Michael Kim credits 24-YO pro golfer for helping him get a potential invite to The Masters

Michael Kim finished tied for 28th at the Valspar Championship, which could be crucial in his bid for the Masters. By finishing relatively high, he helped his OWGR rank, which is going to play a role in who does or does not get invited to Augusta National.

The only reason he was in a position to finish that well was because of Neal Shipley's final shot. Shipley bogeyed the final hole he played, and that opened the door for Kim to put in a performance that equaled a top-30 finish.

With how vital ranking points are to those on the fringe, Kim thanked the 24-year-old golfer for his slight gaffe that paid major dividends. He posted on X:

"When they say every shot counts, they really mean it on the PGA Tour. Thanks to Neal making a timely bogey on his last hole, I was able to put two solid rounds together and finish T-28th. This can be the difference between top 50 for signature events, a potential Masters invite for me, and in the short term 25 FedEx cup points which is not nothing."

Kim said it all affected how he played, and that the margins are "incredibly thin" on Tour. He added:

"The cut is such a big part of the PGA Tour. I actually hit my 7ft putt on my last hole Friday with pretty little care because I was pretty sure that +2 wasn’t going to make it. I’m sure there are players that got too aggressive on the last hole thinking they needed birdie and made bogey instead."

For now, Kim is ranked 52nd in the world. To get into the Masters, he needs to rise to 50 or higher. He's trailing Tom Hoge, Austin Eckroat, Matthieu Pavon and Laurie Canter right now.

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Michael Kim praises Valspar champion

Thanks to a consistent performance across all four days, Viktor Hovland narrowly came out of the Valspar Championship with a victory. Michael Kim, who finished 27 places back of Hovland, praised the golfer.

Michael Kim praised Viktor Hovland (Image via Imagn)

Hovland has been working on his swing a lot, swapping out coaches to try and find what works for him. Kim said he thinks Hovland has inspired everyone else to reconsider their own situations.

He posted on X:

"Viktor Hovland is just supremely talented. I don't know if he realizes how many guys he has influenced to make swing changes to a bowed left wrist hitting pull cuts. I’ve talked to at least two or three players (including me!) that tried that because of how good and free he looks hitting the ball."

Michael Kim joked that the swing Hovland uses now is not to be tried at home since it's a very challenging one that so few, himself included, have been able to pull off.