"It got dark” - Tom Kim opens up about his mud bath experience at 2023 PGA Championship
Tom Kim became the highlight of the 2023 PGA Championship on Thursday, May 18, due to what happened on the ninth hole at the Oak Hill Country Club.
Kim's shot saw the ball go into Allen Creek and the officials told him the ball had crossed the stream and that he could continue the play if he found it. In a bid to continue playing, he waded into the mud.
Kim told ESPN+ in a post-round interview:
"I was told my ball crossed the water and it was just in the mud over there. If it had a good enough fly I was thinking I could chip it over there. as soon as I went in it was kind of sketch but it's a major championship, I'm fighting for every single stroke I have and it got dark."
Kim said that once his foot went into the mud there was no looking back. The two-time PGA Tour winner added:
"I went full in, got my shirt and everything (muddy). There was one point where I just sunk in ... I couldn't get myself out, I called Joe (his caddie)) and he said 'Well if I go in I sink, so both of us aren't getting out'."
The 20-year-old South Korean golfer had to crawl and use every part of his body to get out of the swampy land. He then went back into the water to clean himself.
"It couldn't get any worse, I was wet enough so I thought I might as well just go in the water and wash myself off," he explained.
🏽🤿 Tom Kim on his PGA Championship mud bath: “As soon as I went in… it was kinda sketch… but I mean it’s a major championship, I’m fighting for every single stroke I have… and then, it got dark” 🤣 🏊🏽🤿 Tom Kim on his PGA Championship mud bath: “As soon as I went in… it was kinda sketch… but I mean it’s a major championship, I’m fighting for every single stroke I have… and then, it got dark” 🤣
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Kim didn't mind taking the risk of going into the creek considering the magnitude of the event he was participating in
"I hope everyone at home understands it's a major championship. I'm trying to play the best I can and every shot matters so I definitely went full in," he said.
Despite taking such efforts, Kim failed to find the ball. That said, he said the event will go down as a great experience in his career.
"It didn't really help, I didn't find my ball, I went through all that but it was a great experience," he concluded.
How did Tom Kim perform in the first round of the 2023 PGA Championship?
Tom Kim carded a 3-over 73 on the first day of the 2023 PGA Championship and sits at T63 with 12 others. The World No. 19 golfer holed two birdies and five bogeys on Thursday as play was halted at Oak Hill due to darkness.
Eric Cole, who is yet to win his first PGA Tour title, carded 5-under with four holes to go before the play was stopped. LIV golf player Bryson DeChambeau shot 4-under 66 as he is in second place after the first round on Thursday.
Dechambeau is followed by Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners, and Dustin Johnson, who posted a 3-under 67 on Day 1 at Oak Hill. Scheffler, who shot his first bogey-free round in the majors, made three birdies on Thursday.
The 2023 PGA Championship saw a delay in starting due to frost. The play couldn't be completed on Day 1 due to darkness, and there are still 33 players who have yet to finish the first round.
World No. 1 Jon Rahm, who has played 14 consecutive majors without missing a cut, lost his rhythm on Day 1 at Oak Hill, as he shot 6-over 76 to finish at T117.