Tom Kim has muddy time of it at PGA Championship and the moment goes viral
Tom Kim had an interesting first round of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club.
By Thomas Schlachter, CNN
(CNN) — After a golf shot goes wrong, amateur golfers know the feeling of hunting through bushes and wading through mud all too well.
It’s a familiar sight to see a friend return from their ball-gathering adventure covered in whatever terrain they were trawling through, but this is not so frequent an occurrence in the professional game.
During the PGA Championship’s first day, however, Tom Kim made everyone feel a little bit more at ease with their golfing ability as he went through this rite of passage.
On the sixth hole, Kim hit a wayward shot and went to look for his errant ball.
When the world No. 19 came back into view of the cameras, he was hilariously covered in mud.
“Once my foot went in, there was no looking back,” Kim explained to the tournament’s live broadcast. “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.”
Making more use of the local environment, Kim then opted to have a bath in the water at Oak Hill Country Club.
“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.”
Kim didn’t manage to find the ball he was desperately searching for in the end, but he did say that it’s always worth looking.
“I’m fighting for every single stroke,” he explained. “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.”
Upon finding out videos of his muddy search had gone viral, Kim’s reaction was equally as entertaining.
The South Korean phenom could not stop laughing as he covered his face and crouched to the floor in hysterics.
Kim finished the day three-over after shooting a round of 73.
The-CNN-Wire
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