Cal Golf: Michael Kim Cracks Top-100 in World Ranking for the First Time

Kim finished in a tie for sixth place Sunday at The American Express event at La Quinta.

Fresh off a tie for sixth place at the American Express golf tournament at La Quinta, Cal alum Michael Kim woke up Monday to the news that he has cracked the top-100 in the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career.

Kim, 30, becomes the fourth Cal alum in the OWGR top-100, joining Max Homa (No. 7), Collin Morikawa (No. 12) and Byeong Hun An (No. 41).

This isn’t easy. There are a lot of talented professional golfers out there who don’t even have a clear view of the top-100.

Two other ex-Cal golfers, both skilled pros, are far back on the list. James Hahn, 42, is ranked 334th in the world. Brandon Hagy, 32, is No 805.

That doesn’t sound like much? Consider that, according to the website golfplayed.com, there are more than 66 million people worldwide who play golf, nearly 25 million in the U.S. alone. A report by golfaddict.com says the global number is about 80 million.

By those figures, Hagy is among the top 0.001 percent of golfers on the planet.

Michael Kim hits his tee shot / Photo by Andy Abeyta, The Desert Sun

So for Kim, getting to No. 100 should feel special.

Born in Seoul, South Korea but a U.S. citizen, Kim in 2013 became the first Cal golfer to win national player of the year honors when he was given Jack Nicklaus Award. He tied for 17th as the low amateur at the U.S. Open that year and turned pro a few months later.

His one victory on the PGA Tour was the 2018 John Deere Classic. But he had a pretty good season in 2022-23, despite missing the cut at both the U.S. Open and British Open. Kim was fifth at the Puerto Rico Open, tied for fifth at the Wyndham Championship, tied for sixth at the Charles Schwab Challenge and seventh at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Last weekend, he assembled rounds of 65, 63, 70 and 65 on the par-73 Nicklaus tournament course at La Quinta Country Club to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place at 25 under.

Kim won $310,800, pushing his career earnings above $6 million and lifting him to No. 33 in the early FedEx Cup standings. His world ranking leaped 19 spots.

Nick Dunlap, 20, a sophomore at the University of Alabama, captured the tournament,  becoming the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since 1991. Dunlap shot four rounds in 29-under par, including a 12-under 60 on Saturday, when he carded 10 birdies and an eagle.

Cover photo of Michael Kim by Andy Abeyta, The Desert Sun

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo