TaylorMade Signs First European Amateur Golfer to NIL Contract
TaylorMade Golf has made Kris Kim their latest NIL signing, making him the first European amateur to sign an NIL deal with the company. The brand announced their new athlete partner via an Instagram collab post this week with Kim.
Having earned several titles so far in his young career, Kim has shown he has the skills to perform under pressure.
The English amateur golfer had an impressive 2023 where he won the Fairhaven Trophy, McGregor Trophy and British Boys. He also emerged on top of the field at the European Boys Championship where he set a new course record.
The 16-year-old gained wisdom from his mother Ji-Hyun Suh, a Korean legend who was on the LPGA Tour in the 1990s. Suh coaches Kim on his swing and is the one who introduced him to golf at the young age of 5.
“(I) always used to watch her, and then ended up falling in love with it myself,” Kim said.
The NIL signing is a significant accomplishment for Kim, but it certainly isn't the only thing he is celebrating right now. He will be debuting on the PGA Tour at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson this week. Due to Kim being a CJ Group ambassador, he received a sponsor exemption into the event.
The CJ Group sponsors several professional golfers including Si Woo Kim, KH Lee, Byeong Hun An and Sungjae Im. Kim is the first amateur golfer to be sponsored by CJ Group as well.
When Kim steps on to the tee box this week in McKinney, Texas at the TPC Craig Ranch for his first swing on the PGA Tour, he will be using 14 TaylorMade clubs and the company's TP5 golf ball. These selections come after working with the company over the past three years to match his evolving ball-striking skills.
"There is no doubt Kris is among the very best of not just young British Golfers, but junior golfers from around the World. He showed his skills on the big stage during a successful Junior Ryder Cup in 2023 which capped off a very dominant year in junior golf for him. We at TaylorMade are all about using our equipment expertise to help nurture young talented golfers like Kris as they develop skill, speed and power at an increasingly young age and fast pace. We are thrilled to see his success to date and that he continues to put his trust in us and our products,” said Mark Thistleton, Senior Tour Representative Player Development EMEA.
TaylorMade has to be proud to partner with young sensation who was a part of the European Junior Ryder Cup team where he scored 3.5 out of 4 points.
The 2024 year is continuing to bring success to Kim with new signings, the PGA Tour appearance, and being selected to represent England Men's team in the Nations Cup.