Si Woo Kim was stung with a penalty on the 6th hole in the first round of The Open Championship.
The South Korean star and former Players Championship winner caused his ball to move while it was sat in the middle of the fairway of this 623-yard par 5 at Royal Troon, the longest hole on The Open Rota.
A referee confirmed to NCG that the ball moved when he addressed it and it was deemed that he had caused it to move. Despite the one-shot penalty, Kim managed to save par by holing an 18-foot putt.
Kim played in a group with former Open champion Collin Morikawa and five-time PGA Tour winner Sam Burns.
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Golf rules: Moving ball on fairway crops up at Royal Troon
Rule 9.4 in the rules of golf is concerned with the ball being lifted or moved by a player. This is used when a player is known or virtually known to have lifted their ball at rest or caused it to move.
This incurs a one-shot penalty. There are exceptions that save a player from a penalty such as when a player is allowed to lift or move it, accidental movement in finding or identifying the ball, or accidentally moving it on the green. You can see more here.
Kim is making his sixth appearance at The Open. His best finish at the event is tied for 15th which came at the 150th edition at St Andrews in 2022.
A four-time PGA Tour winner himself, Kim qualified for The Open via his world ranking through week 21 of the Official World Golf Ranking list.
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