South Korea’s Si Woo Kim claims 4th PGA title by winning the 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii 

Si Woo Kim stole the spotlight on Sunday in Hawaii, clinching the 2023 Sony Open. The South Korean star claimed that he had nothing to lose, so he played aggressively, and with a shot on the 17th hole, the star golfer managed to register his lead at the championship.

Kim started the day aggressively for the championship, and a two-putt birdie at 18 from 42 feet helped him leave the green with a trophy.

Hayden Buckley had a two-shot lead in the tournament on Saturday, defeating overnight leader Chris Kirk. However, in the final round, the table turned in Si Woo Kim's favor, and he hit a shot of 6-under 64 in the fourth round. Kim registered a one-stroke victory over Hayden Buckley.

Si Woo Kim, who married earlier in December, was accompanied by his wife and LPGA star golfer, Ji Hyun Oh. Speaking about the tournament while his newlywed wife was cheering for him, Kim said:

"Feel like we're on a honeymoon because we came here early last week."

Si Woo Kim revealed that he played with the mindset of enjoying the game rather than focusing on winning. Fortunately, his technique and patience on the course contributed to his victory. He said:

"Just play the golf."

He went on to say:

"My game was a little down, like at the end of the season, but I think that kind of like gave me momentum."

With the win, Si Woo Kim clinched his fourth PGA Tour victory. Having turned professional in 2012, Kim has won five professional events so far. However, he is yet to win a major tournament.

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"I knew he made it" - Si Woo Kim opens up about Hayden Buckley's birdie on the 16th hole

Hayden and Chris had a neck-to-neck competition at the 2023 Sony Open. However, on Sunday, things changed unexpectedly.

Si Woo Kim made three birdies on the first three holes and joined them in the race to clinch the trophy. He made a bogey on the sixth hole, followed by a birdie on the seventh, a bogey on the eighth, and a birdie on the ninth hole.

Hayden missed shooting birdies and bogeys on nine consecutive holes. He returned to the competition with a bogey on the 11th hole and shot a birdie on the 12th.

His impressive birdie on the 16th hole allowed him to return to the game. Just when it looked like the game was returning to Hayden's hand, Kim answered it with a birdie on the 17th and then hit a birdie on the 18th. Speaking about the turning moment and Hayden's shot, Kim said:

"Right before that, I heard the noise, I knew he made it. It was a tough lie — into the grain — so I had to be aggressive, and I had nothing to lose, and it went in."

Si Woo Kim won $1,422,000 in prize money from the purse of $7,900,000. With the second-place finish, Hayden took home $861,100 in prize money, followed by Chris Kirk, who earned $545,100.