Missing his first Masters Tournament in nine years was painful for Si Woo Kim that winning this week’s RBC Heritage may well be the healing therapy to put him back in the right mood.

The South Korean star produced a sublime 7-under 64 at Harbour Town on Friday to charge into tied second place on 10-under, two shots back of 36-hole leader Justin Thomas in the US$20 million PGA TOUR Signature event.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (70), who is tied sixth on 8-under, and fellow major champions Collin Morikawa (66), Brian Harman (69) and Wyndham Clark (70), all on 7-under, are amongst the heavyweights chasing Thomas, who added a 69 to his opening 61 to lead on 12-under.

Kim, a four-time PGA TOUR winner, was peeved he missed the trip to Augusta National for the first time since 2017. “I got so much frustrated last week watching the Masters, but somehow I got to move on. So I’m just trying to focus this week,” said the 29-year-old, who entered the week on the back of two missed cuts in Texas.

“I was kind of pressured like before two weeks to the Masters. I knew I played last eight years at the Masters. I don’t want to miss it this year, but somehow a lot of pressure on the Texas swing, so I didn’t make it.”

The likeable Kim is trying to use his frustration to ignite his game which has yet to fully light up this season. He is still without a top-10 through 11 starts but has registered four top-25s. While his ball striking has been solid, Kim’s bane has largely been on the putting greens this year where he ranks 140^th in Strokes Gained: Putting. He has dabbled between the broom-handle putter and short putter, which he is using to great effect so far this week as he ranks second through 36 holes.

“It was a good round. And then I wasn’t feeling really good, but somehow I kind of figure out on the golf course, so kind of played good iron shots. I’ve got to more figure out my golf shot but it feels very comfortable. Yeah, we got two days more,” he said.

He produced a glorious eagle after firing a 276-yard approach to five feet on the par-5 5^th hole to go along with six birdies and a single bogey to haul himself onto the leaderboard. In 2018, Kim lost in a playoff at Harbour Town to Satoshi Kodaira of Japan, hence he has an old score to settle.

“I’ve been playing good here before, so I like it. You don’t have to hit it far on this golf course. Even short hitters can play, which is why I like it,” he said.

“I wasn’t feeling good even at the start of yesterday. Driver feels like scary when I’m on the tee. Kind of worried too much. If I hit it good, it’s just go, go, go and look at the pin and not worry about anything. This time, I just worry about pretty much everything. Just a bit more conservative play today.”

Second-Round Notes – Friday, April 18, 2025

Weather: Mostly sunny. High of 74. Wind SSE 10-15 mph, with gusts up to 20 mph.

Second-Round Leaderboard

Justin Thomas (1^st/-12)

• After tying the RBC Heritage 18-hole scoring record in the first round, posts 2-under 69 and holds a two-stroke lead
• Holds 14th career 36-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR and first since 2022 Farmers Insurance Open (finished T20)
• 6-for-13 converting 36-hole lead/co-lead to victory on TOUR (most recent: 2019 THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES)
• First-round leader seeks to become the first 18-hole leader/co-leader to win on TOUR this season
• Making his 250^th start on the PGA TOUR and 59^th since most recent victory (2022 PGA Championship)
• Has the most TOUR wins (15) and is one of seven past FedExCup Champions (2017) in the field
• Two top-10s in six starts at the RBC Heritage (T8/2020, T5/2024)
• Making his 10^th start of the season, with runner-up finishes at The American Express and Valspar Championship
• Enters the week No. 11 in the FedExCup and No. 8 in the Official World Golf Ranking

Miscellaneous Notes

• With 7-under 64, Si Woo Kim (T2/-10) records his career-low score in 28 rounds at the RBC Heritage (previous: 65/R2/2018) and his lowest round on TOUR since the 2024 Baycurrent Classic (64/R4); marks his 25th career round of 7-under or better in his 880th career stroke-play round
• 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard champion Russell Henley (T2/-10) cards 3-under 68 in the second round, his ninth straight under-par round at the event; seeks to become the second multiple winner on TOUR this season (Rory McIlroy: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, THE PLAYERS Championship, Masters Tournament)
• England’s Tommy Fleetwood (T4/-9) seeks first PGA TOUR win in 153rd start and owns five runner-up finishes on TOUR (most recent: P2/2023 RBC Canadian Open); would become the 15^th first-time winner of the event and first since C.T. Pan in 2019
• World No. 1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler (T6) sits four shots back after 36 holes; seeks third successful title defense on TOUR (2023 WM Phoenix Open, 2024 PLAYERS Championship) and to become the first player to successfully defend a title at the RBC Heritage since Boo Weekley in 2008.