Tom Kim takes Tiger Woods' advice on prize money: "I don't care how much I earn"
Joohyung "Tom" Kim won his first PGA Tour event last week at the Wyndham Championship, but he didn't care about how much money was in his bank account afterwards.
Joohyung "Tom" Kim has a bright future in the game and he revealed some advice that was once given to him by the 15-time major winning legend Tiger Woods.
Speaking to SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio, Kim said that when Woods secured his first victory on Tour at the Las Vegas Invitational in 1996, he told him that he didn't even look at how much money he earned.
Woods turned down between $700 and $800 million to join the LIV Golf Tour, so we are very much aware that the 46-year-old is only interested in legacy and not money.
This message has resonated with Kim. After completing a five-shot victory at Sedgefield Country Club last weekend, the 20-year-old told the PGA Tour Radio that he hadn't looked at how much money he'd won. He banked $1,314,00 for his maiden Tour victory.
"I didn't even check how much I won. I don't even know how much I'm going to get. I do not care because I found out that Tiger never checked how much he earned ever," Kim said.
Joohyung (Tom) Kim has not checked his bank account since winning the Wyndham Championship. Tom explained why on #HittingTheGreen!#TomKim | @TigerWoods | @WyndhamChamp | @JasonSobelTAN | @ESPNCaddie pic.twitter.com/DZYBSTce0h
— SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio (@SiriusXMPGATOUR) August 9, 2022
"I asked him a long time ago, 'Do you know how much you made at that first win in Vegas?' and he was like 'No'. He didn't, he had no idea and I thought about, you know what, I play golf - this is always going to follow if you do well, and it's great to support the family and everything, but if I can just play good then everything else is going to take care of itself.
"I haven't checked how much I've earned, I'm not really interested in how much is going to come in. I'm just happy to be out here on the PGA Tour."
This mentality which Kim and Woods share has also been publicly mirrored by the likes of Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm who prioritise trophies and legacy over prize money.
This concept has never been more relevant to the golfing landscape than it is now. The players who have chosen to join the LIV Golf Tour have supposedly shown the opposite of Kim's approach to his career.
The South Korean became the youngest non-American born player to win on the PGA Tour since 1923. If he is to rise up the FedEx Cup standings and continue his fine form in 2023, prize money certainly won't be an issue.
