Asian Tour Yearbook - 2022

as just the third player from the United States to win the Asian Tour’s Merit title since 1995, following Mike Cunning (1997) and David Lipsky (2014). While the successes of his two American predecessors were largely based on consistency (Cunning didn’t win a single tournament en route to his coronation), Kim’s triumph was a testament to his fortitude and refusal to cave in when the going got tough. At various stages of the season, Kim’s ups-and-downs were illustrated in huge swings in his scores. His breakthrough triumph at Black Mountain began with a 62 and ended with a 63. On day two, though, there was a 72. Away from the Asian Tour the discrepancy in scores was even more pronounced, never more so than at the LIV Golf Invitational A golf swing is like a condition of your body … it keeps on changing. That’s why it’s so difficult to be consistent in this game. SIHWAN KIM Boston. Feeling the after-effects of a bout of COVID, he began with an 87. The next day he returned a 63. Kim himself found it difficult to pinpoint the problems that afflicted his game. In a brutally honest self-assessment, he said: “I had one of my first wins with the best ball-striking of my life … and then it just kind of felt downhill from there. “I can’t possibly tell you what happened, and why it happened. A golf swing is like a condition of your body … it keeps on changing. That’s why it’s so difficult to be consistent in this game. “When you’re missing it both ways, it’s hard to even hit a safety shot, especially with the degree of how much I was missing it by. If it’s 20 yards right or left, you can still think of putting a safety shot in your game, but I was missing 40-50 yards on both sides. “You just can’t work on a safety shot when you’re hitting it that wild. No matter how soft you swing, it’s going to come out weird.” Conversely, when he was driving the ball well, Kim was a strong contender, as evidenced by his thrilling birdie barrages in the International Series Thailand and Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge. Indeed, it was his performances in Thailand that were to prove pivotal in enabling him to win the Order of Merit crown. In four appearances there he won twice, was joint second (Royal’s Cup) and equal 10th (Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup). Those four events alone contributed US$452,575 to his coffers – more than 70% of his entire Asian Tour earnings for the year. Given that remarkable record in the Land of Smiles, it was entirely appropriate that Sihwan Kim ended the Asian Tour’s 2022 season sporting the broadest grin of all. Sihwan Kim (ABOVE) on a different kind of range at Slaley Hall, venue for the International Series England.