Sung Kang’s Masters Bid Falls Short at Houston Open

PGA Tour journeyman Sung Kang went low, but not low enough, at the Shell Houston Open

Sung Kang introduced himself to many a golf fan with his impressive play at this week’s Shell Houston Open. A spot was available to next week’s Masters to the winner if he wasn’t already qualified and the 29-year-old South Korean appeared in line to grab it.

Friday’s course-record tying 63 on the par-72 Golf Club of Houston put him six shots adrift of the competition heading into the weekend, a stunning feat considering his recent string of starts.

A birdie to open Saturday kept the train rolling for Kang, but his ride was tenuous from there. Rickie Fowler, Daniel Berger and others at the top slowly applied pressure, whittling the unaccustomed Kang’s lead slowly but surely.

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In the end it was Georgia Bulldog Russell Henley who caught and passed Kang for the $1.26 million USD winner’s share. Henley reeled off 10 birdies to erase Kang’s four-shot lead going to Sunday.

Kang still finished solo second for his best on the PGA Tour. He was rewarded with a 98-place jump to No. 104 in the world and $756,000.

Is this the peak for the journeyman or a sign of more things to come for Kang Kong?

Kang’s Background

Sung Kang formerly went by his full name, Sunghoon, but had the media in mind when shortening it back in 2012.

“It’s hard for you guys to say it,” Kang playfully said in a USA Today article. “You guys didn’t even try to say it right, so I changed it for you guys.”

Unfortunately for Kang, who frequently attended Hank Haney camps in Dallas as a teen, his PGA Tour status dropped soon after the second half of his name did.

He had a solid rookie season in 2011, racking up 11 made cuts, six top-25s and three top-10s to place 120th on the money list and secure his Tour card.

Four fewer made cuts in nine more events in 2012 spelled a trip to the Web.com Tour where he languished until 2016.

Kang wasn’t dominant in many categories in the 2015 Web.com Tour season. He was inside the top 100 in virtually every statistical category, though, and showed an ability to go low with the tour’s best eagle/birdie streak (seven holes in a row).

He never won in his Web.com Tour stint and his only professional wins are on the Korean Tour.

Similarly to 2011, Kang hung on the peripheries of the top-125 money list in 2016, earning 110th at season’s end without ever seriously contending in an event with a T8 at Riviera his only top-10.

He did have rounds of 64 at Bethpage Black and a 60 at Pebble Beach last season, further demonstrating his aptitude to randomly catch fire.

Is This Week’s Showing Sustainable?

What was working well for Kang this week? The putter, especially through Friday when he sunk over 300 feet of putts in the first two rounds.

Everything was falling with the TaylorMade Spider putter added to the bag this week.

Kang also hit 30 greens and 21 of 28 fairways. To shoot 16-under in two rounds, you have to be pretty sharp overall.

He didn’t exactly sputter the next two days with a one-under weekend. Relative to par, we’ve certainly see contenders fare much worse.

Still, six birdies in the last 36 holes aren’t enough at a tournament requiring aggressiveness all four days.

Kang managed 11 greens in regulation and eight of 14 fairways hit Sunday. No longer accompanied with a hot putter — he was 1.155 in strokes gained putting Sunday compared to 6.888 on Friday — Kang’s lead died a slow, painful death.

Still tied with six holes to play, Henley made his charge while Kang was grinding for pars like it was the US variety of Opens, not Houston.

From the looks of it, Kang is a talented player able to go low, at least before the weekend hits. The Golf Channel’s Curt Byrum mentioned Kang underwent some swing changes, which appear to be paying dividends.

This was his most intense scenario on the PGA Tour sleeping on the lead for two nights. His closest prior call was a T3 at the 2011 Children’s Miracle Network Classic.

Unless you’re a freak like Tiger or Rory, Tour pros usually have to deal with a little heartbreak before winning.

The sum of the parts could make Kang a potential winner on Tour someday. At 29, he’s still got plenty of miles left on the tires.

I’m not expecting majors to come his way. He’s only played in two. With that said, an alternate or weak field win looks feasible.

Follow my lead and bet the farm on Kang to win this year’s Barbasol Championship in July! A new era is beginning.

Next: How to Watch This Year's Masters on TV

What are your impressions with this week’s runner-up, Sung Kang? Will this open the door to an eventual Tour win or is he another flash in the pan? Let us know in the comments or @progolfnow on Twitter.