Tom Kim Issues Statement On Broken Locker Incident After Genesis Championship Near-Miss
The PGA Tour golfer said that he had no intent of breaking the locker door following defeat to Byeong Hun An at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea.
PGA Tour player, Tom Kim has issued a statement on social media following reports that he broke his locker at the DP World Tour’s Genesis Championship on Sunday – moments after losing in a playoff to fellow South Korean, Byeong Hun An.
The 22-year-old was in contention for the 13th professional title of his career at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea but missed a birdie putt to close the deal in regulation and ended up in a playoff with An.
Following a perfect drive down the par-5 18th, Kim made a mess of the remainder of the hole and walked off with a bogey as An carded a birdie to secure the title.
However, the Korean posted on Monday to clarify the situation and explain what he felt had occurred.
Kim said there had been a lot of “false reporting” about the incident and felt it was important that information came directly from him. He said: “After the loss, I was frustrated, yes absolutely… but I can assure you with absolute truth that I had no intent of damaging any part of the locker – not a single bit.”
In Yonhap’s original report, it had said Kim could have been facing disciplinary proceedings over his actions, but the three-time PGA Tour winner denied those claims and insisted the matter had already been dealt with.
He continued: “I addressed it with the DP World Tour and the KPGA right after the incident saying that the door came off. We had to fully pull it off due to safety reasons, I also let them know that I was willing to pay all expenses for the damage.
There has also been much talk of discipline, or lack of it. I mentioned it to the tour right after the event. In my case, I apologized for making a mistake and offered to compensate the losses, and the case was shut down immediately after.
Kim proceeded to bring his statement with gratitude for support messages and apologized āwith all his heartā to anyone, he may have failed.
The young star has encountered a rather frustrating year by his account; his initial loss this season after making a professional debut back in 2018. Kim has now been beaten in two playoffs this year; the first came at The Memorial with a loss to Scottie Scheffler in 2024.
Apart from failing to record another victory through chess, Kim has also been associated with two other incidences this season. Recently he found itself entangled in controversy over some poor ethical behavior at Presidents Cup where he accused Team USA of ācursingā the International players.
That particular incident came a couple of days after Kim and playing partner Sungjae Im were caught on camera engaging in their own act of disrespect, namely deliberately walking away from the green before their opponents had finished playing.
And before the Presidents Cup, Kim had590 punched a green with his putter after a furious tantrum at the fedex st Jude championship shortly before his pga tour season ended in bitter disappointment, he came 51st and failed to make the BMW Championship.
The Korean could not be seen in the next competitive event until the Grant Thornton Invitational before Christmas when paired with Thai LPGA Tour star Jeeno Thitikul at the Tiburon Golf Club and The Ritz Carlton between the December 12 to 15.
