NAPLES, Fla. — Jeeno Thitikul and Tom Kim are having a blast playing as partners at the Grant Thornton Invitational. Few others in the 16-team, mixed-gender event are high-fiving, fist-bumping and laughing as much as the pair of 20-somethings, and that light-hearted attitude seems to be paying off as the team, who Thitikul has dubbed “Tom and Jerry” after the animated television show, are in contention at Tiburón Golf Club.

Thitikul and Kim kicked off their week in Naples, Fla., with a 10-under 62 in the scramble format on Friday, making eight birdies and an eagle on the par-5 14th hole at the Gold Course to sit four shots off the pace heading into the second round. The Saturday foursomes saw the Thailand and Republic of Korea natives come out swinging, as the pair carded one bogey and nine birdies to post an 8-under 64, a round that saw them set a new tournament scoring record for foursomes at the Grant Thornton Invitational.

They raced out of the gate with a birdie on the par-5 1st hole to quickly move to 11-under total, picking up another birdie on the third hole to move to 12-under. Thitikul and Kim then recorded back-to-back birdies on the par-4 7th and par-3 8th holes to ultimately finish the front nine at 14-under overall.

After parring No. 10, the team birdied 11 to climb to 15-under, but they gave that shot right back with a bogey on the par-3 12th hole. The duo grabbed another pair of birdies on 13 and 14, and Thitikul then holed a bunker shot on the par-3 16th hole to give the partners their eighth birdie of the round, a shot that was definitely the highlight of Tom and Jerry’s day and one that got a great reaction out of Kim.

“I was like, I've had enough,” said a smiling Kim in a post-round press conference. “She's done so much the whole day, capping it off with a hole-out over there.”

Thitikul and Kim followed that up by nearly eagling the par-5 17th hole, ultimately settling for another birdie that moved them to 18-under overall. The pair then parred the last hole to close out their impressive 64, a day-two effort that moved them into solo second with 18 holes of modified four-ball left to play in Naples, Fla.

“We really had fun today,” Thitikul said. “I know Tom said just like 4-under should be good for the alternate shot, but I was like, I don't worry about alternate shot because I know that you're going to hit it good. My job is just hole the putt, I guess. He hit it really good today. He had like a foot putt for me and really short putt for me, easy putt, so that's it.”

Jeeno Thitikul and Tom Kim

Kim agreed with his partner about the solidity of their round and was pleased with how they performed in what can be the most difficult format of the week at the Grant Thornton Invitational. “Alternate shot is a very, very tricky format,” he said. “You can go low, as we did today, but also can go the other way, too. You've got to rely on putting your partner in a good spot and making sure you don’t feel that burden. It's just golf.

“Definitely I think both of us are feeling comfortable with each other. She (was) gonna putt a lot today, so I definitely did concentrate a little bit on putting my golf ball where she could make putts. I can only do so much, but she delivered.”

Comfortability has been key for Thitikul and Kim throughout the tournament, and that ease mostly stems from the relationship that they’ve had since they were young kids aspiring to play professional golf. Kim felt like the depth of their friendship really helped them succeed in foursomes, in particular, as they were able to just shrug off a bad shot and not stress too much if they put their partner out of position.

“I think the big thing is, we've known each or for such a long time, so it's kind of normal golf,” Kim said. “We're not feeling any pressure towards one another. We're going out there and having fun. I think the comfortability, it makes especially alternate shot so much easier. You definitely don't want to feel uncomfortable putting your partner in a spot. I think just President Cups, Ryder Cups, Solheim Cups, when you pair yourself up, stats play a role, but also being comfortable with your partner is such a big thing.”

Adding to their team chemistry, Thitikul and Kim are also one of the only partnerships that have consistently donned matching outfits, choosing to wear the same color throughout the week to encourage team synergy, something that few others have done at the GTI. Thitikul has mostly taken the lead on that planning, calling Kim in the days leading up to the tournament to figure out what she should pack so the pair could be “matchy matchy” while competing in Naples, Fla.

And even though the duo were reluctant to share what color they’d be sporting in the final round at Tiburón Golf Club, trying to keep their final round outfits a bit of secret, Kim ultimately provided a hint that gave away the big reveal.

“I'm sure if you look at past photos, on Sundays, I always wear the same color,” he said. “I told her you can pick any other day, just allow me to wear my Sunday outfit.”

There are 18 holes of modified four-ball on deck on Sunday, a format that will need both partners to perform at their best if a number deep in the red is to be carded. Considering that they blitzed the Gold Course in the Saturday foursomes with an 8-under 64, going low in the final round shouldn’t be too much of an issue for Thitikul and Kim, who will be keeping the good time rolling on day three as they work to hoist the Grant Thornton Invitational trophy in their Sunday blue.

Team Tom and Jerry Jump Into Contention After 64 in Saturday Foursomes at Grant Thornton Invitational

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