Chan Kim opened the final stage of PGA Tour Q-School with a leading 6-under 64 at TPC Sawgrass’s Dye’s Valley Course on Thursday. The 35-year-old looked more relaxed than he has in months—and for good reason.
Just a day earlier, Kim’s newborn daughter, Jenna, had finally gone home from the hospital for the first time.
Kim’s fall season took a dramatic turn in early November after missing the cut at the World Wide Technology Championship—his 12th trunk slam in 15 starts. He received a call that his wife, Sally, had been rushed in for an emergency C-section, three weeks before Jenna’s due date. Despite hopping on the first plane back to Phoenix, Kim missed his firstborn’s arrival.
The situation was far more serious than just an early delivery. Jenna was born at approximately 10 pounds, with over two pounds of that being extra fluid from hydrops, a potentially fatal condition involving widespread fluid buildup in body tissues and organs. Doctors initially gave her just a 30-percent chance of survival, and she was immediately admitted to the NICU.
“Very emotional the first two weeks,” Kim said. “Doctors didn’t know if she was going to survive, which in turn just put us under a lot of stress. I was so focused on that that nothing else really mattered at that point.”
With his daughter fighting for her life, Kim made the tough decision to continue pursuing his job security. Sitting well outside the top 100 in FedExCup points after barely keeping his card as a rookie the previous season, he flew to Bermuda the day before the tournament.
His start wasn’t promising—8 over through his first 11 holes. But something changed in his approach.
“I said, you know what, I’m just going to go out, hurry up and play some golf, get back in and call the wife, see how the baby’s doing,” Kim explained.
Earlier in the year, Kim’s mind had been clouded with swing thoughts. Now, with his heart back home, he simply focused on completing his rounds quickly so he could FaceTime his wife. The simplified approach worked. He rallied for a T-22 in Bermuda, then finished the fall with a T-41 at the RSM Classic, highlighted by bookend 66s.
He still finished 130th in FedExCup points, but it was enough to secure his exemption into final stage Q-School, where he has one last chance to retain full Tour status.
In recent weeks, Kim has split his time between the golf course and hospital. He proudly mentioned he’s already changed a diaper, and more importantly, Jenna’s condition improves daily. Her labs look great, and she’s just finishing medication for a minor blood clot in her heart.
“Everything else is looking really good as of right now,” Kim said. “She’s home, so that’s always a good sign. Now the fun begins.”
Kim arrived in Ponte Vedra Beach on Sunday to prepare for Q-School. He’s no stranger to qualifying tournaments, having successfully navigated them in Asia, Japan, Europe and on the Korn Ferry Tour a few years ago.
“I’ve got to find a way to make diaper money at least,” Kim quipped. “Hopefully, I keep playing well this week.”
His first round featured several lengthy birdie putts, including a 40-footer at the 11th hole. He kept a clean card while building a one-shot lead over Greyson Sigg and a two-shot advantage over Michael Feagles, A.J. Ewart and Luke Gutschewski, who are tied for third.
Everyone at Q-School is fighting for their livelihood this week, but few have Kim’s perspective. For him, “golf isn’t everything” has taken on new meaning. Still, he’d love nothing more than to bring home another Tour card—this time for Jenna.
