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Tom Kim issued an apology for damaging a locker at the 2024 Genesis Championship on the DP World Tour in his home country of South Korea. Following a playoff defeat at the hands of Byeong Hun An, Kim took his frustrations out on a locker leading to speculation that disciplinary action was in order.
On Monday, the 22-year-old took to social media as a means of clearing the air and provide more details regarding the situation.
“There has been a lot of speculation about the incident after my round yesterday at the Genesis Championship in my home country,” Kim posted. “There has been a lot of false reporting, and I wanted to clean things up. It’s important that the information comes directly from me, openly and honestly. After the loss, I was frustrated. Yes, absolutely, but I can assure you with absolute truth that I had no intent of damaging part of the locket not a single bit.
“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 out due to safety reasons, [and] I also let them know that I was willing to pay all expenses for damage. There has been speculation about disciplinary action. I spoke to the Tour immediately after the incident. After my apology and offer to pay damages, the matter was considered closed.”
Kim entered the final hole of the Genesis Championship with a one-stroke lead over his playing partner, An. With An making birdie to draw even, Kim faced an 8-foot birdie chance to secure his first worldwide victory in over a year. Narrowly lipping out, Kim’s missed putt meant he had a date with An for extra holes where he ultimately fell to his fellow countryman and recent Presidents Cup teammate.
It has been an eventful few months for Kim as his antics have resulted in more headlines than his play. Last month, Kim called out members of the U.S. Presidents Cup team for cursing at him during the competition in response to his on-course celebrations. This came after the St. Jude Championship where Kim drew criticism from social media for damaging a green and not repairing it.
Kim similarly apologized following both incidents.
