Golfer Tom Kim apologized Monday for damaging the locker door following his loss to Byeong Hun An at the DP World Tour’s Genesis Championship in South Korea.
In a statement posted on his Instagram account, Kim said he did not intend to damage the door on Sunday and said he would pay for the repairs. Kim said he apologized to the DP World Tour and the Korea PGA Tour, which sanctioned the tournament held at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon.
“After the loss I was devastated, yes, of course,” Kim said in a statement. “[B]I can assure you with the purest truth that I had no intention of damaging any part of the locker, not even a little bit.”
An, also from South Korea, made an 8-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to tie Kim, who had an 8-foot putt to win the tournament.
In the playoff, Kim hit his third shot on the par-5 18th and made bogey. An made another birdie to take his second DP World Tour victory.
“I talked to him [DP World Tour] and KPGA after the incident they said the door was out,” said Kim. “We had to fully remove it for safety reasons. I have also informed them that I am willing to pay all the damages.”
Kim said the issue was “closed” after talking to the guests and promised to pay to fix the door. He did not believe that he would be approved by both circuits.
“I thank everyone who sent me messages of support, but to them and to everyone else who may have been disappointed, I apologize from the bottom of my heart,” Kim wrote.
This is the second time in less than a month that Kim has apologized for his actions in the competition. Last month at the President’s Cup in Montreal, he apologized to US team captain Jim Furyk and two-time major winner Xander Schauffele for telling reporters that unidentified members of the US team had insulted him and teammate Si Woo Kim during a foursomes match.
Kim sought out Furyk and Schauffele after his match on Sunday. The Americans defeated the International team 18½-11½.
“Yes, it was about my comment,” Kim said at the time. “I just told him, ‘Hey, I didn’t mean to go in such a bad way. If it happened, I just said I’m sorry. It’s like something I heard yesterday, some comments I heard at that time, they just came out of the blue, they came to me personally. I thought it was only fair to share.”
