Bio Kim Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Bio Kim and Taehoon Ok go low to lead Asian Tour International Series Korea

Matt Smith — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 11:29:45 +0000

Bio Kim. Asian Tour

By Matt Smith
There were plenty of reasons for the local fans to get the flags out at the Asian Tour International Series Korea as for homegrown talents held the top four spots at the halfway point of the $1.5 million tournament on Jeju Island.

Bio Kim and Taehoon Ok are tied at the top after two rounds thanks to a respective 63 and 64 on Friday. They moved to 10-under at Lotte Skyhill Country Club.

Hanbyeol Kim signed for a 66 to sit two shots back, while his compatriot Yoseop Seo returned the same score and is one stroke further adrift. Bio made nine birdies and dropped just one shot to put himself in the perfect position to win his second Asian Tour event at the weekend, having been triumphant in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open, also in Korea, in May.

“It is really great having my family here, we are having fun here,” the 31-year-old said. “It’s a family trip which allows me to get away from golf for a bit. I think I was thinking too much the past month, it shows I should do that a little more often.”

Starting on the back nine he quickly found his range with birdies on 11, 13, 15 and 16 before making a bogey on 18: that little hiccup only prompted him to pick up the pace and he made birdies on one, two, four, six and seven.

“My tee shot was a lot better and also my iron game, and obviously I made putts and at the end of the day I made nine birdies. I made a mistake on 18, my ninth today, but I played solid,” he added.

Taehoon Ok. Asian Tour

Ok is looking to win for the first time as a professional and made eight birdies and a solitary bogey.

“I struggled a bit on the second half but hung in there,” said Ok. “I really want to win on the Asian Tour and take my game forward and help my dream of getting onto the PGA Tour. I’m not good enough yet. Plan is to make a success in Korea first and really challenge myself.”

He came close to winning the Korea Open this year and was tied for the lead after the third round but carded a disappointing 75 on the final day and finished joint sixth place.

Ok also a tied fifth in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open to suggest a win this year is not far away.

He added: “It was heart breaking what happened at the Korea Open but I gained a lot of experience.”

Korean Taeho Kim (66), India’s Veer Ahlawat (66) American Trevor Simsby (69), LIV Golf South Africans Justin Harding (70) and Ian Snyman (70), and first-round leader Pavit Tangkamolprasert from Thailand (73) are six-under for the tournament; while India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, who won the Mandiri Indonesia Open for a record third time this month, returned a 65 and is five behind the leader, along with five other players.

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Asian Tour Invitational Series Korea: Bio Kim targeting unique double

Matt Smith — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 07:32:27 +0000

By Matt Smith
South Korean local hero Bio Kim has set himself the goal of finishing top of both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and the Korean PGA Tour ranking this season — and he plans to use this week’s International Series Korea as a crucial stepping stone on that journey.

It will be a bit like a home from home for Bio as this week’s event is being played on Jeju Island, where he won the SK Telecom Open on the Korean PGA Tour in June. The $1.5 million event tees off on Thursday at Lotte Skyhill Country Club.

“It’s going to be a great week on Jeju Island and hopefully, I will have a good result,” said Bio. “I have really good memories of being here in Jeju over the past few years. Of course, I won here recently, and this week is great because I am spending a lot of time with my family, which normally we can’t do as we are on the road.”

Kim is enjoying one of the finest seasons of his career having also won the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May, which was his maiden win on the Asian Tour. He is currently in third place on the Asian Tour Merit list and fourth on Korea’s ranking.

He adds: “I do want to win both money lists although before that I really want to improve my GIR [Greens in Regulation] stats, on both Tours. We will see how it goes for the rest of the year. We just have a lot of tournaments ahead. I just have to keep my head down, do my own thing and hope to see some results.”

He has finished top of the Korean ranking once before, in 2010, a year after he turned professional. That early success prompted him to head to the PGA Tour qualifying school at the end of 2010 where he hit the headlines by making it through at the tender age of 20. His lost his playing privileges there a year later before deciding to mainly focus on playing in Korea.

