For Chan Kim, the opening-round 64 at Dye’s Valley Course meant more than a strong start at Q-School. The 35-year-old Arizonan is fighting to retain his PGA Tour card after two seasons. Speaking to Golf Channel a few hours ago, Kim reflected on what the past month has been like for him. His daughter, Jenna, was born last month and had a lot of fluid buildup when she was born. Her condition was severe, potentially fatal. Kim had just missed the cut at the WWT Championship in Cabo when he got the call from his wife, Sally. At the time, Jenna only had a 30% chance of survival.

“So that was a very emotional time for us. It helped me golf-wise because I wasn’t even focused on golf when I got to play Bermuda and RSM. I finished the round and tried to call the wife to see how the daughter’s doing and how she’s doing. And so, it helped in the golf aspect, but life was a bit stressful,” Kim reflected.

Kim also admitted to struggling with his golf swing before all of this happened. He was just trying to go out and shoot a number on the course, as he was ranked outside of the top 100 to keep his card for next year. Surprisingly, after everything he had been through that week with Jenna’s health, Chan Kim was able to deliver at the Bermuda Championship and the RSM Classic the following weeks. He finished tied for 22nd and tied for 41st, respectively. Luckily, those finishes helped him have enough points to play at the final stage of the Q-School.

Fast forward to this week, and Kim shot an incredible 64 on the opening day and is now tied for 6th after two rounds in Florida. But it was probably because Chan Kim is more relaxed now, as Jenna is finally home and is doing well.

“I really contemplated not playing the last two events and just saying, You know what, I’ll just try and go to Q school and try and give myself a chance there. Just because you know my life, as I said, we were all emotional. I felt like I needed to be there for the family…” Kim continued telling the Golf Channel.

But it was his wife who gave him the push and confidence. She told him their daughter is doing well and is being looked after by the best NICU team in Phoenix.

“So that kind of put my mind at ease a little bit, and getting updates every day. Good news as well has definitely helped. And I mean, to be able to get back on the PGA tour after this week would be absolutely amazing…” he added.

Chan Kim has two more rounds to go at TPC Sawgrass, and only the top five earn full PGA Tour status for next season. But the question now shifts to how Kim ended up back at Q-School and how the past two seasons brought him to this pivotal week.

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How did Chan Kim find himself fighting for a PGA Tour card again?

Chan Kim played on multiple Tours before setting foot on the PGA Tour. He carved a name for himself on the Japan Golf Tour and the Asian Tour. Then, in 2023, after winning two back-to-back events on the Korn Ferry Tour, he secured his PGA Tour Card for 2024 by finishing 2nd on the points list.

And in the first full season on the PGA Tour, Kim did fairly well. Though he missed cuts in 8 out of 27 events he played, he also had three top-10 finishes that season. He finished 94th for that season and kept his card for 2025. Luckily, at the time, the PGA Tour allowed the top 125 on the points list to retain their cards for the following season.

But things weren’t as good this year.

Kim struggled with his form and missed nearly 16 cuts this season. Even with two top-10 finishes, Chan Kim couldn’t earn enough points, and he finished 113th in the rankings. And since the PGA Tour decided that, from 2025, only the top 100 get to retain their Tour cards for the following year, Kim missed out.

Now, that long road has brought Kim back to the final stage of PGA Tour Q-School. With two rounds left and far more perspective than he had a month ago, Kim has one last chance to earn his way back to the PGA Tour.