Unfortunately for Byeong Hun An, a fair share of the attention following his win at the Genesis Championship went on Tom Kim and how he reacted after missing out in the play-off in South Korea.
Tom Kim came within a putt of winning the Genesis Championship in Incheon. In fact, the 22-year-old clearly thought that his putt on 18 was about to drop before it lipped out and set up a play-off with Byeong Hun An.
Unfortunately for Kim, a bogey in the play-off would allow An to secure his first win in nine years on the DP World Tour. And it seems that the youngster could not prevent his frustration from boiling over upon his return to the locker room.
It was reported that Kim had broken his locker and was facing disciplinary action. Unsurprisingly, he had offered to cover the costs of fixing the locker. Kim would then issue a statement to present his side of the story, insisting that he had no intention of breaking the locker. And he suggested that the situation had been blown out of proportion.
Tom Kim defended after breaking his locker at the Genesis Championship
The problem for Kim is that he has issued a couple of apologies now. Kim apologised to Jim Furyk after some comments made at the Presidents Cup, while Kim also expressed some regret for damaging a green at the St Jude Championship.
It is obviously not the best look for Kim to make three apologies in one season. But speaking on Golf Today, Matt Adams believes that some of the criticism has gone over the top.
“My perspective on it is that everybody needs to chill out. Tom Kim is 22 years old. Did he slam his locker too hard? Obviously, yes, he did. But the effort to label him a problem child I think is also too much too,” he said.
“He’s an athlete, he was upset, he did something stupid and he said he was sorry. We watch athletes all the time throw helmets and fling bats and that’s the street cred of passion, right. We literally have a phrase in golf called trunk slamming.
“If you think Tom Kim is the first to loosen the screws on a locker door, go sit with a few of the old timers that Eamon was talking about. I remember Arnold Palmer telling me a story that after throwing a golf club, Tommy Bolt chided in if you’re going to throw a club, you have to throw it in front of you, so you can pick it up on your way.”
What golf needs to accept about Tom Kim
Golf absolutely needs characters who are potentially flawed. Ultimately, anyone who has played the game knows what it is like to lose their cool on the golf course. So it is ridiculous to be judgemental of Kim at his age.
You would imagine that he will calm down in these moments as he gets older, particularly if he goes on to realise the full potential that he has.
It would be a shame if every single player acted robotically on the golf course. Golf needs players like Tom Kim – and needs to accept that he will sometimes cross the line.
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