Tom Kim had golf fans on edge after what he did during the first round of the Sony Open at Waiʻalae Country Club in Hawaii.
The Sony Open is Kim’s first PGA Tour appearance of 2025 after he wasn’t in the field for The Sentry at Kapalua’s Plantation Course. Hideki Matsuyama won the season opener in record-breaking fashion.
Kim is two under after carding a 68 on Thursday, four shots back of a six-way tie for the lead. With many predicting a big 2025 for Kim, the South Korean will be looking to start his season well before the Tour heads back to the West Coast.
Why Tom Kim made golf fans anxious during day one of the Sony Open
Kim – ever the entertainer – had golf fans on edge during his opening 18 holes. Playing the par-five 18th, the South Korean opted to tee his ball within inches of the cube-shaped Sony branded marker.
This wasn’t just a peg in the ground; it was a substantial object that would have caused damage had he or the ball made contact. Kim’s drive found the right rough before he hit a layup and eventually made five.
Golf fans, however, found it hard to watch the 22-year-old hit his tee shot from such an obscure position.
“This is no way I would tee it up there,” this fan wrote. While another said: “Keep your eye on the ball…… don’t look at the blue cube. Don’t look at the blue cube.”
This fan sarcastically added: “When you can’t play a draw to save your life.”
“Me too. I bet he’s still over the ball now. Just hit the bleeding thing, Tom,” another wrote.
“I have nightmares like this,” wrote this fan.
Some couldn’t understand why Kim had teed the ball up so far to the right. “Makes zero sense to tee up right there,” this fan said.
“What gives me anxiety is why are you set up to play a cut when it looks like you better draw it around that corner… but what do I know,” another added.
Where are you allowed to stand when hitting a tee shot?
Although difficult to watch, Kim’s decision to use the tee marker as a training aid or for alignment is entirely within the laws of golf.
Furthermore, you are actually allowed to stand outside of the tee markers and hit a tee shot as long as some part of the ball sits within the edge of the area.
PGA Tour pros regularly tee it up right on the edge of a tee box and hit shots with a marker in between the club head and their feet.
Golfers use the whole tee box in order to make a fairway wider, deal with a dog-leg hole or encourage a particular shot. In Kim’s case, it’s clear he was trying to hit a fade.
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