Tom Kim will not defend his maiden PGA TOUR title as he WD’s due to injury

Tom Kim recently announced that he will be withdrawing from the Wyndham Championship.

Kim was just 20 years old when he won his first PGA Tour event. Last year in August, he was exceptional in the final round to earn his first win in the Wyndham Championship- by five full strokes, no less. The South Korean has accumulated 11 Tour wins so far, but his 12th won't come in a repeat effort.

Kim announced that he's withdrawing from the Wyndham, citing ankle issues. Per Golf Digest, he said:

“I am very gutted to not be able to defend my first PGA Tour win. I am still having a hard time with my ankle, so I am getting the treatment I need to heal completely.”

Kim injured his ankle in the Open Championship, where he battled through the pain to finish T2 with a seven under par showing. It was an excellent showing, but it likely cost him a chance to repeat as the Wyndham Championship winner.

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Tom Kim doesn't regret playing through pain

Despite the ankle injury undoubtedly getting worse, Tom Kim doesn't regret pushing through the pain to end up finishing second in the fourth and final major of the year. He said:

"Obviously coming down the stretch of a major when you're playing well the adrenaline kind of hits and makes sure you're kind of in it. It was kind of nice to almost forget about it a little bit, because when you're in the moment you don't really think about it. I think today was probably the best it's been out of the three days, so kind of relieved.”

Tom Kim played through a major injury

There are just two weeks remaining before the FedEx Cup Playoffs and the golfer is 14th in the FEC standings and 17th on the OWGR leaderboard. Despite the injury causing him real issues, he was happy he didn't withdraw per ESPN:

"I'm kind of glad I didn't. It actually lasted better today. I took off my cast and kind of saw and it actually got a lot better, which was really nice to see."

He added:

"It's very, very satisfying. It's been tough at times this year. ... Seeing golf courses that I haven't been to, hitting a huge learning curve, it's been kind of frustrating a little bit."

It has been a big year for the young golfer, who has performed very well overall. Unfortunately, an injury will prevent him from playing for the time being. A Wyndham Championship executive said via the PGA Tour:

“We totally understand Tom’s decision to be 100 percent healthy before he plays again... He has a long career ahead of him, and taking care of his body is the right call. We wish him all the best for a quick recovery and a great run in the FedExCup Playoffs.”

Tom Kim will hope to rehabilitate and return when action resumes for the St. Jude Championship on August 10.