PGA Tour debutant, 16, reveals genius way of handling nerves

Kris Kim said he relied on his caddie's jokes to help him handle the nerves on his PGA Tour debut. 

The 16-year-old British schoolboy has put studying for his GSCEs on hold to compete in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch.

Undoubtedly, the highlight of his opening round saw him chipping in for eagle at the last to match the same three-under par total as home favourite and three-time major winner Jordan Spieth. 

England's Matt Wallace set the pace with a bogey-free 63 but all the talk, as you can likely appreciate, was on how Kim would fare in Texas.

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His mother, a former LPGA Tour player, offered him some last-minute words of advice. 

"She told me at the end of the day it's just hitting a golf ball around," he said. 

"On the first couple of holes the nerves were definitely there, but as we got on it was just playing golf. 

"It was pretty fun. I made a lot of birdies but a couple of bogeys in there as well. I think overall I played really well."

Kim mare par on the opening hole and sunk a 15-foot putt for birdie at the next. 

It didn't take him too long to settle in and it was his short game that stood out the most.  

PGA Tour statistics showed he ranked second amongst the field in that department. 

"I would say my short game is my strength, but I just got lucky a bit today," Kim said. 

Kim now has a real chance of making the cut. 

So how is he handling the nerves? "Just make jokes with the caddie," he said. 

Who tells the jokes? "Usually him," Kim said. 

Kim begins his second round at 8.12pm GMT alongside US duo Max Greyserman and Norman Xiong. 

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