The 31-year-old says much of his success has been built on a constant desire to continually improve.

He said: “Honestly speaking, I do get nervous and feel the pressure but that’s because I want to play better and better every week and improve myself. I do put a lot of pressure on myself.”

Over the past month he has been working with Korean golf coach Gyutae Kim, who has also coached PGA Tour star and compatriot Sungjae Im.

“I have had some issues with my putting the last month or so. I haven’t been making the putts that I am supposed to, but I am slowly climbing up the mountain. Hoping to see some good results this week,” Bio said.

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Asian Tour International Series Korea: Local hero Kim and LIV Golf’s Koepka cook up a plan

Matt Smith — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 07:11:29 +0000

Chase Koepka, Bio Kim and Travis Smyth dig in ahead of the Asian Tour International Series Korea

By Matt Smith
As some of the Asian Tour and LIV Golf’s big names prepare for the second of the back-to-back International Series in Korea, two contenders are getting the inside track from local hero Bio Kim.

The stars have arrived in Jeju ahead of this week’s International Series Korea and for Chase Koepka and Travis Smyth, the first thing on their to-do list was get the barbecue going with Bio Kim.

The Korean No. 1 took his American and Australian mates out to a restaurant near Lotte SkyHill Country Club, host course of the $1.5million prize-fund event, which starts on Thursday.

The trio tucked into a range of different meats, all under Kim’s expert guidance, falling in love with the kimchi-packed flavour of the South Korean foodie favourite.

“That was maybe the best thing I have ever eaten,” said Koepka, LIV Golf star and brother of four-time major-winner Brooks. “I could eat this every day this week. Let’s hope we can come back here for a celebratory meal on Sunday.”

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Asian Tour: Bio Kim rises to the challenge at Maekyung Open in South Korea

Matt Smith — Fri, 06 May 2022 11:28:52 +0000

By Matt Smith
Home hope Bio Kim lived up to his favourite tag at the Maekyung Open to take a share of the halfway lead on Friday at Namseoul Country Club.

Bio moved to seven-under alongside compatriots Dongmin Lee, the first-round leader, and young amateur Minhyuk Song.

Bio has already won this title in 2012, and looked good to repeat the feat thanks to a three-under-par 68, while veteran Dongmin carded a 70 and Song, only 17, an impressive 66.

India’s Viraj Madappa, inspired by a hole in one, shot a 65 to sit a shot back with Korean Jiho Yang, who returned a 67.

The 31-year-old Bio was quickly into his stride thanks to three birdies on the front nine. He made an unexpected double-bogey on the 13th but confidently bounced back with birdies on the next two holes.

“I felt comfortable out there today and it was certainly inspiring to play in front of such big crowds. We haven’t done that in a long time,” he said.

“It’s great to still be playing at the same level I have been this year and put myself into a good position into the weekend.”

Little-known Song is enjoying playing the finest tournament of his young career. And he is loving it.

“I am now tied first,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been given a whole new opportunity,” he added, referring to a herniated disk last year.

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This Jon Rahm staredown would get him suspended at least one year from the Korean Tour

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 01:29:54 +0000

By Christopher Powers
Jon Rahm has never and will never shy away from showing his emotions on the golf course. While he’s never gone full Bio Kim and flipped a fan the bird, he’s had his fair share of outbursts, though they are usually always directed at himself for his own poor play.

But on Thursday at the Spanish Open, Rahm had a little run-in with a fan behind the sixth tee. Immediately following impact, the fiery Spaniard dropped his club in disgust, turned around, stared directly at whoever angered him and gave him the famous Club Pro Guy stance. Here’s the video captured by Golf Channel:

Your browser does not support iframes.

It’s unclear which fan it was or what they did, but whatever it was it obviously irked Rahm. There were multiple people with phones out filming, but we don’t want to assume.

