PGA Tour star Michael Kim has claimed that golf stars’ wives have a big say on which tournaments their husbands play. In the controversial claim, the American player suggested that some of his rivals will pick events based on the ‘influence’ of their partners.
Fans have often wondered how players decide which tournaments they want to play in. It is often a case of them deciding their favourite courses and considering their past performances.
The local culture and significant landmarks might also play roles in helping stars decide where they wish to play. However, Kim insists that it can sometimes be as simple as players being influenced by their wives and family.
He also claimed that some tournaments have taken action to make their events attractive to players’ families. That could help them persuade golf’s top brass to play.
“Players choose which tournaments to play based on a variety of factors,” Kim wrote on X. “Course, past performance, the city, vibe, etc, all pretty regular stuff.
“But something not as obvious is that wives can have a big influence. Some wives tell the player that he needs to add a certain tournament to the schedule whether he likes the place or not lol.”
He added: “Savvy tournament directors make sure the wives are really well taken care of with activities and events to make the tournament as attractive to everyone in the family not just the players.
One fan asked Kim which tournaments do the best job of making their events inclusive for the players’ families. The 31-year-old World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico, the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles and the Procore Championship all apparently tick the boxes.
He responded: “Usually, the world wide tech open in Cabo (used to be Cancun) does a great job with activities for the family. LA tournament, Napa all do a great job. It’s changed over the years as tournament directors and sponsors have changed.”
Kim is hugely popular on social media and is known to interact with his followers. He provides regular updates and behind-the-scenes snippets of life on the PGA Tour.
