AUGUSTA, Georgia — We’ve all been there, right?
Maybe not tied for sixth at the Masters Tournament, but anyone who has attempted to play the maddening game of golf is probably guilty of doing — or at least wanting to do — exactly what South Korea’s Si Woo Kim did in front of the 15th green at Augusta National Golf Club on Friday.
After a three-putt bogey because of a lip-out on the par-4 14th, Kim’s third shot on the par-5 15th, a chip from behind the green, rolled 19 feet past the hole.
While Kim waited for playing partners Corey Conners and Charl Schwartzel, he slammed his putter head-first into the ground, snapping it and rendering it useless.
Kim finished the 15th and played the next three holes while putting with a 3-wood. He actually putted quite well with the fairway wood, nearly draining a 13-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th.
Kim carded pars on each of his last four holes to finish 3-under 69. He is 3 shots behind leader Justin Rose going into Saturday’s third round.
“I was lucky I only have like three, four, five feet, and then I just had — the last few holes, I only had a birdie putt,” Kim said. “So no pressure to make it. Yeah, I think it’s just I got lucky there.”
Kim said he slammed the club down in frustration because of the three-putt on 14 and poor chip shot on 15. He threw his ball in the pond in front of 15 after finishing the hole.
“Just frustration,” Kim said. “That’s not on purpose, but it was broken, yeah.”
Kim said he had never broken his putter in frustration while playing a competitive round. But it apparently wasn’t the first time he has blown up on the course. Shortly after Kim snapped his putter, PGA Tour pro Chesson Hadley tweeted that he had witnessed the fiery 25-year-old throw a club during a round.
Kim might have lost his putter on Friday — he wouldn’t say whether he has a backup with him — but probably gained a legion of weekend hackers who can relate.