Our question is, between the club drop, the staredown, the histrionics and the hard club slam into the bag, how long would this get Rahm suspended on the Korean Tour? One tournament? One month? The rest of the year? Luckily, Rahm doesn’t have to find out, and he certainly won’t have to kneel in front of any cameras and apologise.

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Tony Romo’s wild week, Phil Mickelson’s funny chat with Larry David, and my meeting with Tiger Woods(!)

Golf Digest Middle East — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 03:00:22 +0000

By Alex Myers
Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we may never wash our right hand again. Yep, that’s right, it happened. After more than a decade of lurking around Tiger Woods, I finally got an official introduction to the GOAT. And a couple of co-workers were able to document this historic occasion:

No, I won’t reveal what we were talking about. That’s private. I also can’t remember because it was such a blur. But basically, it was just two dudes yucking it up over golf. No big deal. Kidding. It was a BIG deal. And Tiger, I was also kidding about not washing my hand since our encounter. Totally kidding … I swear … so let’s do it again sometime. In the meantime, here’s what else is going on in the world of golf.

WE’RE BUYING

Cameron Champ: I wasn’t expecting the end of the Safeway Open to get me to cry, but there I was tearing up watching a young golfer hug his father in celebration while on the phone with his dying grandfather, PaPa Champ, who got him into the game. What a moving scene. As someone whose own grandfather did the same (RIP Poppa Myers), it hit me about as hard as Champ hits a golf ball.

Daniel Shirey

Speaking of which, Champ became just the eighth golfer in the past 20 years to win a PGA Tour event while leading the field in driving distance and scrambling. And he showed off both those aspects of his game on the 72nd hole with a 369-yard drive down the middle and a beautiful chip to set up his winning birdie.

All the emotions.

The winning moment for @Cameron__Champ and his family @SafewayOpen. pic.twitter.com/FzM6nqokVK

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 30, 2019

That was a special moment, and Champ is a special player. And with the Sanderson Farms rooster to go along with the Safeway Open wine barrel, he’s got quite a special trophy collection already.

Tony Romo: I’ll admit, I thought the Tony Romo PGA Tour experience had worn out its welcome a bit with him accepting his fourth sponsor’s exemption into an event where he had no local ties. But Romo had the sports world talking (Hence, why tournaments keep inviting him) following an opening 70 that put him in great shape to make the cut. Romo beat his first-round playing partners—PGA Tour members Beau Hossler and Michael Gellerman—by a combined 10(!) shots on Thursday. How ‘bout that Cowboy!

Jonathan Ferrey

Of course, his Friday performance, a four-over 76, wasn’t quite as spectacular, but Romo did beat a dozen tour pros even while missing the cut. He returned to his day job for CBS on Sunday, and after watching parts of that Bears-Vikings game he and Jim Nantz were forced to sit through, I can see why the former QB wanted to get out of work so badly.

Rory’s bunker lessons: A couple of weeks ago, Rory McIlroy gave Justin Timberlake a bunker lesson. Now Timberlake is doing things like this:

In a pot bunker. Over a burn. @jtimberlake has game. #DunhillLinks pic.twitter.com/Rdg5ckJU9T

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 26, 2019

Sign me up for a lesson, Rors.

WE’RE SELLING

Rory’s “course setup” complaints: I love Rory McIlroy. I love that he speaks his mind. I just think in this case, he’s not properly representing the whole story. McIlroy roasted the European Tour for its easy setups, but the timing was bad considering he had just finished the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which is a pro-am. A pro-am in which Rory played with his dad, Gerry, who shot a gross 69 (three under) at Kingsbarns!

Ross Kinnaird

Can you imagine being so good at golf that you complain about a course being too easy? Must be nice, am I right? Also kudos to Gerry for carrying his son to a T-1 finish in the team competition. Sadly, the McIlroys lost on a tiebreaker to Tommy Fleetwood and his partner because Fleetwood shot a lower score (64) on Sunday than Rory (67). Way to let your dad down, Rory. Kidding. Sort of.

