is a youngster worth following in the months and years ahead. And with that smooth technique, anything is surely possible.

Image Credit: Official EuroPro Twitter Account.