‘I miss the days with no cameras!’ A mud-covered Tom Kim goes viral at the PGA Championship
By Matt Chivers
It was late in the day in the first round of the PGA Championship as players faced a race against time, and daylight, to complete their cards.
And as the sun set at Oak Hill, one player suffered an untimely yet hilarious setback that unsurprisingly went viral on social media.
Tom Kim suddenly appeared on our screens with the bottom half of his body covered in mud, with patches smattered across his white shirt.
The commentary team was in stitches, as presumably were the viewers at home. Kim had been submerged in the penalty area on the 6th hole after an errant drive.
Here is what happened in his words:
“The world has seen enough of it already, but I hit it over in the mud and I was hoping I was able to find it – I was hoping they wouldn’t show this!” he told Sky Sports.
“I thought it was worth finding and as soon as I went in – I was thinking about not going in but as soon as I got my feet wet, it was too late to come back from it.
“I wasn’t able to find my ball and there was a moment where a whole part of my legs were in the mud and I wasn’t able to get myself out for a minute.
“I said to Joe (Skovron, his caddie) I might as well go in the water and wash myself off. I took a bath over there! I thought it would be better than having mud, so I thought it was better for me to wash my pants off.
“The worst thing was, I apologise to Nike, but the shirt was just completely ruined – it wasn’t that bad (cold), but the mud was getting really cold under my feet.
“Once I got out, I was focused on trying to get my shot ready – I’ve had better days for sure.
“I miss days when I played on a tour without cameras!”
Despite the unexpected nature of this incident, Kim was born to entertain on the golf course – and not only with the quality of his game.
The 20-year-old, who has already won twice on the PGA Tour, finished his second nine with three pars with his mud-covered trousers rolled up to his knees.
Kim was one of the fortunate ones to finish his round on Thursday – albeit on 3-over-par.
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
