Tom Kim would have hoped all attention was on him come the end of the first day of the 105th US PGA Championship, but likely not for these reasons.
The world no19 sent his sixth hole tee shot into the marsh, and was soon met with what can only be described as an Oak Hill swamp in search of his ball. Minutes later, with the TV cameras rolling, he popped back up over the brow of the hill caked in mud.
Play had earlier been postponed for frost on day one, meaning 15 groups had failed to complete 18 rounds before the light faded, but plenty were entertained by Kim's antics - which ultimately proved fruitless as he failed to retrieve his ball.
Kim was then forced to rinse off in a nearby stream, using a sweater as a towel. When informed the whole episode was caught on live TV, replied: "Are you kidding me? Unbelievable. And all for a ball."
Out of context golf 🤣 pic.twitter.com/HbBP6XzcoN
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The 20-year-old added: “It’s a major championship and I’m fighting for every single stroke. It could be the difference of me having a chance to win on Sunday or making the cut. I was told it was in the mud. And if I’m able to hit a shot, I’m doing everything I can to do it. So I definitely tried. But it was very unfortunate. I couldn’t even find the ball.
“Once my foot went in, there was no looking back. As soon as my foot went in, it was kind of sketchy. I had to crawl, use every part of my body to get out.”
On the follow-up and impromptu bath, Kim said: “It couldn’t get any worse. I was wet enough, so I thought I might as well just go in the water and wash myself off.
“It’s pretty embarrassing. But I wouldn’t change it for the world because I don’t regret anything I did. I think I would have regretted it more not trying to go in there. Every single shot matters so much to me.”
