"Go and work with the ground staff"- Fans disappointed with Tom Kim after he damaged the greens during the FedEx St. Jude Championship
Tom Kim reached the FedEx St. Jude Championship inside the FedEx Cup Top 50, but was unable to stay there. His poor performance in Memphis complicated his situation heading into the 2025 season.
Kim's frustration grew as the tournament progressed. At one point, he was seen hitting the green with his putter, damaging the turf. The moment was captured on film and shared on social media, sparking a flurry of reactions from fans.
One X user posted the following:
"Ok go and work with the ground staff for a few days cleaning up the course."
Another fan posted this:
"He didn't even fix the divot...Tom Kim bad"
Some fans interpreted the moment in different ways:
"I think people should take his age and how difficult the past couple of weeks have been for him into consideration on this one," one fan posted.
"He should have plenty of time to go fix it, got nothing else to do this week," another user said.
"A generous donation to the grounds crew is needed," another fan wrote.
"Tom seems like a good guy. Forgiven," another user posted.
Tom Kim finished in a tie for 50th place at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in a tie for 50th place at 1-under. This led him to finish 51st in the FedEx Cup standings and missed the top 50 by just 17 points.
Tom Kim's apology
At the end of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Tom Kim posted a message on his Instagram Story apologizing for his actions.
Here's part of the message (via NUCLR Golf):
"I wasn’t aware that I had made that big of a damage on the green cause if I did I would’ve never just left without repairing it, but I was clearly wrong and will take full responsibility of my actions and will be better going forward."
What are the implications of not making the FedEx Cup Top 50?
Finishing outside the FedEx Cup Top 50 means Kim will not automatically qualify for the 2025 season's Signature Events. The Korean will have to qualify in other ways, either through the methods known as the Swing 5 and the Next 10, or by winning a PGA Tour event.
Kim does, however, qualify for The Players Championship, known as the unofficial "5th Major." He would also be guaranteed full PGA Tour membership, but the Korean has already secured that by winning the 2023 Shriners Children's Open.
On the other hand, while finishing in the top 50 in the FedEx Cup is not an automatic qualifier for the Majors (unlike finishing in the top 30), being in that group is a plus in the event of a special invitation.
For the time being, however, Kim's 18th place in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) makes him eligible for all of next season's Majors.