Si Woo Kim

In 2017 Si Woo Kim became the youngest-ever winner of the Players Championship at 21, beating Ian Poulter and Louis Oosthuizen by three when ranked 75th in the world.

It was his second PGA Tour victory – in 2016 he finished five clear of Luke Donald at the Wyndham Championship after posting a second-round 60 – and the three-time Presidents Cup player has had two more since then, but none since the 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii, where he closed with back-to-back rounds of 64.

Kim earned his place at Royal Birkdale in December after finishing third at the Australian Open, where three qualifying places were on offer as part of the Open Qualifying Series.

He tied for 15th at St Andrews in 2022 and memorably made a hole-in-one at Royal Troon's 17th hole in 2024.

Aged 17 in 2012 he was the youngest player to survive the PGA Tour qualifying school, but he could not join the circuit until his next birthday. Two years later he was the second youngest winner – behind Jason Day – on the Web.com Tour.