Tom Kim could join likes of Tiger Woods by pulling off rare three-peat at 2024 Shriners Children’s Open

The initial comparisons to the greatest of all time may have been a bit premature, but Tom Kim finds himself with another opportunity to join the elite company of Tiger Woods this week at the 2024 Shriners Children’s Open. Looking to claim his third straight title at the tournament, the 22-year-old could become the fourth different player since the turn of the century to accomplish such a feat.

It was in Las Vegas a season ago where Kim added a feather in his cap by becoming the youngest player since Woods to win three times on the PGA Tour. The year before, it was once again at the Shriners Children’s Open where Kim’s name fell alongside that of Woods as his victory made him the first player since Tiger to win twice before the age of 21.

Kim is far from the first player not named Woods, who did so on six separate occasions, to put himself in position for a three-peat at a single tournament. Stuart Appleby was victorious at the season opener in Kapalua from 2004-06, and Steve Stricker won three straight John Deere Classics from 2009-11.

No one has been successful since Stricker, however, and we only need to look back to this past year when Kim’s good friend, Scottie Scheffler, had an opportunity down the stretch of the WM Phoenix Open to win three in a row but ultimately fell short. The good news for the world No. 1 is he will have another go at a three-peat in 2025 when he sticks a peg in the ground at The Players Championship in March.

Others top players like Rory McIlroy (RBC Canadian Open), Sam Burns (Valspar Championship) and Viktor Hovland (World Wide Technology Championship) faced the same challenge and similar unfortunate outcomes. While Kim may not yet have the résumé of his peers quite yet, he may actually have the best opportunity to go back-to-back-to-back. Here’s why.

Three-peat tournament winners since 2000

Unlike the other, Kim’s potential claim at history would come outside the PGA Tour’s regular season. Hovland’s attempt in the fall a couple years back was during the wrap-around season era, while McIlroy, Scheffler and Burns (plus K.H. Lee at the AT&T Byron Nelson) had chances during the regular season.

Kim enters this week as the sports betting tournament favorite, according to BetMGM (grab a BetMGM promo code here), in a field that is — to put it bluntly — seriously lacks star power. The second rendition of the FedEx Cup Fall has made it so the top names in the game can kick their feet up and enjoy a real offseason before the calendar flips to the new year. In their place, those who finished outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings vie for status in signature events while those near the top 125 cut-off point battle for full-time membership on the PGA Tour.

Sure, there are PGA Tour winners from this past year in the field at TPC Summerlin such as Davis Thompson, Taylor Pendrith, Cam Davis, Austin Eckroat, Nick Taylor, Matt McCarty and Jhonattan Vegas; however, former tournament staples and champions like Patrick Cantlay and Sungjae Im have no external motivations (outside of money) forcing them to play, so they do not.

Meanwhile, Kim has plenty after finishing this season No. 51 in the FedEx Cup in large part because of a disastrous bogey-double bogey-double bogey finish in the final round of the first playoff event. Not only that, but he may have a little extra to prove after a Presidents Cup performance that was high on theatrics, high on quality play but low on points as he compiled a 1-2-1 record in a losing effort for the International team.

With everything seemingly in his corner and a path to the winner’s circle wider than those before him, Kim should have no issue charting his course. If he does so successfully, it’ll mean another trophy on his mantle and another connection to Woods.