Tom Kim’s frustration appears to have reached its peak on Sunday following a playoff loss to Ben An at the DP World Tour Genesis Championship in his native South Korea.
Kim, a week after missing the cut at the Shriners Children’s Open, where he was a two-time defending champion, holed a putt on the 72nd hole to win the event, but it fell short, and he and his fellow star the international Presidents Cup, Ben An marched to the playoffs.
In this playoff, An made a birdie and an error on Kim’s approach shot into the par 5 green resulted in a bogey, giving An his first victory in 9 years.
It is then that, according to Korean media YonhapKim retreated to the locker room, where his frustration was taken out on a locker door, shattering it.
🚨😬🇰🇷 #PHOTO — After losing the Genesis Championship in the playoffs yesterday, frustration boiled over for Tim Kim, breaking down a locker room door. Kim apologized to the KPGA and offered to pay for the damage, but disciplinary action is also being considered, according to @YonhapNews pic.twitter.com/nJvQVQLgX4
– NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) October 28, 2024
The Korean PGA Tour, which co-sanctioned the event, plans to pay Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea for damages and will ask Kim to cover those costs. They are also considering options for disciplinary proceedings against Kim, according to the report.
On Monday, Kim released a statement on her Instagram account, apologizing for her actions and saying the matter was considered closed after speaking with DP World Tour and KPGA officials.
Kim won the KPGA Player of the Year award in 2021, also having the highest earnings and lowest scoring average that year. It was in 2022 that he made his debut on the PGA Tour, winning the Wyndham Championship and then the Shriners Children’s Open in the space of three months.
This story has been updated to add new information.
This article was originally published on Golfweek: Tom Kim apologizes for damaging his locker after Genesis Championship loss
