Bombshell Announcement: PGA Tour star breaks golf’s unwritten rule and ‘should be penalized’
Tom Kim ended the FedEx St Jude Championship in a tie for 50th at one-under-par, and took out his frustrations on the green when missing a putt in the final round
Tom Kim has been criticized by golf fans after after missing a putt in the final round of the on Sunday.
Kim failed to make his mark in the first FedEx Cup playoff event, ending the week at one-under-par, 16 shots behind champion Hideki Matsuyama in a tie for 50th. Things could have been even better for the South Korean star, who looked good during the final 18 holes at TPC Southwind.
Kim played the first 15 holes on Sunday in four-under-par, having gone bogey-free in the early stages, making four birdies on his way round, looking set to secure his place in playoff No. 2 at the BMW Championship.
A chaotic finish ruined the 22-year-old’s final round card though, as he made a bogey and two double bogeys in his final three holes, finishing six, six, six. Even before his dreaded ending though, Kim let his frustrations get the better of him, after missing a birdie putt at the par-four 12th.
After seeing his attempt roll just by the hole, the South Korean star is seen hitting his putter into the ground, causing a small divot in the putting surface, just a few feet away from the cup. Kim then proceeds to tidy up for his par, before appearing to make his way off the green.
Unsurprisingly, the golfing community did not take kindly to Kim’s mini outburst, slamming the youngster on social media. Having watched the incident on X, one fan called on Kim to be handed a penalty for his actions, tweeting: “[He] should be penalized.”
Another user then weighed in on the argument, commenting: “Do that and you’re done. Go home,” before a third went on to add: “Deserves a fine.” A fourth fan added: “Golf is a game of etiquette hate to see it.” Whilst it appeared Kim failed to repair his dent, reports have suggested that his caddie did attend to tidy up the mark.
Kim did manage to re-compose himself though, as he went on to make a birdie at the par-four 13th a hole later. His round – and season – soon imploded though, as his first blemish came at the par-five 16th, a hole he had birdied in two of his previous three rounds across the week.
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Having found the bunker twice down the 511-yard hole, the South Korean eventually two-putted to make six. Clearly frustrated, Kim headed to 17, before things got much worse. Despite finding the fairway, errant approaches and a three-putt saw him make the first of two double bogeys.
The second came at his final hole of the week just minutes later. This time it was his work off the tee to blame, as Kim attempted to take on the water hazard down the left, but failed. His penalty drop then saw him miss right of the green before a chip and two putts saw him sign for a one-over-par 71.
His errors down the stretch proved costly too, as it saw him agonizingly miss out on one of the 50 places on offer at the week’s BMW Championship, the penultimate event of the PGA Tour season.