Kim Joo-hyung (21), who is active on the PGA Tour, had a Christmas party at the home of golf star Jordan Spieth (30) last December.
Spieth was traveling with Kim Joo-hyung on a private plane at the time and asked him, “What are you going to do for Christmas?” When Kim Joo-hyung answered, “My parents are going to Korea, so I don’t have much to do for Christmas,” he immediately invited him.
Kim Joo-hyung also had a birthday party with world No. 1 Scotty Scheffler (27) last June. The two have the same birthday, June 21st. 먹튀검증사이트
The two were close friends even before Kim Joo-hyung joined the PGA Tour, and it is known that Scheffler plays the role of Kim Joo-hyung’s older brother.
Prior to this, in February, Kim Joo-hyung invited Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Max Homa to a Korean restaurant and enjoyed a Korean dinner ahead of the opening of the Genesis Invitational held in Los Angeles, California, USA.
The reason Kim Joo-hyung, a rookie who debuted on the American stage in the second half of last year, has established himself as a ‘core insider’ (slang for an insider who gets along well with others) on the PGA Tour in just one year is his round appearance and personality, And it’s thanks to friendliness.
Kim Joo-hyung’s connections are not limited to golf. He was invited by Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League and developed a friendship with soccer star Son Heung-min.
Kim Joo-hyung is also interacting with NFL’s top star Tom Brady as well as swimming star Michael Phelps.
Kim Joo-hyung, ranked 11th in the world, has already won three times at the age of 21.
In a recent interview with JoongAng Ilbo, Kim Joo-hyung said, “I enjoy tense situations. “He wants that moment and practices for that moment
so I think he was able to concentrate well even in crisis situations and the results were good.”
However, not everyone who has outstanding skills can become a ‘nuclear insider.’
Kim Joo-hyung is called ‘Tom Kim’ in the United States. He gave his American name ‘Tom’ because he loved the trains from the animation ‘Thomas and Friends.
At the time of his American debut, he even painted the Thomas the Train logo on his wedges.
Kim Joo-hyung has lived abroad since he was young, so he speaks English well. He is also good at telling American jokes.
Kim Joo-hyung’s family said, “His language skills were not particularly outstanding, but he was lively and good at imitating words from a young age.”
Kim Joo-hyung joked, “If there’s one thing he’s better than Woods, it’s that he knows both Korean and English.”
We asked Kim Joo-hyung about his secret to being close friends with top players. He said, “I have so many questions.
He’s curious about what the top players are thinking, so he thinks he should ask when he gets the chance, and he keeps asking every time.
Then the top players responded kindly. “During the conversation, I felt like we had a lot in common, so I think they viewed us favorably.”
In fact, Kim Joo-hyung tends to have a lot of questions. At a press conference held ahead of the opening of the CJ Cup in October last year, he sat in the press box and asked Rory McIlroy,
How was the success you achieved at such a young age?” Then McIlroy said, “The most important thing for someone who succeeds at a young age is time management.
There will be many things that will tempt you in the future.”
Last year, Kim Joo-hyung wore the word ‘RADAR’ engraved on his wedges. He imitated Justin Thomas, who has excellent wedge skills.
Kim Joo-hyung said, “A few years ago, when I saw the letters engraved on Thomas’ wedges, I thought, ‘I should do it too.’
He was always very interested in top golfers,” he confessed. Thomas joked, “I might have to file a bill against Kim Joo-hyung for trademark infringement,” but he didn’t seem to dislike it.
21-year-old professional golfer Kim Joo-hyung’s immediate goal is the Olympics. Kim Joo-hyung said, “I want to win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics next year.
A bronze or silver medal would be nice, but I think it would be annoying to stand on the podium and hear another country’s national anthem.
If I win a gold medal, won’t Korean fans be more interested in golf? In the women’s division
Inbee Park won the gold medal, but there was no such player in the men’s division. “I will work harder to win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
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