Clayton State University Athletics

Following an impressive professional playing career, Kim joined the Lakers as an assistant coach in 2012, served as the interim head coach in 2014-15 and was promoted to head coach in July 2015.
 
CLAYTON STATE (2012-PRESENT, HEAD COACH/ASSISTANT COACH)
In his first season in the permanent role in 2015-16, Kim led the Lakers to a third place finish at the Armstrong Pirate Invitational (2/23) and a tie for third place at the Montevallo Fall Invitational (9/15).
 
Redshirt-freshman Jack Clark would be key to team’s performance at the Pirate Invitational as he delivered a runner-up finish, shooting a four-under par 212 with a low round of 68. The latter was the best round of the season by any Laker and came over the final 18 holes. At Montevallo, it would be redshirt-freshman Michael Bakker leading the way as he finished fifth out of a field of 48.
 
The program’s most impressive accomplishments that season, however, came from junior Keith Egan. After finishing tied for 15^th out of 93 of the best golfers in the country at the South/Southeastern Regional Preview (3/1) he would go on to become just the fifth student-athlete in program history to be selected to play in the NCAA Division II Tournament as an individual.
 
That honor was extended to just 32 players nationwide and four from the Southeast Region. Egan would go on to finish tied for 32^nd out of 108 golfers at that tournament with a 75-75-75-225 outing. That performance helped fuel a Division II PING All-Southeast Region Team selection that followed All-Peach Belt Conference Second-Team honors.
 
Kim’s elevation to permanent head coach the previous summer followed a year in which he guided Clayton State to the highest finish in the Peach Belt Conference Championship since 2009, doing so on an interim basis.
 
During that 2015 campaign, the program finished 4-of-12 as a team at the Championships while shooting a 294-286-580 in a rain shortened tournament, a mark that ranks as the second lowest two-day tournament score in program history.
 
In 2014-15, the team’s performance was fueled by a pair of All-Peach Belt Tournament honorees in Alex Vetnar and Egan. Vetnar finished second overall with a 71-68-139, one stroke off the eventual champion, while Egan was tied for fifth at 70-71-141.
 
It is only the third time in program history that the Lakers have had two All-Tournament selections in the same year, and the first since the 2009 team won the PBC Championship.
 
The team finish also marked the third straight top five performance at the PBC Championships, all while Kim has been on staff.
 
In 2013-14, he was a part of a staff that produced the first NCAA Division II Regional Tournament appearance since the 2009 team. The club would go on to finish 14th in the highly competitive Southeast Regional with a three round score of 899.
 
That squad was led by PBC Player of the Year and All-American Fredrik Lindblom. Both of those honors were the first since 2009 when Will Wilcox and Wade Binfield were both All-Americans and Wilcox was the Player of the Year.
 
In Kim's first year with Clayton State, Tyson Beaupre tied for ninth at the PBC Championships with the team finishing 5-of-11 with a 306-290-294-890. During the year, the Lakers were ranked 30th in the nation by GolfStat.
 
PROFESSIONAL PLAYING EXPERIENCE (1996-2012)
Prior to coming to Morrow, Georgia, Kim played professionally on a number of tours. From 2008-12 he competed on the eGolf Gateway Tour. In his first season (2008), he tied for third in both the Spring Creek Classic (June 18-20) and the River Hills Open (July 16-18) before notching a sixth place tie at the Greater Richmond Open (June 3-5) in 2009.
 
He has also played in 86 tournaments on the NGA Hooters Tour since 2005, finishing in the money 62 times and averaging 70.82 strokes. Kim experienced tremendous success in just his second tournament, winning the Michelob Ultra Classic at Royal Lakes (March 14-20).
 
In 2006 he would post three straight Top-10 finishes at one point and deliver four runner-up outings over the next two seasons. His 2009 season would be highlighted by a fourth place tie and sixth place tie within a month's time. Among his career achievements on the tour are the 2005 NGA Hooters Tour Championship and being the 2006 NGA Hooters Tour points leader.
 
Kim began his pro career in 1996 on the Tear Drop Tour and it didn't take very long for him to be successful. Just two years into his professional career, he earned the 1998 Tear Drop Tour Championship.
 
COLLEGIATE PLAYING EXPERIENCE: NC STATE (1994-95)
Prior to embarking on a 16-year pro career, the native of Jonesboro, Ga. competed collegiately at Division I power North Carolina State for longtime coach Richard Sykes. During his time in Raleigh, North Carolina, Kim was very accomplished.
 
In 1994, while a member of the Wolfpack, he competed in the U.S. Amateur Open Championship, claiming Medalist honors with a score of 132. He also shot a first round 64 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Verde Beach, Fla. That is something that only four others have accomplished.
 
Kim delivered his best season in 1995, becoming just the fifth Atlantic Coast Conference Individual Champion in program history. He put forth a 70-68-70-208 performance in the Championships and is still just one of six to accomplish the feat in that program's history. As a team, NC State finished third in the NCAA Division I East Regional, with Kim placing seventh as the team's highest individual finisher.
 
That season also earned him All-ACC honors and just the 16th All-District/All-Region selection by a member of the Wolfpack. During his career he earned a pair of victories, including the 1995 ACC Championship at the Old North State Club (New London, N.C.) and International Intercollegiate.
 
He is also tied for the 12^th most wins in program history as of 2016 and his single season stroke average of 73.67 set in 1994-95 is tied for 11^th in team history. He also ranks in the Top-10 among the program’s individual low rounds over 36 holes (T5^th, 138, 6-under) and 54 holes (T 4^th, 208, 8-under), both of which were set in 1995.
 
EDUCATION
Kim is a 1995 graduate of North Carolina State University.