Relegated LIV Golfers Sihwan Kim and James Piot are hoping to set up their run back to the lucrative league with some momentum over the coming month - culminating at the LIV Golf Promotions event in December.
Both are teeing it up at the penultimate event of the Asian Tour's season - the BNI Indonesian Masters - and will play the weekend courtesy of sitting on three-under after Friday's rounds were completed.
Kim - formerly of Iron Heads GC - and Piot, an ex-member of HyFlyers GC, ended up in the LIV Golf drop zone along with Ripper GC’s Jediah Morgan and Smash GC’s Chase Koepka following a poor year form-wise.
The Seoul-born golfer's struggles are a world away from the impressive golf he played in 2022 - quality which secured him wins at the International Series Thailand and in the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge. As a result of his success that year, Kim ultimately claimed the Asian Tour Order of Merit and a lucrative place among the inaugural LIV Golf League.
But fast forward to the present day, and Kim admits he is not even thinking about winning - it is simply a case of timing his run as bids to clinch one of three golden tickets back to the big time.
Kim said: “I’ve started to play much better, I’ve tried to figure things out, and I found something on the practice round, on the last three or four holes. I tried it out yesterday, it’s a bit of trial and error, but it is much better.
“I hadn’t made a cut in a while and it is always good to play four rounds and get some experience under my belt. I need some confidence, getting to the cut today and making the weekend is important.
“Winning is not really on my mind right now, I just want to the good things I work on at the range to pan out on the course - I’m just concentrating on that and executing my shots.”
After an opening round of two over was neatly recovered by a Friday outing of five under, American Kim sits in a tie for 41st along with the likes of former Team Europe Ryder Cup hero Graeme McDowell and relegated peer, Piot.
Kim's fellow American is also pleased to be gaining some much-needed competitive practice ahead of the LIV Golf Promotions event in Abu Dhabi between December 8-10. Piot shot a level-par round of 71 on Thursday before grinding out a 68 on Friday.
And aside from the rich sums of money being played for in LIV, Piot admitted he would love to make a swift return in order to spend more time around his former captain, Phil Mickelson, who was never far away with a word of advice if required.
Piot said: “Phil was great to me last year, anything that I had a question about he was always happy to help and give me advice. Even when I was sitting there hitting balls he was like ‘hey man have you ever thought about this?’ and stuff like that which is over and beyond what I expected out of him.
“Obviously LIV is world class; no one treats you better than the LIV Golf League, it was amazing how well they treat the players and how much you enjoy the tour so I would obviously love to get back there.”
India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar set the pace after 36-holes with a score of 12-under-par. LIV Golf's Patrick Reed is in third at eight-under.
