Staff WriterMichael Kim picked a fine time to remember what winning felt like. On Sunday evening at the FedEx Open de France, the American produced a closing stretch that could have been scripted by Hollywood—or at least by a sadistic golf coach—before walking away with his first DP World Tour title.
Kim birdied the 16th, rolled in another on the 17th, and then pulled off a Houdini act on the 18th. After burying his ball in the front bunker, he needed an up-and-down for victory. Out came a nervy splash, leaving him 16 feet away.
Somehow, the putt behaved itself, threading the middle of the cup like it had nowhere else to be. Cue pandemonium, and cue Kim, grinning like a man who’d just stumbled across a forgotten wallet stuffed with cash.
“I haven’t won a tournament since 2018 at the John Deere Classic and I really wanted to put on a good showing here this week,” Kim said afterwards. “I’m just so happy and grateful that I was able to come out with the victory.
I’ve had a really good year on the PGA TOUR this year. This feels like the perfect cherry on top and I hope to continue this throughout my career.”
Heartbreak for the Home Crowd
The French galleries had been dreaming of a playoff thanks to Jeong weon Ko, who whipped up a storm of his own with a dazzling 65, featuring not one but two eagles.
That charge lifted him a staggering 75 places up the Race to Dubai Rankings, securing his playing rights for 2026. But Kim’s stone-cold save at the last meant Ko’s 15 under total was one shy of the mark.
The runner-up spoils were shared between Ko and Australia’s Elvis Smylie, who had the misfortune of being Kim’s playing partner during his bunker-borne theatrics.
As for third-round co-leaders Min Woo Lee and Brooks Koepka, both fizzled late. Koepka, a man who usually stalks majors like a shark, limped home on the back nine in one over par and settled for solo fourth at 14 under.
A Long Time Coming
For Kim, this wasn’t just any victory—it was his first anywhere in over seven years. Not since that runaway win at the 2018 John Deere Classic had he hoisted a trophy.
His final-round 65 at Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche was flawless: an opening birdie bomb from nearly 40 feet, more gains at the seventh, ninth, and 10th, and the kind of steady composure that would make a surgeon jealous.
The late fireworks made all the difference. With his birdie on 17, Kim overtook Ko, setting up the grandstand finish. What looked like a stumble in the sand quickly turned into the defining moment of his career reboot.
“To be honest I felt like I hit a decent bunker shot,” Kim admitted. “That green slides away so much that I knew it was going to be quick and it just didn’t run out as much as I thought. Elvis (Smylie) gave me a decent look from the side and it somehow stayed pretty straight through the middle and I kind of blacked out when the putt went in.”
Eagles for the Planet
It wasn’t just the players leaving a mark in France. Across the week, 36 eagles were carded, each one adding 25 trees to the planet as part of the tournament’s Eagles for Good campaign with FedEx and the Arbor Day Foundation. That’s 900 trees planted, making this year’s FedEx Open de France a little greener than most.
A Win Worth the Wait
For Michael Kim, the wait has been long, but the manner of this triumph suggests he’s more than just back—he’s ready for another chapter.
Seven years in the wilderness ended with one clutch swing of the putter in front of a crowd that wanted anything but. Golf, as ever, doesn’t give a damn about sentiment.