“Spitgate”: Romo’s score had sports fans abuzz on Thursday, but a shot he hit on Friday wound up setting Golf Twitter aflame. The QB accidentally hit into triple coverage (the threesome in front) on a par 5 with a 3-wood from 278(!) yards to five feet. Then this happened:

pic.twitter.com/X9QPuUNIUA

— Jason Parnell (@jasondean2000) September 28, 2019

Here’s how PGA Tour rookie Kristoffer Ventura explained it:

https://twitter.com/krisventura95/status/1177799074566696962

We’ll take your word for it, Kris. A (OSU) Cowboy wouldn’t do that to another Cowboy.

“Flipgate”: Former PGA Tour pro and current Korean Tour money leader Bio Kim was suspended for three YEARS for flipping off a fan whose cellphone made noise during a tournament he eventually won:

A THREE-year ban, for this! pic.twitter.com/O3HZPueY2s

— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) October 1, 2019

Allow me to echo Ryan’s sentiments. A THREE-YEAR ban for this?! Wow. That is harsh. And how about that photo of Kim kneeling before the Korean media begging for forgiveness? Geez, it’s not like he killed the fan with the cell phone. Anyway, let’s just say it’s a good thing Sergio Garcia doesn’t play on the Korean Tour …

ON TAP

The PGA Tour heads to Las Vegas for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, AKA that tournament Smylie Kaufman won. Man, I can’t believe four years have passed since that. Keep grinding, Smylie. Hopefully, you’ll be back on tour full-time next year.

Random tournament fact: Patrick Cantlay has won and finished runner-up the past two years in Vegas. That’s a lot of money to play with at the blackjack tables.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Someone will spit on Brooks Koepka’s golf ball this week: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds

—Phil Mickelson will win the Shriners Open: 100-to-1 odds (Actual odds. Wow.)

—Vegas casinos will get a boost this week: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Jonathan Ferrey

Again, what a scene. All the best to the Champs during this bittersweet time.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

This compilation of PGA Tour stars hitting tee shots over the corner of the Old Course Hotel on the famed Road Hole is mesmerizing:

Which line are you taking on the 17th hole at the Old Course at St. Andrews? pic.twitter.com/xcHHv0XGvr

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) September 29, 2019

Juuuuust a bit different from this video that made the rounds a couple of weeks ago:

How NOT to play the famous Road Hole at St Andrews… pic.twitter.com/DtFCPBHRSO

— Golf Unplugged (@golfunpluggedhq) September 10, 2019

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“No matter if I win one more tournament, 10 more tournaments, whatever it may be, this will be the greatest moment in my golfing career for sure.” —Cameron Champ

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITY GOLFERS (NOT NAMED TONY ROMO)

Michael Strahan participated in Tiger Woods’ newest charity golf event, the Nexus Cup, and challenged the host to a putting contest on Liberty National’s 18th green. Not only did Woods roll a 20-footer in on his first attempt, but he celebrated as he had just won the Masters. Check it out (40-second mark):

.@TigerWoods is back on top of his game, so @michaelstrahan thought it would be a good time to challenge the golf great to an epic re-match.

The golf legend talks #NexusCup, his legacy and what he wants his kids to learn from him. https://t.co/i9rZzYNwW0 pic.twitter.com/Mz4Zz9fJ7X

— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 27, 2019

That and Strahan arguing with Lawrence Taylor over QB sack supremacy were the highlights of the event. Well, other than meeting Tiger. Did I mention I met Tiger?

THIS WEEK IN PHIL BEING PHIL

Mickelson struggled at the Safeway Open, missing the cut in his first event of the 2019-’20 season, but he really stepped up his game when it came to his latest “Phireside With Phil” video.

