Just days before the tournament, Michael Kim has unexpectedly withdrawn from the 2026 Farmers Insurance Open. On January 26, PGA Tour Communications’ official X page announced the withdrawal, but did not provide a specific reason. The X post simply disclosed that Kim had withdrawn from the tournament, and Sam Ryder would be competing in his place.
Following this update, Kim reposted this X post from PGA Tour Communication, explaining how he has been struggling with back issues in recent weeks. The golfer stated that he hoped to recover in time for the 2026 Farmers Insurance Open, which is taking place in his hometown. He also stated that this week off is to ensure that his next stretch is healthy. The X post stated,
“I’ve been dealing with a back strain these last few weeks, and I was hoping for it to improve, but it hasn’t. I’m taking a week off to get healthy for this next stretch. Really disappointing to miss my hometown event. I’ll be back next yr.”
The last tournament Michael Kim took part in was the 2026 American Express, which was hosted by the Pete Dye Stadium Course. Unfortunately, Kim was not able to perform that well in this tournament as the golfer missed the cut after three rounds by two shots. He shot scores of 71, 68, and 68, ending with a total score of 9 under par. In the end, Scottie Scheffler eventually won the tournament, and Michael Kim also praised him on X.
Michael Kim compares Scottie Scheffler to Tiger Woods following the 2026 American Express
After his massive win at the American Express, Scottie Scheffler became only the third golfer in history to win 20 PGA Tour victories and four majors before reaching the age of 30. Interestingly, Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus are the only two first-place finishers, prompting numerous comparisons between Scheffler and Woods. Michael Kim did it on his X as well, claiming that while Scheffler is not on par with peak Woods, he is close.
The X post from Kim read,
“Maybe not the peak Tiger years like 2000 or 2006. But Scottie is as good as Tiger amongst every other yr And Scottie isn’t going to change swings drastically throughout his career either. Just gotta avoid cooking from time to time. Some questions about how I feel competing against him. I don’t go into a tournament and think it’s win or nothing. In fact, I only think 3 or 4 players TRULY think this way.”
From here on, the next tournament Michael Kim is going to be a part of will most likely be the WM Phoenix Open, which will be taking place from February 5-8 at the TPC Scottsdale in Arizona.
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