Paying tribute to Larry David and all the people who continue to love and play the game – even if their childhood dreams of being a hall of fame golfer were ripped away by a jealous brother. Enjoy this special #PhiresidewithPhil on #TributeTuesday. pic.twitter.com/SoHYgpVbP2

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) September 24, 2019

Larry David?! After playing golf (Would that be called a “Round and chat”?) with the comedic legend? Pretty, pretty, pretty good. Yeah, yeah, everyone else already made the same joke, but I don’t care. The part when they talk about Phil’s Hall of Fame jacket was particularly good. Netflix, pick up this show already!

THIS WEEK IN EDDIE PEPPERELL BEING EDDIE PEPPERELL

"I would actually ban children and have dogs instead."@PepperellEddie never holds back. pic.twitter.com/dWQhm4HjcE

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) September 27, 2019

He should legally change his name to Eddie PeppereLOL.

THIS AND THAT

M.J. Hur won the LPGA’s Indy Women in Tech Championship by four shots at Brickyard Crossing Golf Club. You could say she “raced away with the title.” Get it? Sorry. … Congrats to Victor Perez on winning his first European Tour title at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Perez shot a final-round 70 and still finished (Look away, Rory!) 22 under par. … Five golfers, according to a Reuters report, had their drivers fail tests ahead of the Safeway Open now that the PGA Tour has really started to crackdown. Kinda makes you wonder how many hot clubs have been in players’ bags in recent years. … China’s Yuxin Lin won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, earning an invitation to next year’s Masters. It will be the second trip to Augusta National for the 18-year-old. Impressive. … And finally, Costco had to refund its latest batch of golf balls because they were cutting too easily. Bad job making the balls, but good job reacting by my favourite store. And if they are looking to hire someone for quality control their golf balls, I have just the person:

My daughter needs to start earning her keep at some point.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Did anyone test Tony Romo’s 3-wood?

Is Costco ever going to bring back chocolate froyo?

Should I go for the bro-hug with Tiger next time?

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Former PGA Tour player gets three-year suspension from Korean Tour for obscene gesture during tournament

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 20:36:05 +0000

PAUL LAKATOS

By Alex Myers
A former PGA Tour player has been suspended from the Korean Tour for three years after making an obscene gesture during Sunday’s final round of the DGB Financial Group Volvik Daegu Gyeongbuk Open. Yes, that’s correct. Three years.

According to the AFP, Bio Kim flipped off the crowd and slammed his club in frustration after hearing a fan’s cell phone go off while he hit a shot on the 16th hole. Kim held a one-shot lead at the time and wound up winning for his second KPGA title of the season. After, he apologized for his outburst. Apparently, it wasn’t enough to keep the tour’s governing body from issuing a stiff punishment.

The KPGA reached a unanimous decision to fine Kim $8,350 (Or 10 million won) and suspend him for three years. The tour’s current leader in money and player of the year points will not be allowed to finish the season.

“Kim Bi-o damaged the dignity of a golfer with etiquette violation and inappropriate behaviour,” the tour said in a statement.

On Tuesday, an emotional Kim appeared—and kneeled—before Korean media to apologise in a powerful AFP image circulating the internet.

Gotta be one of the wildest stories of the year: The Korean Tour money leader has been suspended for three years … for flipping off the crowd!https://t.co/S6eUpJzXkZ pic.twitter.com/htPXILKr6z

— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) October 1, 2019

And here’s video of the incident:

A THREE-year ban, for this! pic.twitter.com/O3HZPueY2s

— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) October 1, 2019

A tour pro flashing the middle finger isn’t a rarity, but such a penalty, obviously, is. In August, cameras caught Emiliano Grillo flipping off the hole after missing a putt that would have gotten him into the weekend at the Northern Trust. It is unclear if Grillo was fined because the PGA Tour doesn’t make such info public, but he clearly wasn’t suspended (not that he should have been) because he played in the BMW Championship the following week.

Kim, 29, played on the PGA Tour in 2011 after making it through Q school. He made 25 starts that season, making 10 cuts and recording five top-25 finishes, including a T-11 at the Puerto Rico Open. The five-time Korean Tour winner also spent two seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour.

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